Program Details
- Location:
- Santiago, Chile
- Program Type:
- Study Abroad
- Degree Level:
- Undergraduate
- Term:
- Academic Year, Fall Semester, Spring Semester
Program Overview
- Program Description:
Fully immerse yourself in the daily life and culture of Chile through IES Abroad’s Politics, Social Justice & Language Program. Along with our required 4-credit Spanish language course, you customize your study abroad experience by enrolling in 3-credit to 5-credit area studies courses at the IES Abroad Santiago Center or at one of our partner universities -- Universidad de Chile and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile -- for a total of 15-19 credits. All of the courses in this program are taught in Spanish. While in Santiago, you also have the option of completing a 4-credit internship or service learning placement at a local organization suited to your interests and career goals.
While in Santiago, you’ll live with a host family, or señora, who helps facilitate your language learning and integration into Chilean society. Your homestay also provides two meals per day. On the weekends, participate in IES Abroad-organized field trips that take you outside of Santiago to discover the culture and traditions of Chile. Visit the Atacama Desert, hike the ancient glaciers of Patagonia, and meet the native, Mapuche people. All of this – and more – awaits you in Santiago.
Founded in 1950, IES Abroad is a global, not-for-profit study abroad organization with 125+ academic programs in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America. To learn more about what we offer visit our website.
- Setting Description:
- When you step off the plane in Santiago, you’ll be mesmerized by the towering Andes Mountains—and at how the city of Santiago sits neatly below them, contentedly bringing together Chile’s colonial past and its new role as the country’s commercial center. During your stay, see a fútbol game, taste asado Chileno, experience the innovative music scene, and take in the many sides of Chilean culture.
Additional Program Information
- Scholarships:
- Yes
- Scholarships Description:
- We offer more than $3 million in financial aid. Contact IES Abroad or see our website for cost, scholarships, and financial aid.
Program Reviews
Overall Rating
Based on 2 Reviews
- Come to Chile!02/10/20
Studying abroad in Santiago, Chile was truly an amazing experience. I feel extremely privileged and humbled to have been able to travel and live in another country for four months. I lived with an incredible host family that gave me cultural lessons every
night during Once while also reminding me of those universal family values that unite each and every one of us as human beings. I loved sandboarding in the Atacama Desert, hiking in Patagonia, and surfing in Pichilemu, but the thing I enjoyed most were the small moments with the various people I met in Chile. I met an amazing friend who worked in the IES building where I had my classes. Though I was still working on my Spanish, she was patient and so welcoming. We talked about our families, our pets, and our hopes and dreams. I also met my host-family's extended family who took me in like I was one of their own. We sat around all Saturday afternoon playing cards and I listened to old family memories and stories about the people and places they grew up with. Though I was in a country far from home, there was not much of a difference between the conversations at my dinner table in New Jersey and theirs that day in Val Paraíso. If anyone has the opportunity to study abroad in Santiago, I would 100% recommend. I was challenged in the best way possible in daring to make relationships with different people from all walks of life and it made me realize how communication can really open up a whole new world.
read moreBottom Line:Yes, I would recommend this to a friend - It's Not Easy, but It's Definitely Worth It08/21/19
The location of Santiago is unlike anything I've ever seen. It's a cosmopolitan city between mountains with so much to see and do- whether you want to hike or go to a museum, eat Peruvian, Thai, or traditional Chilean food, spend a day in the park or
be a real Santiaguino and venture to the markets- everything is accessible through public transportation. Just an hour and a half from the Pacific coast where you can relax on the beach or explore the grungy and colorful Valparaíso, it feels as though whatever you could want is within reach. I loved Santiago as a city and Chile as a country. As long as the U.S. is wide, the varying landscapes were unlike anything I had ever seen. From glaciers to deserts, Chile has it all. The IES program that I participated in gave me the opportunity to not just experience this beautiful place, but make the most out of my time there in each and every sphere of my life. I had the time and encouragement to travel and get to know not just the city, but the region. It was so fun traveling to different countries and learning their dialects of Spanish as I learned the language. I was challenged in my academic courses, from understanding the political and social role of the arts in Latin America to the radical traditions that define the nation today. I went into my study abroad experience knowing next to nothing about Chile and Latin America, and leaving with a true connection to the region that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Besides the hard skills that I developed through my critical courses and hands-on internship experience, I also developed a higher social awareness, deepened my sense of empathy, and left with a level of confidence I didn't know I could have. This program is great for people who are adventurous and curious, who want to learn and be challenged, and have a less traditional study abroad experience. I chose this program because I didn't want to go to Europe and I wanted to learn Spanish. I know a lot of people go to Europe because it's easy to travel around, but I was lucky to travel around a lot- around Chile, in Peru, and to Argentina twice- for comparable if not less expense. The things I saw were unlike any Roman cathedral or Grecian cave, but they put me in awe at the world we live in. Hiking through Valley de la Luna in the driest desert in the world made me feel like I was hiking through an episode of Planet Earth and the cities of Buenos Aires and Lima are equally as astonishing as Santiago.
read moreBottom Line:Yes, I would recommend this to a friend