Potential to be a great program, but host-families make a huge difference! Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 07/25/2016 to 12/14/2016 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Santiago
I learned how to operate in situations in which I was unsure if myself and my skills. It gave me confidence to attack problems head on despite having limited understanding of the language.
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. |
The classes were challenging due to the language barrier. I often felt that having a tutor assigned to each abroad student would have helped a lot. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration team attempted to meet with us fairly often, but were often very late to their appointments or would reschedule multiple times. Many things such as our language assessments and cultural assessments were not administered on time which prevented us from seeing our improvement at the end of the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
While my host family was kind, but the housing left a little to be desired. My bed was very uncomfortable because the springs in the middle were pressing through and would poke me at night. The house was also fumigated for bugs twice while I was there. There was also a roof leak which ruined my computer and a few chargers. The location of the house was nice because it was very close to the metro. |
| * Food: |
My host family was less than attentive regarding food. I often ate simply bread for dinner. When the maid came there would be food, but otherwise it was very slim pickings. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I did not make any Chilean friends. I was mostly friends with other exchange students. I found the locals to be polite but rather aloof. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no medical issues while abroad so I am not sure. |
| * Safety: |
Safety within the city is very dependent upon the neighborhood. I lived in Nunoa which was very safe, however other areas like Bellavista are not as safe, particularly at night. A friend of mine was trying hail a cab to come home from a bar one night in Bellavista and a man came and tried to cut her purse off of her. In the process he sliced her rib cage and she had to go to the hospital. Another time a friend and I were walking through Bellavista before we knew it was dangerous and a man on a skateboard dropped my friend between her legs as he passed by us on his skateboard. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would probably have gone to Valparaiso instead of Santiago because it is more cultural and free of smog. |
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) |
It was difficult for me to live on a student's budget because rent was very expensive and my host family often did not have food in the house so I had to seek food elsewhere although it was supposed to be provided by my host family. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $40 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to eat at your host family's house as often as possible and pack ahead if applicable. Also, take advantage of any student discounts on transportation through the school such as student BIP cards. |
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 a language promise. |
| 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? | Spanish 241 at Wellesley college |
| 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? | Try to interact with your host family. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | I wish I had known that Santiago is such a large and polluted city. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
