Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Four months in Argentina Past Review

By (Spanish, The University of Texas at Austin) for

National University of Cordoba: Cordoba - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes. My time living as an Argentinian was extremely educational and valuable. I grew up a lot and made me realize how lucky I am to be an American.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

What actually went place in the classroom was phenomenal. I learned a lot, and the professors were very eager to help me. However, the university seriously lacked organization when it came to administrative things like registering for classes and acquiring transcripts. Their ineptitude stressed me out a lot and made my experience more unpleasant than it should have been.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The organization of the host country program was abysmal. There were no social opportunities for the foreign students to interact with one another. Administrative things like acquiring visas and signing up for classes were very confusing, and the program made things worse instead of improving them. I felt like my needs were not met. The stress I experienced as a result of the host program's inadequacy was outstanding and should not have played such a significant role in my time abroad.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My family was the best part of my time abroad. They took me in as a another daughter and always took in interest in what I was doing. They helped me with my travels and picked me up from class at night. They taught me a lot of Spanish and things about the Argentinian culture that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. I loved living with them. We still keep in touch, and I hope to see them again someday.

* Food:

Our cook was amazing and very accommodating to me as a vegetarian.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I traveled around the whole country and loved every part of it. I did not make many friends, unfortunately, but I was able to enjoy myself anyway.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

The program had basic advice for us, but it was not really stressed.

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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Not really. I would suggest taking advantage of your time abroad, even if it means spending a bit more than you intended. It's worth it.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? several upper-division Spanish courses
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I spoke Spanish with everyone except for students from North America. I was forced to use Spanish exclusively at home and in public, which helped me learn quickly. Most people did not speak English. I didn't rely on English hardly at all in order to communicate with people.

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? You should be organized, independent, self-sufficient, outgoing, open-minded, and nervous. You should not be terrified, overly paranoid, painfully shy, disorganized, or close-minded.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Literatura Latinoamericana II
Course Department: Facultad de Filosofia y Humanidades
Instructor: Roxana Patino
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: Definitely a challenging course (but not impossible). The professors and teaching assistants were very helpful. I found the material somewhat interesting.
Credit Transfer Issues: No--the course satisfies credit at my university.
Course Name/Rating:

Acquisicion de Lengua Materna y Extranjera
Course Department: Facultad de Lenguas
Instructor: Sonia Bierbauer
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: We hardly ever had class due to teachers' strikes, and the instructor could have been more organized. What I learned was interesting, but due to the lack of structure and classes, I felt like I could have learned much more.
Credit Transfer Issues: No--the course satisfies credit at my university.
Course Name/Rating:

Sintaxis del Espanol
Course Department: Facultad de Lenguas
Instructor: Ana Maria Area
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: A very challenging course. The subject matter interested me a lot. Both the professor and my classmates were extremely helpful. It challenged me a lot, but I felt like my hard work paid off in the end.
Credit Transfer Issues: I did have some difficulties communicating with my home and Argentinian university. At first, I didn't know how much of the class I had to take in order to receive credit. In the end, I had to take exams for material learned the previous semester, while I was still in the United States. The difficulty of communication was very frustrating. Had I not received credit and good grades, I would have been very upset.