The Challenge -- An Experience of Every Possible Emotion Past Review

By Ujjayan Siddharth (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/01/2016 to 12/22/2016 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Montevideo

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

From my experience abroad I learned a great deal about living abroad in a completely new country speaking a different language. I learned how to navigate social situations in a different way and through my academics learned about other forms of teaching and content.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)	3.5 = up to 50 dollars on food + personal expenses. The lack of a meal plan including lunch with the host family was problematic.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	35-50 dollars a week
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Buying and making food at home is a great way to save money, eating out can be expensive depending on the neighborhood you end up living in.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language
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?	Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	300 level course
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?	Communicating with people from the country is very important, don't get caught up in an American crowd because then you won't have nearly as many opportunities to practice.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students
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?	Academics Social Life Travel
* What could be improved?	Food Situation Family Life Preparation
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I had known what my situation with food would have been like and I wish I had been more integrated into my host family from the start through some form of preparation.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Outright Urbanite A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Proyecto 2
Course Department:	Architecture
Instructor:	Jorge Di Polito, Ana Schaffner Pereira
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	The course contributed a great deal to my academic progress. Middlebury doesn’t have very many options for architecture studios so it was important that I took a class where I would design projects and work on contributing components such as plans, sections, models, and renders. Learning how to make all these components better was an important part to my academic progress.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No I did not.

Course Name/Rating:	Procedimiento Constructivos 4
Course Department:	Architecture
Instructor:	Ricardo Romero
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	Architecture students often fail to have the hand-on experience one needs to truly understand how buildings are built. This class really helped me in providing me with the fundamental knowledge I need to properly understand the buildings I will design as an architect.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No problems with credits transfer.

Course Name/Rating:	Conformacion de la Region
Course Department:	Architecture
Instructor:	Ruben Garcia, Maria Puppo
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	The lecture class was fascinating as I learned so much about architecture in Uruguay and the surrounding region and how they were developed and influenced. The class was a lecture class where the professor talked for up to 2-4 hours but the lectures were well-structured with an overview of the themes we were exploring and then particular works which corresponded to those themes. I learned a lot about cities and their various historical manifestations as well as directly about how singular works and movements guided the development of these cities. The texts we read were also interesting and added another dynamic to the class.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No I did not have issues.