Future-Focused Study Abroad: IFSA in Argentina

I absolutely loved studying abroad through IFSA's Argentine Universities program in Buenos Aires! IFSA was so helpful throughout my experience and made everything really easy. The staff was so kind, and they went above and beyond, taking us out to dinner, on excursions like theatre trips, kayaking, and rugby games, and organizing a 3-day trip to Uruguay, where we stayed at our program director's gorgeous hotel! Buenos Aires is an incredible city with so much to do and see, and Argentina is a truly amazing and beautiful country! I'd recommend this program to anyone who has an interest in studying abroad in a Spanish-immersion program!

The academic options are endless! I felt like a kid at a candy store, when selecting my courses for the semester. I simultaneously felt overwhelmed and excited. One has the opportunity to take classes at four different universities. Matriculating in a local university allows one to integrate oneself more easily into the culture and meet local students. There are also academic concentrations (such as Argentine Cinema or Human Rights: Genocide), which one can choose, which are provided through IFSA. These concentrations allow one to delve deeply into a particular field of study. The IFSA staff in both the U.S. and Buenos Aires, are very friendly and reply promptly to any queries one has. Throughout the semester, there are various events, such as attending a rugby match, learning tango, kayaking, seeing theatrical works, and more! There is also a semester trip for a few days with to Uruguay, which is included in one’s fees to IFSA. IFSA gives you independence to explore the city and travel, but is always there if you need them. Buenos Aires is a wonderful city in that there’s always something to do. I enjoyed the hip café scene throughout the city. There are many museums to explore as well. If one plans ahead, there is often a free admission or reduced admission day. In the spring, there is Lollapalooza, a music festival. In the fall, there is the Night of the Museums; all of the museums in Buenos Aires give free admission and are open from 9pm to 3am. As someone, who is from a town of 60,000, I found the public transportation, to be wonderful. There are buses that run 24/7 and an underground metro, called the subte. If you are interested in volunteering, while abroad, IFSA has connections! One can volunteer at local schools teaching English or helping out at environmental non-profits. All students are assigned to an academic advisor, who ensures that they are on-track. Tutors are also available if one is struggling in a class. A student’s homestay experience can vary depending on one’s family. Most students are placed with a single retired woman. Homestay placement locations are spread throughout Buenos Aires in neighborhoods like Palermo, Recoleta, Belgrano, and Barrio Norte. If you like empanadas, study in Buenos Aires! If one travels in other regions of Argentina, the filling and style of empanadas differ. If you are vegetarian and worried about studying in Argentina, you can do it. It might not be easy, but there are options for you. I studied abroad in the Fall of 2017.

I love Buenos Aires. I plan to move back after I graduate, and IFSA-Butler's program let me fall in love with it. It was an incredible experience in every way, but I want to talk about the biggest disappointment with the program I speak Spanish almost fluently and am a Spanish major. I was told before going that the mandatory Spanish class would be split up by level in the language. When I arrived I found out that they were split by theme, i.e. Academic Writing or Theater. This meant that there was great variety in the class' language level and that the professor had to teach to multiple levels. It was an absolute waste of time, as the professors were working with the same curriculum as other courses, and had to spend time helping students with lower levels of Spanish while the students with higher levels were left unengaged. Perhaps the biggest reason why I felt let down by IFSA in this regard is that I could have used those credits to take another course at a local university and would have gotten a much more immersive experience than I had. If you are a native/heritage Spanish speaker or have an advanced level in the language, consider that this program may not be able to provide for you as much as you would hope.