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CSULB Exchange: University of Desarrollo : Testimonials (Santiago)
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?
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• I took Spanish Literature courses. The teacher style was pretty much the same as CSULB, but the classes were smaller. The material itself was not difficult by any means, but the language barrier made it more difficult to learn it. • Drawing I – very similar to CSULB, Painting I, Poetry of Chile & Latin America – class is smaller (9 students), less homework, relaxed atmosphere • Econ 333, HRM 361, Comm 334, Mktg 310. I like the system here. It’s easier than studying in Long Beach. In Chile you will need creativity. • I took 2 psychology courses and 1 theatre course - history of theatre. The level of difficulty was the same, however, teaching styles differed. In my psychology courses, I found that the professors were not as willing to assist the student. It was expected for you to know how they wanted things done. In theatre the professor was really helpful. So, I think it has a lot to do with the professor you encounter. • I took a total of 4 classes: Neurolinguistica, fonetica y fonologia, Historia cultura de Chile, and Arte Chileno. I enjoyed the classes since the teachers were always were to help me. The classes weren’t too difficult. — Spring, 2013 Participant |
What was your housing like and how much did it cost you per month? How easy was it to arrange?
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• I lived with a family. A mom, three daughters (16, 26, 28) and one son (23). I had my own room, and the family was very welcoming and nice. They were willing to help me out and worked with me on speaking Spanish correctly. • I rented an apartment with two other CSULB students. • You can get an apartment with furniture and well situated for just $428US per month. I have my own apartment and I live with my sister in Santiago (?) • I lived in a 3 bedroom apartment in Providencia. This is a middle-class section of Santiago. It is very safe and convenient. I shared my apartment with US students. • The first semester I was here a lot of people lived in “residencias” which are almost like dorms closer to the center of the city. I am not sure how much it costs. The second semester most of the students lived with families, and I am assuming cost about the same as the place I was staying at. Some people lived in Chilean roommates in apartments. • Hostels – pension, where you can rent a room and share the bathroom for $100 to $200 • There were other options such as home stay or apartment. The average was about $300-400, but you could probably find cheaper. — Spring, 2013 Participant |
How much money per week did you spend on food? Transportation? Personal Expenses? Travel?
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Food: Between $40-$100 per week Transportation: Between $20-$60 per week Personal Expenses: Between $15-$60 per week Travel: Between $60-$600 per week — Spring, 2013 Participant |
What were your experiences with the language? Did you feel you had enough language preparation?
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• The accent here is super hard to understand at first. They talk super fast and have tons of slang, and don’t finish their words. I do not feel like I had enough preparation. I think students should have to take Span 300 before studying here. • I had taken several Spanish classes before going and still wished I had had more practice. They speak a little differently than the Spanish I was used to hearing • Chileans speak an entirely different form of Spanish. Therefore, it doesn’t matter how much experience you have, it’s going to be difficult at first because they use such different words that cannot even be found in the dictionary. Lots of slang. • Their Spanish is not really Spanish. It’s Chilean. They speak fast. I’m a native Spanish speaker and I struggled for the first month. — Spring, 2013 Participant |