I'd do it all over again Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 07/19/2017 to 12/07/2017 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Buenos Aires
Although I spoke spanish at home, spanish definitely improved.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Not a lot of schoolwork, scattered assignments throughout. Not necessarily easy, but also not impossible. With the help of fellow students, able to get by. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Coordinators from the Middlebury program made the experience very comfortable. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Host family was my favorite part of being abroad. |
| * Food: |
I decided not to be a vegetarian while living in Argentina. I'm glad I did because it didnt limit what I was able to eat, which at times meant only meat options. Food is nothing extraordinary, very influenced by Europe. Not heavy on seasoning. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Meeting locals was difficult, but definitely got to know a few who showed my friends and I a great time. Very welcoming and inviting. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had an injured knee and getting an x-ray and getting it checked out was not hard to do. Very simple process done with Maria Marta at the hospital. |
| * Safety: |
I am used to navigating urban settings, which is why I did not feel that overwhelmed. Didn't walk around late at night by myself, taxis are very cheap which made navigating very easy and comfortable. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Although this program is very long, it taught me things I didn't think it could. Being latino/hispanic myself and living within the context of a culture that is so opposite mine, only having the language and very few things in common, brought me a piece of Latin America that I only fully understood experiencing myself. The history of Argentina is extremely interesting and I'm glad I got to study it. My host family was unreal, and they are people I see myself keeping in touch with for life. Traveling was amazing- I saw things with my own two eyes I never thought I would. |
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) |
Not student budget friendly, but I highly recommend saving about $4,000 before going. Set aside $2,000 for travel, if that is desired. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | A week, I spent about $20-30USD, including going out expenses, lunch, transportation, phone, etc. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Traveling was expensive and each trip was a minimum of $250USD. Save for trips. |
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? | 300- Almodovar's Films |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Watch movies, listen to music, listen to radio shows from that country. |
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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| 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? | That I didn't have to bring as many clothes as I did. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Seminar: Religion and International Relations |
| Course Department: | Political Science |
| Instructor: | Ivan Petrella |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Super interesting- difficult at times to understand key words in Spanish, but overall engaging. Spoke about very important and relevant topics. |
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| Course Name/Rating: |
Political Theory |
| Course Department: | Political Science |
| Instructor: | Dario Roldan |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Not a very engaging course, but I learned a lot of basic and important info about avent-garde political philosophers. |
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Argentinean Cultural Studies |
| Course Department: | Exchange Department |
| Instructor: | Claudia Soria |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Demanding amount of reading and studying, but easily my favorite class that I took. Taught me a lot about Argentina that one would only learn within the context of a cultural studies class. |
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