Buenos Aires is an excellent global city in which to learn Spanish and culture! Past Review
By A student (Biology/Spanish, University of Kentucky) - abroad from 02/02/2013 to 06/21/2013 with
Study Abroad Programs in Argentina
Aside from the dramatic improvements in my spanish language skills it was great to have the experience of building friendships and community ties from scratch in a new city. It was absolutely worthwhile and worth every penny that I paid and more.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
A variety of interesting and culturally relevant courses were offered at the University of Belgrano. I took courses in literature, cinema, global economy, history, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everything about SOLs organization and support was excellent. From the beginning, the program director, Raul, was very hospitable and welcoming. It was great to see the enthusiasm that he has for his city. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The apartment home stay was very nice and and was in a good neighborhood. The location was accessible for public transportation and was within walking distance of the university. My host mom was extremely welcoming and made every effort possible to make us feel at home during our 5 month stay. |
| * Food: |
Breakfast and dinner were provided by my host mom. She prepared a great variety of healthy and cultural dinners. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The process of social integration in the city was, in my opinion, facilitated by SOL to the perfect extent. At the beginning, in cultural events we would learn about Buenos Aires and porteños. As we learned more it became natural to make friends and connections to the community. We had the opportunity to go to a conversation club every week. I made great local friends there that I still keep up with on skype and facebook. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
no experience. |
| * Safety: |
My major piece of advice is to watch for pickpockets. I luckily never was successfully pick-pocketed but one time in the subte, a two person pickpocket team attempted to distract me and steal my iphone from my pocket. I caught them and nothing happened but a handful of students in my program did get phones and wallets stolen. |
| 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) |
Buenos Aires is very inexpensive for US students due to the favorable exchange rate. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably 20-40USD |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Use XOOM.com for money transfers from USD to Argentinian pesos. It is legal, and gives close to the dolar blue rate. Also, look off the beaten path for good restaurants. Some of my best meals there were the cheapest ones. |
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 |
Spanish language development was the central focus of the program. |
| 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? | 200 level spanish |
| 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? | Find locals to hang out with and speak with. Also, if you are interested in volunteering, find an organization that interests you and use that to have extra authentic cultural and language experiences. I did this on Fridays since we only had class Mon through Thurs |
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? | Nothing, really. I was very pleased with everything about Argentina and SOL education. I got everything I expected to and much more out of my experience. |
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 AdventurerThe 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. |
