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Studying in Argentina

Last activity 27 March 2017 by Gabriela Cecilia Barbirotto

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Priscilla

Hello everyone,

Would you recommend studying abroad in Argentina?

Every year, 4 million young people from all over the world choose to study abroad for one semester or a full academic year. Would you encourage them to come and study in Argentina?

In your opinion, what are the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country/area? Are these free of charge? If not, are tuition fees expensive? Are there many foreign students enrolled in these schools/colleges/universities? What is the main language of instruction at the university?

Thank you in advance for sharing!
Priscilla

JorgeJ

Hi,

Honestly, it's a lot more trouble than it's worth, and from my experience at the N****, it's simply not worth the trouble.

For starters, they don't do 4 month semesters like they do back in the States. They start out with a 6 week crash course that's meant to disqualify as many students as possible before beginning their first one-year semester, which lasts from about May till the end of December. If you're lucky enough to get through the crash course and pass the final exam, you're not out of the woods yet.

There are a number of what might be considered mid-term exams, which they call parciales that can get you kicked out of the career program you are in. Sure, they allow you to study independently, and then register to take all of the exams, but you won't be allowed to be part of the class experience. You can of course attend as an observer but most of the classes are so packed that you've literally got students piled up on top of each other.

I've also found that the teaching methods are sloppy at best. I had one professor talking about aliens from other planets instead of talking about the topic at hand, which was psychology.   It was certainly not a positive experience for me at all. So no. I wouldn't recommend it.

I talk about it in detail on my blog in case anyone's interested.

Apostilles - Why You Need Them
gayamericaninargentina.blogspot.com/2012/12/apostilles-why-you-need-them.html

Attending College In Argentina – What You’ll Need And What Careers Work
gayamericaninargentina.blogspot.com/2012/12/studying-in-argentina.html

La Universidad Nacional De Cordoba – A U.S. Expat’s Shocking Observation
gayamericaninargentina.blogspot.com/2013/02/college-life-in-unc-universidad.html

The English Language School at UNC – The Disappointing Quality of Teaching
gayamericaninargentina.blogspot.com/2013/02/i-got-into-university-in-cordoba-unc.html

Adjusting To College Life At the Universidad Nacional De Cordoba
gayamericaninargentina.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-epiphany-of-unc.html

Reasons The University of Cordoba (UNC) Isn’t Qualified To Teach English
gayamericaninargentina.blogspot.com/2013/03/why-university-of-cordoba-should-not.html

How I Became A Psychology Student At The Universidad Nacional De Cordoba
gayamericaninargentina.blogspot.com/2013/12/how-i-became-psychology-student-at.html

College Life - Week One: Culture Shock We Meet Again
gayamericaninargentina.blogspot.com/2014/02/college-life-week-one-culture-shock-we.html

Severinguiton

That's an interesting point of view.
However, from the QS Top Universities ranking, I see that the UBA is very well ranked, coming at the 85th position.

Have you studied there or would you recommend this university?

Gabriela Cecilia Barbirotto

I am really sorry to hear about your personal experience.

I would suggest contacting your own university beforehand. They will probably recommend you where to go abroad based on your needs and personal interests.

There are a lot of Harvard students who take courses at the UB (Universidad de Belgrano), among others, and they have had wonderful personal and academic experiences, and they still choose our country as one if their favorite destinations.

I guess it depends on the person, his or her likes and dislikes and a comprehensive research before boarding the plane to the country of your choice.

Hope this helps!

JorgeJ

The university that I was referring to was the UNC or Universidad Nacional De Cordoba. I don't live in B.A. so I couldn't offer you an assessment on the universities there. However, since B.A. is a lot more first world in a lot of ways, it's possible that the universities there are better.

JorgeJ

Gabriela, the reason I went to the university in Cordoba was because I thought it would help me land a job in Cordoba, Argentina, which has been extremely difficult to do, especially given the age and gender requirements that often leave candidates like myself utterly disqualified. Unfortunately, accurate information about life in Argentina was extremely limited before I moved here, which is why I created my expat blog, to help other potential expats know what they were getting into before hopping on a plane.

Gabriela Cecilia Barbirotto

Dear Priscilla, you have public and private universities.

PUBLIC:  UBA: UNIVERSIDAD DE BUENOS AIRES

PRIVATE: UNIVERSIDAD DE BELGRANO, UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA ARGENTINA, UNIVERSIDAD JOHN F. KENNEDY,  among others.

My suggestion is to google them an email your questions. They usually respond quickly.

Take care

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