Chile: Chilly but an amazing experience that helped me decide on my career Past Review
By Shimwoo L (Chemical and Physical Biology, Harvard University) for
Harvard University: Santiago - DRCLAS in Chile: Spanish & Service Learning
My cultural awareness heightened and I became more open-minded to people with different backgrounds. HSI helped me decide to pursue medicine because I had the chance to meet role model doctors who were extremely dedicated to caring for their patients.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Workload is very manageable and the professor is very enthusiastic. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program administrators are great people who do care about the students' wellbeing and learning. However, their office was quite far from where I lived, so it was difficult to access the place. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was treated like a family member. The host family provided me with towels and sheets. The neighborhood was safe. Its location was relatively close to the central part of the city. |
| * Food: |
I was not used to the food that my host family made, so that was a somewhat difficult transition. The family tended to eat more meat and more salty foods. However, I really loved fresh fruits and seafood. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Visiting the house of Pablo Neruda in Isla Negra was a great trip organized by the program. There I got to learn more about the life history of the celebrated Chilean poet and also the beach next to the house was gorgeous. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Health issues were not very well-addressed by the program but the host family took care of me very well. Santiago is a relatively safe city; however, the frequency of stealing is high. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I did not spend much on food since food was provided by the host family. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Transportation was a significant portion of my expenses. Also traveling can be quite expensive. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 40 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I practiced Spanish with the host family I stayed with and the doctors and patients in the hospitals I visited. I also practiced with the professor and classmates. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Pre-med students or students considering a medical career who are also interested in learning Spanish should definitely consider HSI. |
