Fun in the Smog Past Review
By Olivia Collens (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/22/2017 to 07/16/2017 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Santiago
How to speak spanish better, was a good respite from middlebury. Definitely worthwhile to go abroad somewhere
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Don't like Chilean food- too bland |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Made many Chilean friends |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
My friend got mugged a couple of times and we once found a guy bleeding in the ground |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Really liked the atmosphere of the city and lovely people. Weather was very pleasant. School was simple and lacks homework, but had to wake up way too early. Lots of travel opportunities |
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) |
Biggest necessary cost was transport ~$20 per week as student travel cards were not made available to us despite the university saying they would be at the beginning |
| 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? | Go to house parties not bars whenever possible |
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 |
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| 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? | 300 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Never speak english |
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? | Chilean plugs are the same as european It does get a bit colder in winter Bring tasty food |
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 UrbaniteA 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: |
Genetica |
| Course Department: | Facultad de Ciencias Sociales |
| Instructor: | Sergio Flores |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Fairly boring as 3 hour long lecture, but only those 3 hours a week. Professor was very nice and helpful. Small class <20 students. Assessed with 2 non cumulative exams (there's a cumulative at the end of you don't get at least 5.5) and a presentation on a journal entry |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Matematicas |
| Course Department: | Facultad de ciencias |
| Instructor: | Sergio Munoz |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Not too difficult, but way too many hours of instruction at awkward times (8ish per week) thankfully they ended up not counting attendance. Teacher was the best. Many non cumulative exams, 1 final cumulative if grades below 5.0 |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Zoologia |
| Course Department: | Facultad de ciencias |
| Instructor: | Michel Sallaberry/Juan Salazar |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Yes there was a looot of material to cover and 5 hour labs every week. Labs were conducted in groups which worked well. There were 3 non-cumulative class exams, a lab practical and written at the end and group lab report every week. Less participation in actual class as there were about 100 students |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
