Argentina: Interesting yet Enlightening Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload would probably be the same as in the States, however the professors understand how difficult the language immersion is and all of the classes are curved. You will never receive a syllabus, nor do the professors care if you know what's going on. It's a very independent education system; if you want to learn, then you do it. With regards to my classes at Salvador, I was shocked at how backward the classes seemed. Nothing was on the internet, they don't have books, because they are expensive. I had to purchase photocopies of the books at various stores throughout the city, which was very stressful. The mid-term is usually the only grade that matters for foreign exchange students. This is very annoying because the the time after the class has no relevance, and one single class grade could be based on the mid-term exams (which are given in September). And don't expect efficiency... For example, in one of my classes, we were assigned a questions to answer. In the states, the group would have divided the questions, worked on them individually, and then reunited together to put all of the questions together. Instead, my Spanish group didn't do any work before, met at one, cooked lunch for two hours, and then it took us about nine hours to complete the worksheet. In Argentina, it's more about the camaraderie and conversation, rather than

On-site administration of your program

The program is run very well. Everyone in the office is use to the American way of life of getting things done on-time and being very organized. The director was fabulous, knew everyone's name, and was very nice. With regards to academics, the advisers weren't very helpful.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived with a host family for most of the time, and after my program ended, I moved in with some American friends. Living with the host family was great. My family had five kids and there was always something going on... however I didn't feel my Spanish improved because I was very intimidated to speak to them.

I was very surprised with the lack of food variety in Argentina. They are not very big on salads or vegetables, which was very shocking because in the States you can order a salad anywhere. I would say the food is very unhealthy.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

For Thanksgiving, we went to our program director's house in Uruguay. It was awesome. I thought they did a really great job of providing activities for us that were cultural and fun.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Buenos Aires is a dangerous city. I was mugged at gunpoint the first week I arrived. But, you get over it, and you realize it can happen anywhere. You just have to know where you are and understand your surroundings. It might seem safe, but it's really not.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Yes, you needed to use the language to interact, however, most everyone speaks English. I practiced with my friends, host family, and other students in my classes.

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• Host Family
• Apartment

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• Americans
• Host Family

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