A Rollercoaster Ride of Fun and Stress Past Review

By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 07/20/2018 to 12/15/2018 with

Andres Bello National University: Santiago - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned that I love sandboarding, I love the ocean, travelling in Chile is way cheaper and more enjoyable than it is here in the US, I learned that I need to advocate for myself more, I learned how to speak fluently in spanish, I learned some interesting pathophysiology, and I learned that I definitely want to go back if that's ever a possibility. It was worthwhile even though it was emotionally very difficult.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:	I've already sent reviews to Middlebury regarding my issues with food and the classes. I don't feel like rehashing everything.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes Knowing what I know now, I think I'd be more prepared to advocate myself and actually mold the experience into something I truly enjoy.

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)	Housing was pretty expensive given its quality and I had to buy a lot of my own food to feed myself.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$125-150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Buy groceries for yourself if your family isn't feeding you. Don't just buy as you need. Provide for yourself.

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
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Advanced
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	One 300-level spanish course
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?	If you really want to get the most out of it, avoid English for as long as you possibly can.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans
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?	Freedom The Directors The UNAB Facilities
* What could be improved?	Better Housing/Host Families - I loved mine but it felt like they didn't really understand their entire role Making students aware of how grades will scale back to the US system BEFORE going abroad Making the CESFAM internships more uniform and give students a clearer idea of what to expect
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	See above

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 Nearly Native or Trail Blazer Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Salud Publica II
Course Department:	Salud Publica
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments:	It wasn't that challenging and everyone in the class just used answers from previous quizzes to study which was kind of odd. I didn't have to put any effort into this class to get an A-
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Fisiopatologia
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Really cool content, really nice professor, horrible grading scale. It was all multiple choice exams that were formatted to make them incredibly confusing. A lot of there being several right answers with one best answer. I learned the most in this course, but the grading was pretty discouraging.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Internship
Course Department:	Public Health
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments:	This internship was not at all what I was expecting. Also, everyone who had these internships had highly differing experiences depending on which CESFAM you were placed at. I was expecting something involving more clinical shadowing and learning the basic ins and outs of patient care. Instead I was stuck doing baseline work for community outreach. That's a great thing, don't get me wrong, it's just not what I signed up for.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No