Hello Oxente. I am considering going to graduate school in Buenos Aires. Can you share with me how your experience has been, studying in the Argentine educational system? Why did you choose to study in Buenos Aires? How is the system different than the system in the US? What are positives/negatives to studying in Buenos Aires? Any thoughts, opinions, experiences, words of wisdom you may have I would greatly appreciate.
Potential International Student
- Thread starter Alejandro
- Start date
Alejandro
You want to consider DI TELLA University which focuses on business studies, has strong links with universities in the US and many visiting professors from the US who lecture in English. DI TELLA is a leading school and highly ranked. Also consider San Andres for the same reasons. Stay away from UBA. The bureaucracy is terrible and they will make you spend a year with a ciclo basico which everyone seems to hate. These are private schools, though, and I doubt you will get funding. As for admission to graduate school, graduates of these schools often go on to leading business schools in the US including The University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School of Business and Harvard School of Business. There is no problem of recognizing the Argentine degrees from these schools.
You want to consider DI TELLA University which focuses on business studies, has strong links with universities in the US and many visiting professors from the US who lecture in English. DI TELLA is a leading school and highly ranked. Also consider San Andres for the same reasons. Stay away from UBA. The bureaucracy is terrible and they will make you spend a year with a ciclo basico which everyone seems to hate. These are private schools, though, and I doubt you will get funding. As for admission to graduate school, graduates of these schools often go on to leading business schools in the US including The University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School of Business and Harvard School of Business. There is no problem of recognizing the Argentine degrees from these schools.
Alejandro,
I don't think that you should study Business in a public university. UBA and the other public universities are good at science (social and "hard") and some common white-collar professions, but not for "links" carrers (advertising, public relations, business, etc). For those you need to go to the universities of the rich, which are private, and of course, expensive. Those are:
- UNIVERSIDAD TORCUATO DI TELLA.
- UNIVERSIDAD DE SAN ANDRES.
After those two you have lesser places which will not give you the necessary contacts to succeed. You have plenty of lists on the internet about the most prestigious MBA schools if that is your choice.
However, if you want to study sociology from a Marxist perspective, or molecular biology, or Argentinian Law, or something else, you are welcomed to our free state universities.
I don't think that you should study Business in a public university. UBA and the other public universities are good at science (social and "hard") and some common white-collar professions, but not for "links" carrers (advertising, public relations, business, etc). For those you need to go to the universities of the rich, which are private, and of course, expensive. Those are:
- UNIVERSIDAD TORCUATO DI TELLA.
- UNIVERSIDAD DE SAN ANDRES.
After those two you have lesser places which will not give you the necessary contacts to succeed. You have plenty of lists on the internet about the most prestigious MBA schools if that is your choice.
However, if you want to study sociology from a Marxist perspective, or molecular biology, or Argentinian Law, or something else, you are welcomed to our free state universities.
Alejandro,
I think your plan is amazing. I wish I was just as brave as you at your age!
Yes, the academic school year here begins in March, though I would say, te conviene because if you decide to make a move here you will want to come early and get adjusted.
UBA…dorms!? Haha! No, UBA, definitely does not have dorms. But there are a lot of private student residences. Once you get here and get to know your classmates, you can probably find a cheaper one or shared apartment. There are plenty of opportunities for socializing but less organized activities and clubs like in US universities, unless you want to be involved in politics. Some of the residence life, “college activities,” and that transition between fully living on my own in an apartment as an adult and being cared for…that was really valuable time and some of my best memories. But I am sure you will have your own adventures!
Cost? Obviously, UBA is free, but even living cheap and grungy as a college student, expect to pay at least as much as you would in any mid-size city in the US in living costs. You can share a crappy room or at least a house for maybe 250-350 if you know where to look. Plus, while restaurants are cheaper than most US mid-size cities, nothing here is CHEAP. You CANNOT get any US government student loans for studying your degree abroad and living expenses. So your parents are going to have to bank your living expenses mostly and maybe you could get private student loans for this purpose, but in the end you will spend SO MUCH less than in the US. You can only get government financial aid only if you go through a temporary accredited study abroad program which is its own accredited US institution, but there is no such thing as a full-degree seeking student program. You do not qualify for US pell grants and loans if you do your degree abroad…that money is intended to stay inside US institutions.
You can see I made another post about UBA that explains that every Facultad has its own governance. There is no GenEd Studies plan to start out with in the same way US universities require. Though some classes are just bs reqs, I think a lot of GenEd studeis are incredibly valuable, and I see it as a lack in college-educated people I know. So you basically have to pick your major or at least your area or college now and inquire to that college about their requirements…each one in UBA is a little different.
