STAY AWAY FROM THIS PROGRAM! Past Review
By A student (University of California - Los Angeles) - abroad from 01/16/2010 to 06/16/2010 with
Study Abroad Programs in Argentina
What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My experience was more than worthwhile, but choosing this program was a huge mistake.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad de Belgrano |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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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? |
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| * Food: |
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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? |
No
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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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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
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? | Intermediate |
| 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? | Had already satisfied my foreign language requirement at UCLA |
| 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? | Refuse to speak your native tongue! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | Choosing this program to study abroad with will be a grave mistake: I guarantee it. The advertising on the website is completely misleading. Nearly everyone I studied abroad with on this program agreed with me (we were in the process of signing a group petition to get our money back--YES, I AM NOT KIDDING!). Here are my frustrations: The group activities are laughable. They find the cheapest activities to do in Buenos Aires (i.e. $5 tango classes or $.25 subway ride to the San Telmo Market) and take you on them once a month as part of your package. You are not getting your money's worth in this aspect. You might as well sign up for the University directly and ask them to find you a homestay (which you can do at Univ. de Belgrano). The living situations aren't accommodating for a good time. Home stays are great, since you get to meet the local family, but it is tough to arrive there alone not knowing anybody. Keep in mind that many of the families sponsoring a homestay are not necessarily or always doing it because they are excited about hosting someone from another country. They also have a financial incentive, since they are renting out the extra room in their home to pocket extra cash. Thus, the program has to make an effort to really involve you and introduce you to people, something which they do not do well, since everyone is arriving to the program at different times to do different things (getting a TEFL Certification, doing a medical internship, etc.). They do not bring the abroad participants together often enough. If you decide to live in the RoadHouse, you will have a much better time meeting people, but the rules on living there are incredibly restrictive. For example, you cannot have guests passed a very early hour (even to just hang out and watch a movie), a rule that served to very easily ruin a lot of nights very quickly. I want to restate this for emphasis: THE VERY EARLY CURFEW WAS A REALLY BIG DOWNFALL AND WILL DRAMATICALLY AFFECT YOUR SOCIAL LIFE WHILE THERE. The house is also very dirty and overcrowded (the latter of which I admit can be part of the fun). The other option is to just get an apartment, which would mean you are throwing your money away going through this program, since you could just do that on your own. Just to give you an idea, I studied abroad again in another country for a semester and had an absolutely amazing experience with my other program, so I am not inherently against studying abroad or traveling. Buenos Aires is an amazing city and I loved my time spent there; I am just very against this specific program and wish I had gone with a better/more established one like CEA or ISA. The staff at Road2Argentina is helpful, but they do not go out of their way to make sure you are happy (and that is a very big understatement). They sell themselves as different from other programs because they are "based in Argentina and are a local program," but beware that this is simply a marketing ploy. All other programs (CEA, ISA) have Argentinians who work for their organization, so you will get the same level of local guidance but without the lack of professionalism you'll find with Road2Argentina. |
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