Chile: An exhausting, thrilling semester in Spanish Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 07/21/2018 to 12/15/2018 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Santiago
Solidified my control over Spanish, became more independent, saw some really cool places
Personal Information
| 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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We were very busy with the activities of the program, and thus had little opportunities to pursue personal social activities. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Nothing happened, as long as you were aware of what you were doing. Dont walk alone or really at all after 11pm in the central city, but nothing really came up throughout the semester. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I thought the human rights program was very interesting and engaging. If i had to do it ove again, I would, but if I could go back, I would do a different program |
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) |
If you want, everything is provided through your host family. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | hard to calculate: lump sum was paid to host family |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Eat with your host family and don'y be afraid to ask them to get the food YOU like, be it snacks or main meals |
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? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 300-level at Middlebury; semester abroad in Spain |
| 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? | Try to interact with Chileans, develop a relationship with your host family |
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? | The Chilean Spanish is VERY hard and different |
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! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Pensamiento Latinoamericano |
| Course Department: | Anthropology |
| Instructor: | Matias Marambio |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Interesting overview course on Latin American Thought taught by an engaging professor. It dealt with a lot of different ideas and concepts, so it could be confusing and difficult at times. The majority of the students didn't show up to class nor did they do the readings, so the professor had a hard time navigating teaching a class to students who didn't seem particularly interested in learning, |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | None |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Historia Social y Politica de Chile |
| Course Department: | Sociology |
| Instructor: | Camila Silvas |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Interesting class on the history of Chile, but it was plagued with disorder and confusion regarding the coordination of the TA hours and tests. The professor was very nice and intelligent and understanding, but the class could be very frustrating at times. Very accommodating of foreign students. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | None |
