Country selection and organization with Collage Contact

A long time ago I planned to go abroad during college. I found out about Collage Contact through friends and they told me about it very positively. Everything seemed to go very quickly and easily. It was like that in the end. I had Collage Contact send me an overview of the start of semesters at all available universities, as I was only able to go abroad in March. South America was the only continent where the university didn’t start until March. I then looked at the different countries and their universities. Brazil and Argentina were out of the question from the start and that’s how I came across Chile. Since I only heard good things about the Universidad de Chile on the Internet and in the field reports, the decision was easy for me. So I have very short term, I sent my documents to Collage Contact one day before the application deadline. They tried very hard in all the questions I had before and it was very easy. A short time later, about 3 weeks, I received the confirmation of acceptance. A month later, I took care of the flight and insurance. I hadn’t bothered about a visa before, as everyone recommended to me to go there with a tourist visa and after three months simply drive over the border to Mendoza and back to extend the visa. (and Mendoza is really worth visiting!). A month later, I took care of the flight and insurance. I hadn’t bothered about a visa before, as everyone recommended to me to go there with a tourist visa and after three months simply drive over the border to Mendoza and back to extend the visa. (and Mendoza is really worth visiting!). A month later, I took care of the flight and insurance. I hadn’t bothered about a visa before, as everyone recommended to me to go there with a tourist visa and after three months simply drive over the border to Mendoza and back to extend the visa. (and Mendoza is really worth visiting!).

• Learn more about Chile and South America, please check thesciencetutor.

There is a page on the Internet: compardepto.cl, similar to WG-searched in Germany, where it is relatively easy to find a flat share. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to fly to Santiago before I started university, but I would recommend it to everyone in order to have enough time to look for an apartment. I was lucky to find a room in a large family house on the first day. I lived there with 17 other students from all over Europe. We had a garden with a small pool and a balcony and two floors. It was really nice in the house and there was always something going on. The house was pretty central in Providencia. As another residential area, I would recommend Santiago Centro, as many have lived there.

University

The university started with an introductory day and they got some helpful information about life in Santiago. The building looks very new and modern and I really liked it. Also because the sports field was in the middle of the area. There were so many courses in Spanish to choose from and a few in English. Since my Spanish was very poor at the beginning and I didn’t understand much in the Spanish courses, I only chose courses in English. Business Modeling in Latin America and Globalization, Treaties and Trade Agreements were very simple courses that didn’t require a lot of effort. In the Business Modeling course there was a group presentation and a few smaller tests, and in Globalization there were two reading tests and a term paper, including a presentation. International Business at Mr. Spencer was also quite interesting, but you had to work a lot and there was a little test almost every hour. My fourth course was with a visiting professor from England on strategic management. Overall, you had 80% attendance in each course, but some professors didn’t mind if you traveled a little more. In general, the courses were demanding, as you had to work a lot and read at home, but you could still get good grades quite easily. Unlike in my home university, the lessons in Chile were like at school. The classes were small and there was a lot of work involved in some of the courses. A Spanish course is also offered at the university, but you can also book some externally in language schools. I learned my Spanish mainly while traveling, because I spoke a lot of English at university and at home. The support from the Universidad de Chile was also very good. You could go to the “international office” at any time and ask all kinds of questions, be it general questions about life in Santiago or about sports courses. The ladies there are very helpful.

Life

Life in Santiago is similar to Europe, only it was my first time in such a big city.
The city itself has a lot to offer with green spaces, museums and shopping centers.
It’s not quite as cheap as you would imagine in South America, some things were a lot more expensive than in Germany, for example cheese. But there was very fresh, cheap fruit and vegetables. The Chileans eat a lot of fast food or empanadas. The latter can be found on every street corner and are really great for lunch.
The nightlife in Santiago is also very interesting. The party usually only takes place in the bar district Bella Vista, where there is a famous main street where all the bars are lined up and people usually sit outside together in the afternoon. There are also many different clubs. We mostly went to the exchange student parties on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, where everyone always met.

Travel

I would recommend everyone to come to South America a little before the start of university, especially in the German winter, in order to have plenty of time for Patagonia. I flew there for 10 days during university at the beginning of April and was still very lucky with the weather, it was wonderful. I can only recommend everyone to spend as much time as possible there. But the Atacama Desert is also worthwhile. In addition, the domestic flights in Chile are relatively cheap, so you can spontaneously fly north or south. At the weekend you can also go on many excursions around Santiago. For example to Valparaiso, Vina del Mar or to the mountains or wine valleys.
After the semester, I traveled to Bolivia and Peru for two more months, which is really worth it! I can highly recommend Salar de Uynui in Bolivia and of course Machu Picchu in Peru.

Conclusion

I really liked Chile as a country because it has a lot to offer. From the great mountains in Patagonia, over the beaches, to the dry desert. For me personally it was a very nice time that I would repeat at any time. I would recommend everyone to spend a semester abroad there.