Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Best study abroad experience I could've asked for Past Review

By (Wellesley College) - abroad from 07/21/2016 to 12/16/2016 with

CIEE: Buenos Aires - Liberal Arts

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I came back with a new perspective, a lot of cool stories, a lot of people from there that were hard to leave (i.e host family), and just overall amazing memories.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

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:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

It's like any big city- you need to be careful and streetsmart

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

The program did a really good job at helping us get to know each other- lots of excursions and events where you could spend time with program participants but also still had free time to do what you want. It was just disorganized at times but overall they were responsive to problems or concerns and looked out for the students.

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)

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? Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Fluent

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
  • International Students
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?
  • the excursions and events
  • the staff was very friendly and helpful
  • the host families were well picked out for the most part
* What could be improved?
  • the orientation doesn't need to be that long
  • it was disorganized at times
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? This is a program that does help you integrate into the city at first, but a lot of it you will have to do on your own. You take some classes at the program base but will likely take classes at local universities and will have a lot of free time not spent with the program, so it's up to you to make the most out of your time there. There are some programs that walk you through the whole semester and students spend all their time with their program and rarely leave that bubble, and that works for some people- but this isn't really one of those programs. It will help you settle in at first but most of it is up to you to figure out and make the most out of. It is a great program, and amazing city (overwhelming at first) with an insanely rich culture and incredible nightlife- definitely would recommend going abroad here.