Buenos Aires: Take advantage of the infinite amount of amazing things to do while eating pastries! Past Review
By Sarina S (Spanish and Environmental Studies, Wellesley College) for
IFSA: Buenos Aires - Argentine Universities Program
YES! Improved my Spanish, traveled, learned how to problem solve and live on my own, adapt to different living situations, experienced a different university, made great friends in a different country, etc.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad del Salvador |
| 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. |
The teachers were great. Sometimes a little disorganized |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very knowledgeable and helpful. They provided many options for activities, etc. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My location was fantastic but my host mother was not the best and my apartment was very small. I was fed well but my host mom was not that friendly. I felt safe in my neighbhorhood and I did not have to buy any items to settle-in. |
| * Food: |
Food was pretty good. There were a lot of potatoes and a lot of the same food. It was really salty and oily. However, she gave me a lot of fruit. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My program took us to great theater/performances, cultural centers, parks, etc. They were really fantastic and some of them we wouldn't have had the opportuniy otherwise. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Other students had safety issues but I did not. If you are smart and always aware of our surroundings you should be fine. They are unsafe neighborhoods and situations but if you avoid them there shouldn't be problems. |
| 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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I did not spend that much money on food because most of meals were made for me and I did not cook for myself. I had to find my own dinner on Saturdays and I usually went out with friends. I would say between 20-50$ on snacks during the day, wine, pastries, coffee and dinner on saturday. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Buying minutes for cell phones adds up so take that into consideration. I think you can easily eat out for less money/effort than cooking for yourself. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 255 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
All of my classes were in Spanish. Most of the Americans spoke English but it is a Spanish speaking country and you had to speak to survive. |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Do it! Buenos Aires is the greatest city. You will never run out of things to do plus Argentina is so fun to travel in. |
