Semester in Santiago Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 07/26/2017 to 12/15/2017 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Santiago
I improved my Spanish skills significantly, learned about Chilean culture, and enjoyed the courses I took. It was definitely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The Middlebury program had a lot of resources, and the language pledge ensures a greater commitment to learning Spanish. The program itself was relatively organized and intensive. However, I generally did not find my courses at my host university in Santiago to be particularly rigorous. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Middlebury team in Chile was great. I always felt supported by the staff, and I enjoyed getting to know all of them. |
|
* 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? |
I did not have any experiences with the healthcare system in Chile. |
| * Safety: |
Santiago is generally a safe city, and I never had any problems. Using common sense, it's easy to navigate and enjoy. |
| 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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I chose to go out to eat several times a week, so around $30-$40 for food and maybe $30 on other expenses (transportation added up). |
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? | Advanced |
| 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? | SPAN 242 at Wellesley |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I had known more about Chilean culture before going on the program. I also wish I had better understood the pros and cons of the different locations of the Middlebury programs in Chile and the details of the Food Studies program. |
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! |
