Buenos Aires: Rich Colonial History Contrasted to Cosmopolitan City Worth the Experience Past Review
By Carmen C (History, University of Houston) for
Study Abroad Programs in Argentina
Buenos Aires is a politically charged region that I was able to experience first hand. The museums were amazing, overall the culture of the city was palpable.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I though the instructors were great and everyone who worked on the campus was very friendly.....environment was inclusive. The instructor did often make reference to the "outdated" material as if she desired better work books and had to point out mistakes for us to overlook. Workload was fine, however, combined with other activities, there was minimal time to study. In the end, this made it difficult to focus on the final exam, which was intense to say the least (10 pages, possibly more, not to mention oral part) |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone learns differently. It appeared that expectations were high as to how quickly you should be adapting to language. I had a difficult time with language and almost felt as if I had to apologize for this fact. I do not think that the tours should have been done in English and they were. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Location/aesthetics were good. I was under the impression that living arrangements would be single gender, however there was a female student and her boyfriend in the next room and that was a bit uncomfortable. |
| * Food: |
Accommodations at host family were good, however, no lists were provided by host advisor (Raul) for other dining options and that would have been helpful. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Visiting the gaucho ranch was memorable, it was interesting to learn about past customs and to see the traditional folkloric dance/music. The food was amazing! Buenos Aires is the 9th largest city in the world and has so much to offer! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Safety was an issue.....many things were stolen from students (phones, iPads) and a group of students at the school were held up at gunpoint in their apartment. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Some restaurant employees and many retail employees spoke english. All faculty staff at school spoke multiple languages. With more time to study I could have improved my language skills however programs weekly calendar was packed. I literally saw everything this city had to offer (all barrios, districts, areas of neighboring countries, etc) |
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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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? | Someone interested in Latin American Politics/Art/History would benefit greatly from visiting this city, however, conversational spanish is recommended. This program was marketed to beginners and I'm not quite sure that would be a good fit. |
