IFSA Butler 2015 Past Review
By Kate Rhodes (Macalester College) - abroad from 07/20/2015 to 11/30/2017 with
IFSA: Buenos Aires - Argentine Universities Program
How to go with the flow - very valuable for coming back to senior year/the job search in the US
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were interesting but not too challenging. The classes through IFSA were less rigorous than my classes in the US, however, I appreciated that since the language difference made it more complex. One of the classes I took at a local university (USAL) was easy in theory (entry level history class) but actually quite challenging since it was very disorganized. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
IFSA was great, detailed orientation, very on top of student life. Class at IFSA made it so weekly interaction with program staff was enjoyable but not overdone. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host mom was nice, her family was over every other week for dinner, so got to practice my Spanish with people of all ages. |
| * Food: |
Homestay food was consistent, good, but the same few dishes every week. The food in Buenos Aires, however, is stellar and very diverse! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Met some local students at a party and they invited my friend group to a bunch of concerts/events, it was through them that we felt really integrated. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
n/a |
| * Safety: |
Buenos Aires is a huge city so it is important to be wary (don't wear headphones at night, general city skills). I felt incredibly safe there though, even walking around alone at ~3am. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Loved IFSA, great program, great staff! |
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) |
I choose to spend a good amount of my money on food. However, I could have lived far more cheaply if I didn't go out to eat ~3 nights a week. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $75 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go to supermarkets and buy sandwich materials for lunch. Easy way to avoid cafe costs. |
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 |
We were encouraged to speak only Spanish at school, with our homestay, and with friends |
| 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? | 305 (fifth year spanish) |
| 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? | Use it with your American friends, even though you will want to speak english. I spent most of my time with then and it would have been valuable to practice, especially since many of them were near fluent. |
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? | Clothing in Argentina is shockingly expensive. Bring everything you think you could need (including a jacket for Patagonia)! |
