CSULB Exchange: University of Belgrano : Testimonials (Buenos Aires)
The following program testimonial responses have been selected for publication by Center for International Education
Direct Exchange Evaluation
How did your classes differ from those you have taken at CSULB?
• The first semester, I took PEAL classes (for foreign students) such as culturas y tradiciones, literature y tango, which were all pretty easy (they seem hard at first because they are all in Spanish). The second semester I took Marketing & other business classes with the Argentine students which required a lot of studying. • Literatura; its in Spanish, but nice if you want to read; • Arte Argentina: really nice, you get to know about the city • History classes in English, Basic Spanish. The workload was about the same as CSULB • I took four classes in Spanish. A Spanish grammar class, Spanish literature, Tang, Cultures & Traditions. They were less challenging than my classes at CSULB. It was a significantly less amount of work. My profs were helpful. • Spanish speaking classes. Professors lectured through reading books, playing videos, and assigning group presentations. Exams were mostly essays and free response. Overall an easy A. • I took four PEAL (Spanish classes) and 1 English class. The classes weren’t very hard as long as the teacher saw you were trying you would get a good grade. Teachers, for the most part, were very helpful and loved to answer questions. • Gender history, social economy, international business, Latin America in global economy, history of Latin America. Easier courses styled around lectures (less class participation necessary). One midterm and one final exam only. • Contemporary Argentine Art, Latin-American Cinema, Argentine Culture, Tango, Intermediate Verbal Communication. The classes varied from those taken at CSULB because I opted to take all of my classes in Spanish. For that, the classes were much more difficult. The teaching style was much more hands off than we are used to at CSULB. You’ll do fine if you are a more independent student. Overall the work needed to receive an A (8-10/10) was easily achieved. (2/1/13) • Fotografia: photography – difficult, was not part of the exchange classes — Spring, 2013 Participant |
What was your housing like and how much did it cost you per month? How easy was it to arrange?
• I lived with three other international students in a fully furnished apartment, big , spacious and very nice and cheap. Loved it. • The first semester I shared a room with a friend from Long Beach with a German girl in the other room. We got very ripped off & paid $325 each to share a room, later I lived with an Argentine & we each paid $200 to share a 1 bedroom apartment. • First, I lived by my own (sic), then with locals; this was nice because I had a place to live in my arrival (sic), but you can also try hostels. Once you know the area try to live with locals, or make friends at school. • I live in an apartment with an Argentine male, his dog and a girl from Philadelphia. We live in Palermo Solo (a great area) very accessible to the bus that would take me to school every day. Found the place via Craigslist while I was down there. • I lived in a two bedroom apartment. I shared a room with another girl from Long Beach and a student at Belgrano from Germany lived in the other room. Our apartment was a 20 min walk to campus. The owner was a lot to deal with. She took advantage of our situation and raised our rent halfway through the term, but it was legal in the contract we signed. • I lived in an apartment with a host family in Villa Devoto. This family was Argentine and offered an amazing, welcoming, caring cultural experience. • I lived with a host family that I found on craigslist. They turned out to be some of the coolest people I met and were a huge help. Host-family is a hit or miss, but it can definitely help your Spanish because you are forced to speak it. Dorms and apartments are great, but you have to be more intentional about learning Spanish. • Apartment, own room, own bathroom= $450 USD/month…I found it on craigslist • I lived with the most wonderful host parents an exchange student could ask for!!! I highly recommend my family to any CSULB student that decides to go to Belgrano. I received their contact info from another CSULB student who had stayed with them the year before, and my semester I lived with another CSULB student as well. The family owned a 3-story house in Belgrano which housed a total of 6 students (of all different backgrounds) and my host parents. (2/1/13) Housing Costs per month • $330 a month for rent & appliances. $200 on food. • $425 then $300 dollars per month • $450 with a phone that had unlimited calls to & from the States • $300 /mo. Inc. utilities • Monthly average was 700 pesos, or about $155.56 for food and rent • $600 U.S. per month for room, meals, and a trip to their beach house! • $450 USD/month • Each month was paid directly to my host parents $600 a month which included breakfast and dinner expenses. (2/1/13) — Spring, 2013 Participant |
How much money per week did you spend on food? Transportation? Personal Expenses? Travel?
Food: Between $30-$50 per week Transportation: Between $5-$20 per week Personal Expenses: Between $25-$50 per week Travel: Between $60-$500 per week — Spring, 2013 Participant |
How much money per week did you spend on food? Transportation? Personal Expenses? Travel?
Food: Between $30-$50 Transportation: Between $5-20 Personal Expenses: Between $25-50 Entertainment: Between $15-$70 — Erica Jorgenson, Spring 2013 |
What were your experiences with the language? Did you feel you had enough language preparation?
• No, I feel that as long as you know the basics and enough to get by. • It was hard to understand at first, but people help & it comes with time. • I wish I would have known more Spanish before I left. But, by the time I left I was having heated debates about soccer with my Argentine friends • The language was difficult. No one could understand me and I couldn’t understand me and I couldn’t understand anyone for about a month. I did not have enough language upon arrival • Argentine language/accent/vocabulary is different than Mexican Spanish. It wasn’t too difficult to get accustomed to the language since my father is Argentine. However other non-Argentine students may have difficulty. • I completed SPAN300, but I have never been good at Spanish. The first month or two was rough, but once you get over what people think of you and practice every chance you get, you pick it up quickly. I would recommend SPAN300, but it is not a must. The most important thing is to have a go-for-it attitude and you will pick it up quickly. • If you are taking classes in Spanish you’ll need more preparation than completing SPAN201B. • I felt fine with the level of Spanish, BUT ONLY because I had taken Spanish 300 the semester before I left. I know plenty of people that had no Spanish going into Buenos Aires, and they seemed to get around fine. There are enough people in the city that speak English that they were able to get done what they needed. As someone that wanted to master Spanish with my study abroad experience, I suggest taking Span 300 before going. (2/1/13) — Spring, 2013 Participant |