Language, Learning, and Laughing Past Review
By Brittany D (Spanish Education K-12, Hope College) for
CIEE: Santiago - Liberal Arts
Patience. Persistence. Understanding of a different culture. Improvement in my Spanish skills.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidad de Chile |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I feel that my rating above is a little harsh on the two universities that I attended while in Chile. I learned a lot and had an excellent experience at both of these universities. I would have filled out this form differently if I had been able to rate each class that I took individually. I had two courses where the professors were excellent and extremely helpful. I also had two courses where the professor were hard to contact and not very clear with instructions. Overall, this is an experience that I would recommend to anyone. While choosing classes, I would pay special attention to what the Chilean students had to say about the professor because they can change the entire dynamic of your university experience. Also, I would not recommend taking four literature classes at the same time. It is a lot of lecture and a ton of reading. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff are extremely helpful and very knowledgeable. They were able to help with almost any issue and very responsive to student needs. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We were placed in the host family by the program. My host family was amazing and treated me as a family member. I didn't have to buy anything to settle-in. The neighborhoods where the students from our program were placed are among the safest in the city. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We took two program trips, one to Temuco and the other to Iquique. In both of these trips we were able to visit a different indigenous group of the country. We were able to see their different ways of life. These trips were excellently planned, very educational, and enjoyable. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $25 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | BRING MONEY FOR TRANSPORTATION |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish VI: Advanced Grammar and Composition |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I lived with a host family with whom I always spoke in Spanish. I also spoke in Spanish to my professors and classmates. I talked in English with many people from the program, but I had ample opportunities to practice my Spanish. |
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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