Eye Opening, Out of your comfort zone September 10, 2023
By A student (Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literature, Haverford College) - abroad from 02/28/2023 to 07/15/2023 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Santiago
I learned to enjoy my life more. To travel and realize that there is so much more out there than just Haverford.
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. |
The classes are not as hard as in Haverford, but the grading is. So for example the workload is less, there are no weekly readings and the class participation and engagement are less. But the grading on the individual tests are harder and the rubrics are really strict. |
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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? |
Living with a host family can be tricky after being used to living on your own or in a college dorm. But the experience overall was okay. It's definitely a learning process and it takes you out of your comfort zone. |
| * Food: |
The food is not the best unfortunately. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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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
Yes, I gained a lot from it and it gave me a very specific vision of the world. |
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) |
It was very easy giving the fact that the host family also cooks for you. In the rent you pay includes food so that's a great resource so you don't spend money on regular days. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make a weekly budget and plan your trips in advance!! Also if you can travel outside Chile, then do it so your tourist visa gets automatically extended rather then paying for an extension. |
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 |
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 restriction of living with a host family. |
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. |
