Eight fantastic weeks! Past Review
By Gregory L (Clinical Nutrition, University of California - Davis) - abroad from 06/22/2013 to 08/17/2013 with
Study Abroad Programs in Argentina
I gained better and broader perspective of the world and of learning languages. It was definitely a worthwhile experience!
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 traveled with Sol for an eight-week/two-session back-to-back period, so I attended the University of Belgrano (UB) for one month and Academia Buenos Aires for the second month. I found the course at Academia to be more challenging and more stimulating to learn more because the pace was much faster, while the course at UB was more similar to courses here in the States and not as challenging. UB - 4 stars; Academia - 5 stars. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Our directors, Raul de la Mano and Melisa Rao, were excellent sources of information and assistance whenever required! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I shared a room for the first month and had it to myself the second. It was comfortable and we had Wi-fi, which was nice. Our host mom spoke English and Spanish, and was amazing, although I do wish she had spoken to us in Spanish all the time. Nevertheless, living with a host family is a great experience. |
| * Food: |
Food in the city is at most comparable to the States, if not cheaper. There are always deals, and the food is tasty! We also received dinner Sun-Fri with our host families, with breakfast everyday. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Sol provided a excellent schedule of events to expose us to the culture and life of the city, while respecting our academic and coursework schedules, too. Mate Club was one of the best activities because it was weekly and you meet people who are interested in learning language just like you. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
3 stars for average because this is non-applicable for me. |
| * Safety: |
Be aware of yourself. It's exactly like any other big city (think New York City), so just don't be foolish with your belongings or yourself, especially at night. |
| 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) |
Food is pretty inexpensive and since breakfast and dinner was provided almost every day, living frugally is doable. |
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 |
Our directors encouraged us to speak Spanish, but it was very difficult to do so based on the level of most of the students in my program. I wish there was some sort of mandate to speak Spanish, but know that would have been near impossible to maintain anyway. I started at a lower intermediate level and now would consider myself upper intermediate, but not advanced. |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 3. |
| 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? | Use your language. Speak during class, if you take a language course or a course in another language. Force yourself to use it outside of class. Take every advantage to use it as much as you can. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | Speak the language. Force yourself to use it with friends. I went primarily to improve my Spanish skills and secondarily to experience the culture, so I wish I had been more invested in the 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 LinguistYou 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! |
