Living and Learning Fully Immersed Past Review
By Robert Ellebracht (Notre Dame College) - abroad from 01/10/2018 to 05/03/2018 with
USAC Chile: Santiago - Spanish Language, Latin American Cultures, Journalism, and International Studies
Gained the knowledge to go out and meet people and hang out. Be yourself and take control of what you can do, you do what makes you happy and work as hard as you can.
Review Photos
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. |
Classes good overall, some were taught a little harder than others, but it made me really think critically and use previous knowledge gained. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Amazing, always there to help, will talk to anyone about anything, give advice, encourage us, laugh with us and be wonderful people. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Lived with host family and it was the one of the best parts of my study abroad. |
| * Food: |
All good food, nothing special, but delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Felt integrated, but I think more could have been done to make us more integrated. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
No issues, but friends said they were very good. |
| * Safety: |
I felt safe, never had any issues, just be smart and be aware of what or who is around you. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Th program advisers, the program members, the host family, the ease of travel, the beautiful city, it was all amazing and created an experience I will never forget. |
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) |
I planned my budget and made spreadsheets of what I spent and what I wanted to spend. Everyone is different, but for my personal expenses I stayed pretty close to budget, I was over by about $300 just because I wanted to experience certain things I didn't think I could do in the US and travel to other countries outside of Chile. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | food $0, always ate with host family, expenses about 20-50 depending on week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan out what you want to spend and bring that cash with you, I have ATM fees so I didn't want to use the ATM so I brought a lot of cash with me. Don't go out all the time with people, spend money wisely on only what you need for the beginning 2 months and then later on if you have a lot and can get less picky, but if you spend too much too early you won'y be able to go on fun trips or adventures that are spontaneous. |
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 |
All the time, in all the settings that it as possible, the program people wanted us to use it. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 0 |
| 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? | Talk to host family as much as possible and meet Chilean people to talk to. |
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? | I wish I would have known more Spanish so i could have more meaningful an longer conversations |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
