A rewarding challenge Past Review

By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/22/2017 to 07/15/2017 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Valparaiso

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

I learned so much about the health system in Chile and how to interact with patients there. I learned less about the history/culture than I had thought I would because I had to invest so much time in my classes.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I did the nursing program, which was very challenging. There were a lot of things covered in the first year of classes that I had to learn on the spot. I learned a ton, but it was incredibly stressful. Interactions with patients improved my Spanish greatly, but I felt very underprepared for the clinical components and labs.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Juan, Lindsay and Paulina are wonderful and work to solve problems quickly
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	It was hard to integrate into the community of nursing students, but I did spend most of my time with Chileans
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	N/A
* Safety:	Petty crime is very common, so use common sense
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes The nursing program was so much harder than I thought it would be. It ended up being a rewarding challenge, but I would have appreciated having a better sense of what I was getting myself into when I started. I gained a lot of useful skills -- from basic nursing practices to an understanding of medical spanish and the Chilean health care system -- but it was very academically rigorous and did not allow much time to enjoy other parts of Chilean culture.

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)

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	The language pledge meant that I only spoke spanish
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 level, had taken 5 semesters of Spanish before arriving
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?	Stick to the language pledge

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Immersion in the healthcare system host family Improved language abilities
* What could be improved?	Preparation for the nursing program Events with cultural mentors
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	That the nursing program is very hard, but you will survive and gain so many useful skills in the process.

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 Linguist You 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!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Cuidado de Enfermeria en el Ciclo Vital
Course Department:	Enfermería
Instructor:	Solange Goodoy
Instruction Language:
Comments:	Very interesting but very challenging. Covers birth-death. Lab was stressful and campo clinico was the hardest part of the semester, but I did learn a lot. Relied heavily on my classmates to try to catch up on the material they had learned the previous year.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Enfermería en la Promoción y Prevención en Salud
Course Department:	Enfermería
Instructor:	Ximena Muñoz
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	A super interesting look at the Chilean healthcare system. Very centered around group projects.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Salud Pública
Course Department:	Enfermería
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	Spanish
Comments:	The class was mostly online and we had to submit a group online homework assignment each week, which proved to be difficult -- not in terms of the actual assignment (which was generally very simple), but in terms of group dynamics. Not a very challenging class.
Credit Transfer Issues: