Mendoza - Communication is Community Past Review
By Alana N (Environmental Studies., Wellesley College) for
Universidad Nacional de Cuyo: Mendoza - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Absolutely. There are many cultural differences to work through, but I learned so much about myself and others that I'm so blessed for this opportunity.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I learned a lot about the culture and a different way of life, but the level of classroom education was extremely poor. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Incredible central office, always very supportive staff - a true safe space. A weakness would be the spanish language portion of the program - the professors are wonderful, but don't require enough work to make the class very useful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I always felt really safe because I was fully made aware of any dangers and annoyances that I could encounter. The health care in Mendoza was also extremely satisfactory - it covered the problems I had regarding dental, bone injuries, and sickness. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bring more money than you think you will need because you'll likely discover a new part of the country that you hadn't heard about before, and it's nice to have the cash to be able to travel there! Also, Argentina as a country has very few coins, but they are needed for everything. Be aware that coins are precious and it's always good to have some on hand. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I took an intermediate grammar course, but basically had to start from the beginning |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I talked with my host family for a good portion of my day, everyday. However, based on the experiences of others, this is not guaranteed, and many never spoke with their families. All of my classes were taught in Spanish as well, and I made an effort to speak with the American kids on the program in Spanish as much as possible. |
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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