Buenos Aires: An awesome experience that was so much more than expected Past Review
By Andrew C (HISTORY., Trinity University) for
IFSA: Buenos Aires - Argentine Universities Program
It was definitely worthwhile. Coming back to trinity, I feel like a lot has not changed here, but I have changed a lot.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Buenos Aires |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
My classes for the most part were good. They got really difficult at the end because I had all final projects and papers. One of them was a 20 page research paper 1.5 spaced all in Spanish. And of course, all the work came at the end of the semester when you want to try to be doing a lot making the most of your time left. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program is for independent people. The program does a great job exposing you to a lot of resources that can be used abroad. They do a great job teaching you how to enroll in classes, get your residencia, and if you ever have any problems, they were extremely helpful. That being said, on the daily basis, the program did not play an integral role in my life. Once I was enrolled and set up with my host family, it really was up to me to explore, organize my daily life, and take care of what needed to happen. It's a great program, but they don't hold your hand and arrange daily activities for you. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a great, safe, clean, and popular part of the city. My host mom did not speak any English so it was a great opportunity for me to always be speaking Spanish. I had my own room, with internet access, with sheets, bed, blankets etc. and the maid would clean my room once a room. |
| * Food: |
My host mom cooked the majority of meals, and the ones we had to provide, it was easy b/c there are grocery stores and cheap markets everywhere. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Social life is great, the people are very warm. So many awesome places to explore in the city. Very relaxing atmosphere. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I always felt safe. The program outlines the area of the city that are advised to not wander in. |
| 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? | It varied week to week, but I think I spent around $5,000 dollars the entire semester on food, going out, restaurants, travel, books, school expenses and travel expenses and a phone. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I wish i had known that it would be so expensive to live there for five months. IT was hard to estimate a budget b/c there are a lot of unforseen expenses. like it's hard to estimate how much you'll go out, or eat, or travel for 5.5 months before you go there |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
We lived with host families who did not speak any English. And all of our classes were in Spanish. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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 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? | Expect it to be relatively hard at times. Nobody told me that it'd be hard. People told me i'd get homesick and whatnot, but it was actually pretty hard to be gone for five months on your own. I felt lonely and isolated sometimes, but that's a part of the experience because it teaches you how to appreciate your surroundings and resources to improve your situation. |
