IFSA Chilean Universities Program, Santiago

I could not recommend studying abroad with IFSA enough. My friends and I all studied abroad through different providers and I no doubt had the most impactful experience out of any of them. While most providers allow you to take classes in English with only exchange students, this program allows you to directly enroll in classes at the local university. This means that they are taught completely in Spanish and that you are taking classes alongside Chilean students. You also have the opportunity to live with a host family which allows you to fully immerse yourself in the culture. The on-site staff is very supportive and helpful throughout the whole experience. If you want to experience something that is a step further than just being a tourist for 5 months I would absolutely recommend IFSA!

Photos

Chile, in my opinion, is the most beautiful country in the world. If you love nature, or if you are a big-city person-- this location could not be more incredible. The IFSA program makes all of the logistics of living and studying in a foreign country so easy, and the program staff on site are incredibly caring and helpful. The on-site director personally texts and calls in response to any problem you may have, no matter what time of the day or night. One amazing thing about this program is that it allows you to pick classes in multiple universities, and that helps you even more to see what a diversity of thought and opinion there are in the country. I went to the two best universities in Chile, the private Ponticicia Universidad Catolica, and the public, more liberal Universidad de Chile. It was so interesting and fun making friends at the two universities, and seeing two different perspectives on life. This program is also great for those who love to have more independence-- you take most of your classes with Chilean students in subjects that you get to choose yourself, and you have a ton of free time to explore and become involved in the things that interest you the most. But that does not mean that you are on your own-- there are many incredible scheduled activities and trips with the group, and the on-site staff are always available for any questions about your host family or social life, your academics, travel, health and safety, language learning, culture shock, homesickness, or almost anything else that you may need. Overall, my time in Santiago, Chile was one of the most influential moments of my life, and it has made me dream of returning some day, or maybe even living there for a short time in the future. For anyone wanting to travel to Chile, I definitely recommend IFSA in Santiago.

My semester in Chile was indelibly marked by the large student and societal protest movement that erupted in mid-November and rocked the country from tip to tip. Vast economic inequality and inopportunity drove millions of people of all ages, religions, and statuses into the streets to chant, demonstrate, dance, and make their voices heard. Fortunately, this movement and the isolated violence that accompanied it never hurt or harmed anyone in our program directly. Unfortunately, it did throw a wrench in our plans and classes for the remainder of the semester were cancelled. However, thanks to the infallible and constant leadership of IFSA and our on-site coordinator Isabel Yevenes, my experience was not tarnished in the least. With the help of my amazing and wise host mom, I was able to learn about the historical context of the protests, attend some of them, and safely understand the movement that was so powerfully gripping an entire nation. While things eventually calmed down to a degree, we were not able to return to classes. This was no matter, however, as my experience in Chile was enriching in so many other ways. From my Spanish language immersion to the friends I made to the amazing program excursion to the Atacama desert to the solo travels I was able to have, my semester with IFSA in Chile was truly the best five months of my life. Thank you IFSA for making that possible. I am forever grateful.

Despite the circumstances that lead to the optional departure of our program in Santiago, Chile during Fall 2019, I believe that IFSA did a phenomenal job making sure all of the members of our program were safe and stable. Throughout the program, I felt that IFSA had my back, whenever I was feeling overwhelmed or confused about something, I knew I could go to the office and our advisor, Isa, would calm my fears. She worked endlessly for all of us, especially when we were stranded in the north of Chile on our all program trip to San Pedro de Atacama. When there was social/political unrest, my family was extremely impressed with IFSA because IFSA would send daily updates to our parents to calm their anxieties about the well-being of their children. When we were advised not to leave our houses, IFSA arranged for an all program trip to the suburbs of the city so we could all see each other and swim in a pool. It was a much-needed break and helped the students get a better understanding of the current climate because Isa facilitated conversations. After my interesting experience studying abroad in Chile, I absolutely trust IFSA and think that they are a program that has the interests of their students in mind. If I had the chance to study abroad again, I would choose IFSA and I recommend IFSA as an option to all students I encounter who also want to study abroad. 10/10!

I chose to study abroad with IFSA in Santiago because it perfectly balanced my desire to feel independent and fully immersed with my need to help navigating class registration, living accommodation, etc. IFSA was wonderful because it enabled me to pick from four different Chilean universities and take any classes I wanted, matched me with a host family that met my needs and interests, had an incredible support staff that offered free tutoring services for those who needed it, and even organized fun excursions around Santiago and to the Atacama. As a result, I had all the support I needed AND the freedom to explore Chile on my own and integrate fully into my host university. I made the friends of a lifetime and now hope to move back to Chile to live after graduation.

I had an incredible experience in Santiago, Chile in the spring 2019 semester! I loved the size of my IFSA group (21 students) and we all became close friends, which I hadn’t anticipated when I arrived! I also loved my host family experience; I lived with a 70-year-old widow and we still talk to each other even though I’ve left (we became quite close). IFSA’s on-site staff and leadership were very kind and helpful when it came to anything. Additionally, they were so friendly and had their doors open to students to come by and just chat! Chile itself is a beautiful and biodiverse country so it was amazing to be able to hop on the bus and travel during weekends to different parts of the country. Santiago is a booming city with excellent transportation, resources, restaurants, and museums; we never ran out of options for activities!

IFSA really connected me to Chile as a country and the city of Santiago. I had an incredible time during my semester abroad through IFSA Chile Universities Program- Santiago. I got to immerse myself in the Spanish language, connect with other students who are passionate about politics and engaging in their communities, and grow very close with kids at an after-school program through community service. I got to explore the Andes mountains and the Chilean coast. I learned about Chilean history and culture. IFSA supported me along the way. They placed me with a very welcoming Chilean family as my host family. They helped me decide what classes to take to fulfill my major requirements as well as my interests. They helped me connect with other international students as well as local Chilean organizations including the after-school program I got to volunteer through. They even helped me get health care coverage when I had an injury and when I had to see counseling.

Photos

I studied away with IFSA-Butler in Santiago Chile from February to July 2016. While there, I took three courses at local universities and a course with the program, and I lived with a wonderful family. IFSA-Butler was an amazing program because it gave me the flexibility I wanted to really personalize my experience while simultaneously giving me enough structure through the program when I needed it. I highly recommend studying with IFSA-Butler.

Photos

IFSA-Butler was a great experience for me. I had an awesome host family and this program provided me the liberty to take my own excursions when I didn't have class. The structure was fairly laid back and really provided me the opportunity to develop my experience in Chile as my own. It's a lot more independent overall, though the Santiago advisor is much more involved than other programs I've talked to, so I definitely would recommend this program to someone who has an overall idea of what they want to get out of abroad and not someone who needs to be in a structured environment.

Photos

Hola todos! I had such a rewarding experience in this program and I wanted to share some of it with you! I was already pretty excited about studying abroad in general and was super excited to go to a Latin American country. The reason I chose Chile is because of how kind the people are. I felt as though everyone just had such a great attitude in life. I knew that they had a hard recent history with the dictatorship, and it was difficult but necessary to learn about that time to fully appreciate the Chilean identity. From my host family to some of the friends I made at Universidad Católica, I loved the how open the people were to foreigners! My experience abroad was something that I will never forget and I hope to go back to visit Chile again in the near future!