Chile: Great Education and Great Fun Past Review
By Liz S (International Studies, University of Oregon) for
Universidad Austral: Valdivia - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned more about Latin America and went on a more in-depth study abroad than I had in high school. I also improved my language skills a lot. In terms of cultural, I am currently serving in the Peace Corps so my time in Chile helped me realize that you can survive living away from the "norm".
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I had one of my all-time favorite professors while in Chile. He taught the US-Latin American Relations class. I don't remember his name but his wife is German so he spoke German sometimes in the classroom and was very tolerant of the varying levels of Spanish spoken by us. Highly recommend him. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There was no faculty with us during the Spring of 2007. The woman in charge of our program was a professor there and she was generally busy. She did have a guy in the office though that helped us out all the time, which was nice. I did not feel it was necessary to have someone from Oregon present with us. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We were all assigned to different host families. We ranked whether we wanted to be with a family with kids, a family with grown up kids, an older couple, or with other students. I lived in a boarding house with a woman and her two children, one of whom was at the university as well. There were also four other Chilean students at the house, which was a great way for me to interact with host country nationals. |
| * Food: |
I eat a lot and am not too picky. I'll try anything at least once. The food was good and there was always plenty of it. If I wanted something extra, I'd just tell my host mom and she'd get it for me, or I would just get it myself. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We went on two organized trips with the program to sites nearby Valdivia. Those of us in the program also met up with a group of locals and hung out with them a lot. One of my favorite nights was when a girl from the boarding house invited me home to meet her family. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt safe all the time, even walking alone at night. I was only sick one time fora night and my host mom took great care of me. |
| 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? |
We were enrolled in a Spanish class though the program. There was regular and advanced. I was in the advanced one and the professor really pushed us to improve on both our written and spoken Spanish skills. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A student who already has a strong base of Spanish would benefit best as the Chilean dialect is a bit tricky. Also, play hard but be sure to work hard too - classes count! Have fun and if you go when I went, bring rain pants, a rain jacket and boots - it's WET. |
