Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Study Abroad in Buenos Aires Past Review

By (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., The University of Texas at Austin) for

IES Abroad: Buenos Aires - Society & Culture

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I loved studying abroad in Buenos Aires, but I didn't like my program. I made great friends, learned about a new culture, traveled a lot, had a wonderful time.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: IUNA
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The on-site administration was unhelpful with pretty much everything. They were unorganized, and made my semester more stressful.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Recoleta <br /><br /> I lived with a single woman, who had six grown children. She was very nice, and we got along well. She helped me a lot with my language acquisition and understanding how things work in Buenos Aires.

* Food:

The food in Argentina is awesome, but very unhealthy. There are no vegetables. But the pizza, pasta, empanadas, dulce de leche, etc. are amazing.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Buenos Aires is an incredible city, I absolutely loved it. There are so many fun things to do, and the people are great.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I did get really sick with a stomach virus, and IES didn't help me at all. My host mom was really wonderful; she took me to the doctor and took care of me. Buenos Aires is a pretty safe city, but there are neighborhoods to avoid at night.;

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

Finances

* 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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I spent a lot of money traveling, but it was definitely worth it

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? History of Spanish Literature
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Spanish Grammar
Course Department: Spanish 300
Instructor: Vale Tetti
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: I loved this course, but only because of my professor. She was very knowledgeable and taught us all a lot about Spanish grammar. However, she didn't overload us with busy work.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Tango
Course Department:
Instructor: Marcelo
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: This was a Argentine university course. Our teacher was difficult, and capriciously changed the syllabus. The Argentine students were all professional dancers, so it was very hard to keep up with them.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

History of Argentine Cinema

Course Department: FS 330
Instructor: Andres Levinson
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: This class could have been very interesting. However, there was so much mundane and overly detailed reading that it was hard to become involved or interested.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Hisotry of the Argentine Environment

Course Department: ES 330
Instructor: Veronica Hollman
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: The teacher was very knowledgeable. There was an oral presentation and quiz every week. There was a lot of detailed reading, and it was a lot of work.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Argentine Poetry
Course Department: LT 360
Instructor: Jorge Montegolone
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: Very nice and intelligent professor, explained poetry very well
Credit Transfer Issues: