IES Abroad Buenos Aires – Advanced Spanish Immersion

Studying abroad in Buenos Aires is one of the best things I have done for myself thus far. I am a Global Studies and Spanish Studies major, so I took classes such as Argentine Poetry & Literature, Environment & Society in Argentina, and Argentine History. The instructors at the IES institute were patient and supportive in the classroom, and the other IES staff was helpful with keeping our grades, safety, and home stays in-check. They offered activities from tango shows and soccer games to trips to the North of Argentina and volunteering in the community. In my program, we all stayed with host families. I stayed with an older woman who lived alone, who I was fortunate enough to get to know very well and spent a lot of time with. It was nice to not only have her as a companion, but to also practice my Spanish. Although she hated cooking, she whipped up some pretty awesome things each week for the two of us! Also, I was fortunate enough to make a group of friends through IES who I would study with, hang out day to day with, and with whom I would travel around the country with! We made it to Mendoza, Iguazú, El Calafate (part of Patagonia), and Colonia, Uruguay together. All of which were great experiences!

I had a very good experience with IES in Buenos Aires. They really guide you through the process and everyone in my program had a good experience with their homestays which were very conveniently located. You may encounter technical difficulties when starting a class with a partner university, but I understand they are working on this, and the people I knew who took the classes had good experiences. The course listing on the IES Abroad website did not match the actual course offerings, but I understand this is coming from headquarters in Chicago not the Buenos Aires team.

Studying abroad in Buenos Aires through IES Abroad was an amazing experience. I learned so much about the culture and history of Argentina and about myself. I have a better understanding of what my interests are and what I value. I feel more confident and adventurous after spending time traveling and living in Argentina. The courses I took through IES were interesting and appropriately rigorous, though they were easier than most of my classes at Rice. My abilities reading and writing in Spanish improved greatly because of my classes, and my speaking abilities improved from speaking with locals everyday. I feel like I quickly integrated into Argentine culture, but I thought it was somewhat challenging to develop friendships with locals. Buenos Aires is an amazing city, and it’s full of fun things to do and experience. I am very happy I chose to study abroad there. IES Abroad’s administration could be a little more organized, but the staff was very helpful and supportive. Studying abroad can be challenging at times, but it was a really positive experience overall.