Buenos Aires: An amazing breeding pool of artistic ability and beautiful culture. Past Review
By Cassidy C (spanish, Columbia University) for
IFSA: Buenos Aires - Argentine Universities Program
I grew as a person. Through learning a new language and meeting my boyfriend, I've grown lightyears.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
All depends...I didn't do that well in my classes. The professors were picky and I really challenged myself with my courseload, and overall didn't see great grades but learned more than I ever did in my home university. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone was very friendly and they had high expectations of their students. They knew we were smart kids. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host mom was like a mother. We bumped heads a few times because I'm a bit messy and she wasn't always forgiving that I didn't understand EVERYTHING. We had some messy moments but overall was great. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I went to the Argentina vs Spain game which was great. I've traveled all through the north and been to Iguazu. I got a job as a waitress in the summer when I wasn't in my program which helped my spanish a lot and I met a lot of fun people. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most people speak Spanish, and we lived with home stay families. I ended up meeting my boyfriend here and am now trying to teach him English. |
| 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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Always tip!!!! They say you don't always have to, but thats WRONG. Its mandatory to tip 10% at restaurants. Also, don't compare everythingto the US, because it ISNT THE US. Many students had a problem with that and were constantly judging how such and such thing would never occur in the Us, but, guess what, Argentina isn't the US. |
