City life in a bubble Past Review

By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 07/24/2019 to 12/15/2019 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Santiago

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I found it especially enriching for the culture, I particularly enjoyed any conversation at the dinner table about traditions and customs and how it differed/resembled my own cultural values

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language
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?	Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	Spanish 300
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?	Listen to lots of music in the target language

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	the urban setting being in the local university lots of opportunities to explore/participate in extracurricular activities or workshops
* What could be improved?	The host family program
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wished I had been even more aware of possible social issues and how they might affect the experience

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 Linguist You 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:	Chilean, Lat Amer, Spanish Lit
Course Department:	Spanish
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Most of the topics were new to me, but the professors explanations were clear and engaging. In some sections of the course it was possible in particular to draw from my experience in Chile as an international student to understand the topics discussed in class. All assessments were papers.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Hispanic Philology
Course Department:	Spanish
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	The course was particularly difficult because it required prior linguistics knowledge that I did not necessarily have. The course components with the assistant professor were more theory based, while the ones with the actual professor were on practical philological exercises and anecdotes of the field. We had regular in-class exams
Credit Transfer Issues: