When considering study abroad programs, a student’s criteria is vast. Location, languages, housing, cultural gaps. What I found most useful was to find a program that allowed a high level of flexibility for me to address those challenges according to my studies, conditions, and interests. I knew that I wanted to study abroad in South America, and had defined my career interest in international politics.
Thus, I figured that what I needed was a wide range of options within the same program. I wanted to see the different realities that exist in one city. I wanted to take classes at public universities, but also get to see how the demographics, class design, and student body are different from those at private universities. I wanted to live with locals, while having some independence and mobility within the city.
These thoughts all led me to the Argentine Universities Program. I would be able to take classes at three different universities at the same time. Live with a host family in a very accessible and centric area of Buenos Aires. Have the option of joining program activities, but also be able to engage with the local community on my own. I realized that since my top priority, flexibility within the program, was fulfilled, I was definitely going to have many options to achieve my goals and fulfill my interests. This, however, did not mean that I would not confront any challenges. In fact, (as you may find in my other blog posts) I did face many, quite concerning ones. And those challenges that we usually imagine in a study abroad experience, e.g. cultural shocks or commuting, seemed insignificant next to what was coming. But that uncertainty, or ‘unknown unknown’, is exactly what living abroad involves.