Great explorations! Past Review
By A student (Oklahoma State University - Stillwater) - abroad from 05/26/2018 to 07/20/2018 with
Study Abroad Programs in Argentina
I discovered that there is such diverse background in South American culture. In the US it is easy to combine South and Latin American to one entity, however, there are such major differences between the two.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The host professors and university resources we great! I received the help I needed when we saw that I was lacking in some of the skills other students already had. I am not sure if the summer program does not gage its classes levels as ideally to that of the US classes or if my own universities standards are not equivalent to that of my host university. However, there was a lot of catch up for me to do once I arrived in Argentina. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Amazing teachers and director! |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My largest and truly only problem with my study abroad was my host family. There was miscommunication, poor hygiene at times and my roommate and I really felt like we were there because of the money they would receive. We did not get to engage or participate in any outings with our family. |
| * Food: |
Meat is not a common option with our host family. There were times were told to eat in our rooms while they had different (better) meals in the dining room. There were several times that we could not even eat the food we got for dinner because it was unidentifiable or rotten. A common meal for dinner was chopped hot dogs with pasta and milk. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Going out to museums, concert and excursions I truly saw a lot of Argentina. Local food is delicious from churi pans to asado, the meat cuisine is amazing in Buenos Aries restaurants. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Never had any reason to seek medical attention. |
| * Safety: |
Backpacks become chest packs on the subway of Buenos Aires. However, I was never robbed or saw anything that every made me feel uncomfortable. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would have preferred to have traveled to Spain. |
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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 US dollars |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Do not eat out every day for lunch because restaurant food is very similar in price to US restaurant prices. Try to pack a lunch. |
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 |
My Spanish course was in Spanish and required 100% Spanish use throughout the course. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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 Beginner I & II |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Try to research the different terms they could use and accents. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Argentina has a very strong accent! |
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! |
