a worthwhile challenge Past Review
By Kristina Hamilton Butler (St. Olaf College) - abroad from 02/28/2016 to 06/24/2016 with
IES Abroad: Buenos Aires - Society & Culture
confidence in speaking spanish, sense of independence.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I was initially frustrated with the low academic rigor of my program, but I made amends with this when I found myself with ample time to explore, meet people, and began to speak confidently in Spanish in the city. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
To match with the culture of this city, this program sometimes lacked organizationally. While it was frustrating, it usually was not the fault of the staff, but obstacles occurred when the staff had to function with outside organizations, like partner universities, or the visa office. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Safe area of town, very nice people. No complaints aside from a very small bed. |
| * Food: |
Not vegan/vegetarian/other dietary restriction friendly. It's completely possible, but this country is heavy on the bread, meat, and potatoes. I was happy to return home for this reason. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Very easy to stay within the bubble of IES students. We all spoke english the entire time. The program offered a plethora of trips within and outside of the city, and that allowed many students to gain perspective on the culture. But as for truly being "immersed", it takes the initiative of the student to integrate themselves into the culture - the program can't do that for you. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
As far as I heard, the staff was very responsive to medical emergencies. I never had one. |
| * Safety: |
The program places all students in the safest part of the city. Regardless, Buenos Aires is not considered to be a very safe city. I was never robbed, mugged, etc. There were a handful of students that were, but it's all about being smart and not being in the wrong place at the wrong time. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would want one that is more academically rigorous and more focused on my major (ethnomusicology, focus on Latin American music). |
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? | about 70 dollars per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Be able to cook for yourself and take public transportation (in place of cabs0. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Speak it. You're going to make mistakes, and the locals will know you are a foreigner. The best way to improve is to accept this and speak the language anyway! Practice to gain confidence and fluidity of speech. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That I had no idea what I was about to experience. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
