Chile: The Best Choice of My Life Past Review

By (Peace and Social Justice, Berea College) for

USAC Chile: Santiago - Spanish Language, Latin American Cultures, Journalism, and International Studies

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Chile was amazing. It impacted me in such a way that my future plans are now to get my ESL teaching certification and return to Santiago to teach English.

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.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I was fortunate enough to be in Chile during their bicentennial celebration. It was amazing.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

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? Roughly $30-40 per week. Public transportation is expensive, costing $1 every time you ride the metro, which I used everyday, multiple times a day.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I did not realize that we would have to pay for medical expenses out of pocket and wait to be reimbursed by the international insurance company. I wish that would be explicitly stated during the orientation weekend.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? none
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

My Chilean friends, my American classmates, my host family. I used Spanish every day. Most people did not speak English.

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

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Go. Do. Live. Experience.