Mente Argentina / Semester University?

[Michael_CA]

Does anyone have experience with this program? I was looking at this one and Road2Argentina for a semester program starting in July. Road2Argentina seems to have a good rep, and has been around for a while, but for some reason its cost is $1500 more than Mente, and I e-mailed them and asked this and they replied there is no difference in the program.

For $7000 I get enrolled in 4-5 courses at U Belgrano, and get a shared student dorm in Ricoleta (which I understand is a nicer part of town), and one month of "intensive Spanish lessons".

I contacted someone who had done the program, and she replied she was still even a little disappointed with the program and felt she could have done it cheaper on her own. I am wondering if this would be possible to do - could I get registration in 4-5 courses, a shared dorm/apartment in a central area, and one month of Spanish lessons for less than the $7000? I would be a little worried finding a good place in the middle of the city, while the program basically guarantees you a place, but if I could save a lot of money I would consider the individual course of action, as I am on a limited student budget.

Sorry for the long post!
Thanks

 

[emms]

If you want to check out an agency that does semester and summer and spanish language programs abroad, head to EXP Study Abroad

They work with the Uni of Belgrano, UBA, UCA, and the Uni of Austral. They have a lot of different programs and also offer accommodation (homestay and shared apartment) for all programs. You should be able to transfer all credits to your home uni, which they will help set up as well. As far as I know, they are well-priced and are stars in the service department!

Good luck!
Good luck!!

 

[piamonte]

Highway robbery!

I took the cooking course in Dec 2010 - Jan 2011, my classmate and I were very disappointed it almost seemed like a joke. Before coming to Argentina, I was told we were going to learn in a cooking school, instead we ended up cooking in a studio apartment with a poorly kept kitchen. A month after the program, we still do not have the recipes to the meals we made because apparently, the teacher/"chef" is still on holidays.

The apartment they put you in is far from the "1st class" type they market. No airconditioning, and fans were given only after you request for them (my poor flat mates had to wait for more than a week before they even got a fan!).

I did not enroll in their language school (and thank goodness for that) but those who did told me that it was no good either. They ended up taking a course elsewhere on the side or after their program with Mente.

Foreign students can indeed put together their own program at a much cheaper price and get better quality.

 

[Postmodernchild]

I would suggest you would really try to invest in quality education rather than funds. You will get what you pay for. Also,as a former person who worked in international ed in the US for a long while, I can tell you that your school needs to approve the program you will be taking before you enter the study abroad semester if you want to earn credits. I would tell you to go with a local university to make your experience safe and to have the same level of academic needs and rigor. Also, you need to consider liability issues that might arise that only an approved program will offer. US study abroad offices do have a long list of non reputable programs and unsafe places. I hope this helps

 

[SingForAbsolution]

If you need these credits to transfer, talk to your school to see if the argentine university that you're interested in is affilliated. It's not the end of the world if it isn't. My school can still transfer in credits from non-affilliated universities by having a third-party organization such as World Education Services evaluate the credits. Hopefully yours has a similar way of working things out. It is much cheaper to study abroad on your own. I took a full 17 credit hours at the Universidad Católica de Argentina for about $3000 US. The university (Belgrano too) has their own network of homestays and other students looking to share apartments so you really don't need to pay more for a study abroad program to hold your hand.