Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

A Great Semester Exploring Argentina & Antarctica! July 03, 2024

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/20/2024 to 06/03/2024 with

SIT Study Abroad: Argentina: People, Environment, and Climate Change in Patagonia and Antarctica

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I improved my Spanish and learned a lot in each course. I also learned how to live well with my host family, assimilate to a foreign culture, and a lot about how I see the world.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

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)

The stipend was sufficient but you had to be mindful of spending. I ended up spending a fair amount of my own money, but it was discretionary spending and not really necessary.

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? When you're budgeting your stipend money, make sure to account for group dinners and coffee shops and fun outings. It's a very fun thing to do but is an additional expense.

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? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? 300 level Spanish at my home university
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 TV in Spanish

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

  • Americans
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?
  • My fellow students
  • The program staff
  • The excursions
* What could be improved?
  • The time management
  • The Research Methods course
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That it is a program that is much heavier on the sciences than the humanities, although the program description may make it seem like the humanities are a more prominent area of study.

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 Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Spanish for the Natural Sciences
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: This was a good course for becoming more comfortable in conversational Spanish and improving grammar, vocabulary, and understanding nuances of local culture and language. It was loosely related to the natural sciences through readings and exercises. It was a pleasant, laid-back class, with plenty of support and time for questions and casual conversation. We had several small writing assignments, a group podcast, and a final exam.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Socio-Ecological Dynamics and Conservation in Southern Patagonia and Antarctica
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: I think this course could be improved in terms of really investigating climate change from many different humanities perspectives. The assignments and projects felt less purposeful and it sometimes seemed that we were lacking content. We had several great classes on tourism, archeology, and indigenous advocacy, and more of that would have been fantastic.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Climate Change and Marine Biology in Southern Patagonia and Antarctica
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: I learned a lot from these classes and it was valuable to be taught by regional/national experts. It could feel like we had a lack of cohesion in some modules as each class session was taught by a different instructor, and there were sometimes gaps in content. This course was most applicable to the fieldwork and excursions we did.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Environmental Research Methods and Ethics
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: This course covered a lot of the basics of scientific investigation and writing. It could be somewhat tedious or self-explanatory. I do not think we needed all of the class sessions, and could have spent that time working on our other projects.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Independent Study Project or Internship
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: I really enjoyed my internship and feel that I learned so much. This was, academically, the best part of the program.
Credit Transfer Issues: