Amazing opportunity for pre-health students! Past Review

By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/22/2016 to 06/06/2016 with

SIT Study Abroad: Argentina - Public Health in Urban Environments

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

I gained fluency in Spanish, I learned so much about the Argentinian healthcare system, especially the value of primary care. I was able to intimately experience another culture. Very worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	For someone interested in public health and/or medicine, this program is fantastic!
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The program staff were always available and ready to help.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I loved my host mom! The housing coordinator does an awesome job matching people together.
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	The homestay gives you an amazing opportunity to connect to Argentinian culture.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	The program has both an affiliated doctor and a psychologist that students can go to.
* Safety:	Buenos Aires is a major city, and has just the same safety concerns as any US city. Unfortunately, cat-calling is extremely common and was something I was really bothered by.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes I loved this program! The courses were related to my interests, the field-trips were amazing and even had some opportunities to shadow healthcare providers, I made a beautiful friendship with my host mom, improved my Spanish, and made some new best friends.

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)	We got a stipend and that really helped cover most necessary expenses.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$50ish.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Find cheap restaurants, cook at home, don't buy too many drinks.

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	All the classes were taught in Spanish and you had to speak to your host family in Spanish.
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?	300.
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?	Spend lots of time with your host family!

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?	Field trips with shadowing meeting local students Homestay
* What could be improved?	Spanish for the Health Sciences class
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	The Spanish for the Health Sciences class didn't really focus on medical Spanish.

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:	Epidemiology and Social Determinants of Health
Course Department:	N/A
Instructor:	N/A
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	The course was challenging but do-able, and we had a few relevant field trips. There are multiple teachers for the course, all were good. I participated about the same amount but in general there are less opportunities for class participation. There were assigned readings, a take-home Mid-term paper, a pre-departure essay, and a final group project.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I had no trouble getting Global Health credit but was not able to get Spanish credit above the 350+ level due to the fact that the course was not related to Hispanic culture. I found this to be unfair.

Course Name/Rating:	Spanish for the Health Sciences
Course Department:	N/A
Instructor:	N/A
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	The class wasn't particularly challenging. It did offer a lot of field trips to learn about Argentinian culture and the teacher was very nice. Unfortunately, the class wasn't really related to medicine at all and was much more about culture. We had a variety of essays, homework for every class, a few presentations, and a final exam.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Still wasn't able to get 350+ level Spanish credit.

Course Name/Rating:	Health Systems, Policies and Programs
Course Department:	N/A
Instructor:	N/A
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Challenging but do-able. Amazing field trips with a lot of first-hand experience in the Argentinian medical system. Good professors. A few papers, mid-term, assigned readings, presentation, field-trip write-ups.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Got the global health credit, not the Spanish credit at 350+ level.

Course Name/Rating:	Public Health Research Methods and Ethics
Course Department:	N/A
Instructor:	N/A
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Basically, this class is to prepare for the ISP. The weekly progress reports really helped to keep me on-track for the research project, but the classroom time didn't really help.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Got credit for the research methods section of the global health minor. Wasn't able to get the 350+ level Spanish credit.