I studied in la UBA in Economics only a cuatrimestre and at one point was considering doing a Master’s here. I did some investigating talking to a professor of mine who gained admittance into a top US PhD program and finished his Economics PhD. As he pointed out, his Economics PhD was a piece of cake compared to the reqs in Argentina. According to my econ prof, UBA is the top school for undergraduate programs in most programs, but the private universities have better graduate degree programs. He did a Master’s here at a private university in San Andres... which he essentially had to “redo” in the States…but he said the idea in Argentina is to study at UBA for undergrad, then go to a Master’s and research under the professors for the key letters of rec for grad school, the names known in the US – and those are in the private universities.
One thing you want to consider in terms of your acceptance in the US: UBA especially and Argentina in general seems to have a good track record of recruiting professors into the States. But those students are some of the best students here. The reality is that even if you are a top student in the States, if you are not already a native Spanish speaker, you are going to have an academic handicap. That being said, if you have the determination, you will learn AND improve your Spanish….You might want to realistically give yourself a couple extra years and spread out your studies, so you can do well and take advantage of volunteer research or project opportunities to round out your academic experience. A couple extra years seems like a lot to you now but is nothing if it means the difference in doing well.
Plus, even if you are a native speaker already, you might want to take a good look at yourself. There are a lot of older students in UBA for a reason. It takes a lot of maturity and discipline, especially in the upper level classes. It’s the norm that most youngins get sloshy sloshy sloshy drunk in Argentina as their main social activity, and the boliches stay open until 6:30am. Looking back, I am glad my university town closed the clubs at 1 because I was not mature enough to handle more temptation to party AND keep up with my studies. Though US universities aren’t like high school, they are still run somewhat like a business, meaning students are the customers and the professors to some extent help the students succeed, give exceptions, move a test date upon general complaint. In UBA in some of my classes like Economic Growth, 40% of the students were just flunked. In la UBA, no mercy, no excuses….ever.
I think your plan is amazing. I wish I was just as brave as you at your age!
Yes, the academic school year here begins in March, though I would say, te conviene because if you decide to make a move here you will want to come early and get adjusted.
UBA…dorms!? Haha! No, UBA, definitely does not have dorms. But there are a lot of private student residences. Once you get here and get to know your classmates, you can probably find a cheaper one or shared apartment. There are plenty of opportunities for socializing but less organized activities and clubs like in US universities, unless you want to be involved in politics. Some of the residence life, “college activities,” and that transition between fully living on my own in an apartment as an adult and being cared for…that was really valuable time and some of my best memories. But I am sure you will have your own adventures!
Cost? Obviously, UBA is free, but even living cheap and grungy as a college student, expect to pay at least as much as you would in any mid-size city in the US in living costs. You can share a crappy room or at least a house for maybe 250-350 if you know where to look. Plus, while restaurants are cheaper than most US mid-size cities, nothing here is CHEAP. You CANNOT get any US government student loans for studying your degree abroad and living expenses. So your parents are going to have to bank your living expenses mostly and maybe you could get private student loans for this purpose, but in the end you will spend SO MUCH less than in the US. You can only get government financial aid only if you go through a temporary accredited study abroad program which is its own accredited US institution, but there is no such thing as a full-degree seeking student program. You do not qualify for US pell grants and loans if you do your degree abroad…that money is intended to stay inside US institutions.
You can see I made another post about UBA that explains that every Facultad has its own governance. There is no GenEd Studies plan to start out with in the same way US universities require. Though some classes are just bs reqs, I think a lot of GenEd studeis are incredibly valuable, and I see it as a lack in college-educated people I know. So you basically have to pick your major or at least your area or college now and inquire to that college about their requirements…each one in UBA is a little different.
I studied in la UBA in Economics only a cuatrimestre and at one point was considering doing a Master’s here. I did some investigating talking to a professor of mine who gained admittance into a top US PhD program and finished his Economics PhD. As he pointed out, his Economics PhD was a piece of cake compared to the reqs in Argentina. According to my econ prof, UBA is the top school for undergraduate programs in most programs, but the private universities have better graduate degree programs. He did a Master’s here at a private university in San Andres... which he essentially had to “redo” in the States…but he said the idea in Argentina is to study at UBA for undergrad, then go to a Master’s and research under the professors for the key letters of rec for grad school, the names known in the US – and those are in the private universities.
One thing you want to consider in terms of your acceptance in the US: UBA especially and Argentina in general seems to have a good track record of recruiting professors into the States. But those students are some of the best students here. The reality is that even if you are a top student in the States, if you are not already a native Spanish speaker, you are going to have an academic handicap. That being said, if you have the determination, you will learn AND improve your Spanish….You might want to realistically give yourself a couple extra years and spread out your studies, so you can do well and take advantage of volunteer research or project opportunities to round out your academic experience. A couple extra years seems like a lot to you now but is nothing if it means the difference in doing well.
