Abroad on a tight budget Past Review
By Shenice M (Public Health, University of Rochester) - abroad from 02/24/2015 to 07/01/2015 with
IES Abroad: Santiago - Study in Santiago
I am so much stronger in Spanish so it was 100% worthwhile.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were extremely sweet! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host mom made me lunch and dinner. It does not get better than that! |
| * Food: |
My host mom and our housekeeper were good cooks. Except, try to smuggle your own hot sauce because it is hard to find good, peppery hot sauce. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I did not go out too much so I was a bit distanced from the culture. But honestly, I kept asking myself, "Where is Chile's culture?" because when I went out dancing or even to a restaurant the music was almost always American music. Even when watching local TV talk shows American music goes on in the background. Also, unlike certain other cultures like India or Barbados, the food is nothing spectacular... in my humble opinion of course. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Santiago has a lot of pick pockets. Several students had their phones robbed, their transportation card robbed, their wallets robbed. Carry your backpack in front of you! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
It was not easy at all since I was not working. What I ended up doing was just eating whatever my host family had in their home. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | A lot of weeks I did not buy extra food because my family cooked for me. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Walk to your locations. There are a bunch of free activities: Google them! Ask locals! |
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 |
There are signs everywhere that english is not welcomed and I had one teacher that had us bring in cookies if she caught us speaking english. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | SP 200 |
| 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 locals!!!! Don't be afraid!!! Also, talk in the language with your program mates!!! |
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? | 0 |
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 knew how similar Santiago, Chile was to where I grew up in the US (NYC). I would have chosen a different city so that I could have the feeling of being in a different country. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
