overall good experience Past Review
By Catharine Hemp (Wellesley College) - abroad from 07/27/2016 to 12/15/2016 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Santiago
Definitely worthwhile to study abroad. Got to travel, new people, new experiences. I had a good experience. It was fun to live as an adult in a different country and make a home for myself there. Helped to improve my Spanish, learned about a foreign country. I don't think I learned anything specifically new, but is was a chance to apply the things I have learned/growth I've made from previous experiences to a different setting.
Personal Information
| 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. |
not the same as Wellesley, but fine. during my semester, we were affected by an extended strike in the university which very much impacted my academic experience (strikes are common, but this one was longer than normal). Middlebury was helpful. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
kind, attentive, helpful |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
amazing host family |
| * Food: |
fine. bland if you're used to spicy food. lots of bread, cheese, ham (therefore could be hard for various dietary restrictions). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
integrated well with the culture, especially through experiences with my host family (since university was on strike often, didn't integrate as much there) |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
didn't have any health issues, therefore have no experience with health care |
| * Safety: |
felt safe overall, as much as one does in any city. had one bad experience when someone robbed me on the street |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
although there were some things I would have liked to change about my experience, the Middlebury program was great. I cannot speak highly enough about the team in Chile (Juan, Paulina, Lindsay) who are awesome. |
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) |
on program trips, food was provided. with my host family, food was also provided. I choose not to go out a ton and spend a lot on food, though that's a personal decision and someone could choose to spend nothing or a lot I brought toiletries, so I didn't have to buy those, can't think of any other personal expenses |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | nothing unless I went out to a restaurant or bar or movie with friends, in that case maybe $10-15 max |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | it's basically going to be the same as what you spend at Wellesley (depending on if you're someone who goes out a lot). you may want to go out more to take advantage of your time abroad, so plan for that. my advice, try not to spend a ton on an average week (going out to eat when you could eat at home etc.) and also don't buy too many things you'll have to stuff in your suitcase going back, that way you can spend the majority of your discretionary/fun funds towards travel, which will be allow you to experience more of the area and will be memorable |
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 had language pledge and it worked, only spoke in Spanish with those on the program and it was some of the best practice I got cause it's helpful to practice with people who are also learning as well as native speakers. Also, if you spend a lot of time with friends from the program, you don't want most of your time during the day to be speaking english |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | SPAN 241 |
| 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 the language pledge. if you're shy, try to push yourself to talk more (so that speaking improves as well as understanding). limit time online in english. above all, you know what you need to do to improve, if it's a priority for you, remember your goal and stick to it |
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? | just make sure you take advantage of the time you have, it goes by fast |
