A whole new perspective Past Review
By A student (Latin American Studies., Wellesley College) - abroad from 02/19/2012 to 07/07/2012 with
IFSA: Buenos Aires - Argentine Universities Program
So worthwhile, it was amazing! I became more open minded and aware of the world.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad del Salvador Universidad Catolica Argentina IFSA Program |
| 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. |
University classes were more or less comparable to classes at my home university in intensity and rigor, but resources were fewer. But definitely, not an "easy" program. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Great host family experience! |
| * Food: |
Home cooked meals with host family are a big step up from campus food I'm used to, but options are limited because of this. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Integrating into the culture was easy, but integrating with local friends is much harder due to the way their higher educational system is set up. Most locals in my classes already had their friends because they have been taking classes together for a long time. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Only experience I had with healthcare was getting a yellow fever shot, which was incredibly easy and fast and free! |
| * Safety: |
It's a very large city with many poor people and pickpocketing or being robbed is very common if not almost a guarantee. Always be aware of your surroundings and your belongings, especially in crowded areas like transportation or even at bars/clubs. Don't put your bag on the floor or back of your chair in any restaurant. At night know the safest streets to walk on so that you stay in well lit and populated areas if possible. Never take around more money or credit/debit cards then you plan on needing or using. |
| 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) |
Buenos Aires is rather expensive, and you have to be smart about how to use it, especially if you want to do social things and take advantage of all the city has to offer. But, all this being said the value of the peso fluctuates a lot so this could be different for future students. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | about a $100 a week, except when traveling |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save money before you go, because you are not going to be able to have a job there, unless you get lucky with some under the table type of job. Make lunches at home to take with you instead of eating out. Expect you will spend a lot more than normal the first few weeks, as you will not know yet the cheaper places or ways to eat. Look for deals or specials for going out, such as half off movie days, or no cover charge for certain clubs before a certain time. |
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 |
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| 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? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 300 level seminars |
| 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? | Make local friends so you can practice in a social everyday way with them, because you are less likely to speak the language with fellow students from the US. Be friendly with your host family as thats another great opportunity to practice. Go out an explore or run errands on your own so you are forced to communicate with local people. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? |
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? | About the difficulty of making local friends. |
