Buenos Aires: Great City, Time Consuming Classes Past Review
By Matt M (Urban Studies/Affairs., Trinity University) for
IFSA: Buenos Aires - Argentine Universities Program, Summer
Yes it was very worthwhile. My cultural awareness has grown.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Workload was manageable. Teaching methods were rough for those who weren't completely fluent in the language. Caliber of students was very high. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was great and helpful until the very end. We experienced many flight difficulties when we were all trying to leave back for the United States. The administration practiced a pretty "hands-off" approach, leaving many students unaware of how long we would be in the country, and many of us were left without a place to stay... |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Eating at restaurants was more than enjoyable, food was amazing. Eating cheaply often correlates with eating unhealthy foods, as their idea of "healthy" differs vastly from Americans'. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Party scene is excellent, no complaints. Also, my trip to Mendoza staying in a hostel was probably one of the most memorable and positive experiences I had the entire time. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
1/8 of people on trip had something stolen. |
| 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? | 2000 totals for a six/seven week program is pretty doable. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Expense of food is higher than you would expect, if you eat out a lot prepare to spend a lot of money. Also, alcohol is not necessarily cheap either. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
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| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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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? | If you are more of a serious student and want to gain the majority of your experiences from the classroom, this program can be great. If you want a lot of "me" or "us" time to explore with your friends, you will be hard-pressed finding enough time to go out and feeling like you were able to do so sufficiently after you get back. |
