Chi chi chi le le le: Viva Chile! Past Review
By Rachel R (Latin American Studies., Barnard College) for
IFSA: Valparaiso - Chilean Universities Program, Valparaiso
It helped my language skills, my confidence, my understanding of a new culture,I want to go back and study more and hopefully work there for an extended period of time.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | PUCV, USM |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I read a lot of interesting material; had a few passionate professors, which made the classes all the more interesting; I had a lot of busy work and essays that were not very challenging; in a few of my classes I feel as though I did not learn anything; the majority of my classes were lectures, instead of seminars; |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
It allowed us to be very independent while being cared for and helped with anything we needed. They were very organized and knowledgeable about both the host country and American higher education. My expectations for the program itself were met. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family treated me as if I were a member of the family. |
| * Food: |
My family made sure to make me food that I could eat with my allergy and experimented with different recipes. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Too many memorable events and attractions (for example, independence day, new years eve, all the program excursions, copa america, etc) |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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? | from 40 to 100 dollars a week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | getting used to the exchange rate was difficult. And travelling added up. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | All my classes were taught in Spanish. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
My host family, my chilean friends, I needed to speak Spanish every day, very few people outside of the program spoke English. |
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?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | smile |
