Wonderful, Stimulating, and Exciting Experience in a Great University! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Unicamp (as it is called) is an extremely well recognized university in Brazil (ranked 1st or 2nd in the country) and also in Latin America (ranked 2nd or 3rd), so its quality is very high. Most of its programs are well known, but the ones that stand out are the hard sciences, including engineering and medical sciences, but also economics. They are a top research school. The university also has great resources and opportunities. Professors are at top Latin American thinkers and scholars in their areas. The only drawback of all of this is that the professors are very focused on their research and getting papers published and this sometimes draws away from their interest in educating. However, I enjoyed and learned a lot in all classes.

On-site administration of your program

I did everything for myself, but I liked that. They did give us some guidance and some help. The problem is that it is a very bureaucratic university, so it moves very slow and it is inefficient. But, they are mostly available.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Finding a place to live is relatively easy. There are a plethora of options, which you can find online. Most cases, however, people would find a definite place once they arrive. The whole neighborhood around the university is full of apartments for rent specifically for students and a quick walk around will give you many options.

Food was good. Brazil is very expensive. Luckily though because the university is a public institution lunch and dinner is very cheap (only US$1). However, food at the cafeteria can be repetitive. I enjoyed it though!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It is really hard not to get integrated into the culture of Brazil in general and Unicamp specifically. Brazilians are very welcoming and students at Unicamp are great! I would find it strange if someone would have trouble in this respect.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Brazil requires health insurance for you to get a student visa. Moreover, Unicamp has a health clinic for the university community free of charge (including for exchange students!). Unfortunately, it is a very slow and inefficient system. So, although it exists and it is for free, one may have to wait long before being attended.

I had no issue with this. Brazil is not the safest of countries, but the region Unicamp is located is a safer environment. Barão Geraldo- the neighborhood where the university is located- is one of the materially richer areas of Brazil. Nonetheless, the best advice (for any place, including Unicamp) is for you to be smart and choose wisely where you go and when you (and with whom). I did hear of incidents, like thefts, that occurred to fellow students and in rare cases to exchange students. Overall though, it is okay.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Brazil is one of the most expensive countries in Latin America. However, the university tuition is for free, even for students with which the university has no agreement or consortium. So, you only have to worry about airline ticket ($1200 to and from), housing ($200 a week), food ($100) and transportation ($90), plus other personal expenses.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

A lot! The course I took was great and very interactive. There are very few students from the U.S. so there is little opportunity to get into situations well you will speak more English.

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• Apartment

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• Local Students

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• Local Students

• The academic quality
• Learning about Brazil
• Free tuition

• The university is too bureaucratic

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