A Semester of Fun December 08, 2023
By Anthony R (Anthropology, Latin American studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 07/30/2023 to 12/02/2023 with
IFSA: Buenos Aires - Argentine Universities Program
it taught me how to be okay with just exploring by yourself
Personal Information
| 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. |
because you have 3 different universities to choose from, it varies differently: la Universidad de buenos aires tends to be harder, but it does have really nice classes, the infrastructure is not as great though. la Universidad Torcuato di Tella is really nice and pretty, has great infrastructure, classes are pretty easy, la Universidad del Salvador doesn't have great infrastructure, but the classes are pretty easy |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
a little disorganized, but they are nice people and try to serve you well |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
my host family was very sweet, caring, and flexible |
| * Food: |
food was alright, tended to lack some spice/flavor |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
pretty well, it takes time and you have to have patience and try to talk to other Argentinian people |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
they were alright, it was kind of a pain and some of the infrastructure was hard to deal with, but it takes patience |
| * Safety: |
as long as you are smart and stay alert and don't act out, you're fine |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
it provided a great amount of flexibility, while also guidance |
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) |
argentina is going thru an economic crisis, so it is really easy to survive |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $10-20 USD |
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? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | graduate level spanish courses |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | practice, practice, practice - listen/watch/consume media of that language, and push yourself to talk to native speakers |
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? | to be more patient |
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! |