Plus, even if you are a native speaker already, you might want to take a good look at yourself. There are a lot of older students in UBA for a reason. It takes a lot of maturity and discipline, especially in the upper level classes. It’s the norm that most youngins get sloshy sloshy sloshy drunk in Argentina as their main social activity, and the boliches stay open until 6:30am. Looking back, I am glad my university town closed the clubs at 1 because I was not mature enough to handle more temptation to party AND keep up with my studies. Though US universities aren’t like high school, they are still run somewhat like a business, meaning students are the customers and the professors to some extent help the students succeed, give exceptions, move a test date upon general complaint. In UBA in some of my classes like Economic Growth, 40% of the students were just flunked. In la UBA, no mercy, no excuses….ever.
Hi Alejandro,
I also recommend UADE's program. It ranks among the best business schools in Argentina and its tuition and fees are not the most expensive ones here (if you are looking into private schools). They also keep improving their programs. I teach there, though at a different department. I'd contact them with your specific questions. Good luck!
I also recommend UADE's program. It ranks among the best business schools in Argentina and its tuition and fees are not the most expensive ones here (if you are looking into private schools). They also keep improving their programs. I teach there, though at a different department. I'd contact them with your specific questions. Good luck!
toccatango
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I found this website -- http://www.studyabroad.com/forum/financial_aid_ielts.html -- that has a long list of scholarships, grants, fellowships, and student loans for international study abroad. Not sure how helpful it is, as I´m still sifting through the links -- I´m looking into going to grad school here too!
Michael_CA
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Does anyone know if any of the BA Universities (public or private) have Master/Postgraduate Degrees taught in English? I was looking at some at UBA, but even though the descriptions of the courses and everything are all in English, it does not give any information as to what language the program is taught in.
I even called the international office at UBA last week, and surprisingly none of the women there could even speak english...?! So..the international foreign students office at the biggest university in the country does not even have any staff who can understand English.. wow.
I even called the international office at UBA last week, and surprisingly none of the women there could even speak english...?! So..the international foreign students office at the biggest university in the country does not even have any staff who can understand English.. wow.
toccatango
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I think it depends on what you want to study (program and/or department) as well as the school (what resources they have to offer).
I have a couple friends studying economics at the post-grad level at UBA, and some of their courses are in English but not all of them. I think this has to do with some of their classmates being part of a formal exchange program from a US university so the students in that program get everything in English.
I know someone else too who is a philosophy major at another college here, and all his courses are in Spanish (imagining trying to translate the Greek into Spanish and then into English -- eek!). I also remember one of my German roommates telling me about how she had to give a school presentation here in English, which made her really nervous since she´s only comfortable with Spanish and German!!
So it´s pretty much a mixed bag, and I imagine it´s a lot like when an ESL student goes to an English-speaking university. I´ve worked at university before (in the US) and worked with ESL students on a daily basis; there were a couple occasions when there were language barriers and there wasn´t anyone available on staff to interpret, so it happens and it just requires patience and cooperation from all parties involved
I have a couple friends studying economics at the post-grad level at UBA, and some of their courses are in English but not all of them. I think this has to do with some of their classmates being part of a formal exchange program from a US university so the students in that program get everything in English.
I know someone else too who is a philosophy major at another college here, and all his courses are in Spanish (imagining trying to translate the Greek into Spanish and then into English -- eek!). I also remember one of my German roommates telling me about how she had to give a school presentation here in English, which made her really nervous since she´s only comfortable with Spanish and German!!
So it´s pretty much a mixed bag, and I imagine it´s a lot like when an ESL student goes to an English-speaking university. I´ve worked at university before (in the US) and worked with ESL students on a daily basis; there were a couple occasions when there were language barriers and there wasn´t anyone available on staff to interpret, so it happens and it just requires patience and cooperation from all parties involved
Sergio and Marksoc, please, stop with stupid cliches about UBA. I know it´s a cool thing for rich boys that are supported for their daddies until they are in their 50´s or so, to bash UBA with the classical "zurda" or "quilombo burocrático" labels.
ABSOLUTELY agree with Emily, Uba is ideal to get your degree, and even UBA has e some excelent -and ever better than the private universities- posgrados, the posgraduate studies in private uni like san andres will give you very valuable contacts that may help you a lot in the future.
Maybe the UBA has the disadvantage -for some- of the Ciclo Basico Comun, a common year of studies to all careers, but you can recover that time later.
ABSOLUTELY agree with Emily, Uba is ideal to get your degree, and even UBA has e some excelent -and ever better than the private universities- posgrados, the posgraduate studies in private uni like san andres will give you very valuable contacts that may help you a lot in the future.
Maybe the UBA has the disadvantage -for some- of the Ciclo Basico Comun, a common year of studies to all careers, but you can recover that time later.
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