Mullets everywhere, and it was awesome! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Although I did have a fairly steady stream of homework or assignments, the courses were not work intensive. For the most part they were fairly easy and as a foreign student who did not speak fluent Spanish, the professors were very lenient. I felt the level of education was much higher at my home university in the states. However, I had personally gone to Chile to improve my Spanish, and in that manner the education was of course excellent.

On-site administration of your program

The administration was always around to help or answer questions in person, but also via phone or e-mail.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My house worked out great, I loved my host family and had no problems of any kind. It was a great experience to live with them. My only complaint was my particular house was a bit farther away from most of the other students.

I love Chilean food, but be warned there is a lot of it, and most host families tend to feed you a lot!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Most of my social and cultural experience was outside of the program. I enjoyed the night life in Valparaiso (it is also a beautiful city during the day) and liked to go out with Chileans.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Our health insurance was great, and I felt safe living in Vina Del Mar, as long as I stayed out of bad areas. Valparaiso is a bit less safe, but I always felt comfortable in a group.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

The coursework and academics definitely did help to improve my language skills a bit, but I think the program Spanish class could have been a lot more helpful. My Spanish did improve drastically, but a lot of that was a result of spending time with native speakers rather than learning in class.