Chile: A Unique and Eye-opening Experience Past Review
By Michelle D (Health Policy Analysis., University of Rochester) for
IES Abroad: Santiago January Term - Health Studies
I became more confident and independent. My Spanish improved significantly and I was able to explore possible career paths in International Medicine.
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. |
Grading was fair and the workload was definitely manageable. The education system was a bit different. Students don't live on campus, and a lot of people didn't understand what undergraduate was, but other than that the changes weren't too drastic. IES courses were very similar to courses at my home university, although they were much easier. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I feel that they did an excellent job dealing with the challenges after the earthquake. Administrators knew a lot about education in the US and they were all from the host country and did a great job of educating us on life there. The program was fairly small (21-24 students), which worked out really well. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was awesome. It felt like I was somewhere between a family member and a guest. My host mom told me I was always welcome to visit her after the program. I lived in the center of Santiago in an apartment building with a widow whose children had moved out years ago. We got along really well and she provided me with just about everything I could need. She wasn't the best cook (and she admitted as much) but she really tried to make things I would like and I had a very health diet. The building itself was very safe and nice, but since I was int he middle of the city I had to be more conscientious about not walking alone at night and what I was carrying or what jewelry I had on. It wasn't the most beautiful neighborhood and I was far away from my classes, but I was fairly close to the nightlife and I was a 5 minute walk away from the metro, some museums, and other historical/tourist attractions. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The weekend trip that we took with IES was fairly inexpensive, eye-opening and lots of fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never got sick or needed healthcare while I was in Chile. As for safety, IES was almost too concerned. They were very protective and prohibited us from traveling to the areas most affected by the earthquake. I personally didn't find this unreasonable, but it caused some problems since many students chose to disregard this. |
| 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? | The metro cost about $10 a week and I spent on average $15 on toiletries, food and other expenses each week. Food was provided by my host family. On average, my weekend trips cost me anywheres from $150-300 depending on where I went, although I didn't travel too much. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bring toiletries with you if you can (since you probably won't find the kind you use at home and if you do it will be much more expensive). If you travel, go with a large group and try to search for a hotel/hostel where you can cook your own food. Travel during the off season if possible (during the colder months) since its a lot cheaper.To cut the cost of the metro, get a student pass as soon as possible, since the metro costs about 25 cents with a student pass. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 249 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke in Spanish most of the time. My host family spoke very little English and all classes were in Spanish. |
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? | Students who want to do something different and out-of-the-ordinary should go to Chile. If you like the outdoors and adventure sports (hiking, rafting, mountain climbing, camping, skiing) I would highly recommend this program. IES has an excellent Health program with a Medical Spanish course, clinical observation opportunities, and a course with a focus on health policy in the country. It is a great alternative to some of the Healthcare programs in Europe. |
