Mente Argentina Study Abroad Programs

Mente Argentina was the highlight of my summer this year! The organization was so helpful with everything from housing to money conversion to event/activity scheduling, and especially a shout out to Samantha Tigner who helped to make our stay as memorable and wonderful as it was. Another great thing that Mente provided was hooking us up with outside classes and preplanned events, I ended up taking cooking classes and I loved them. I can definitely see myself returning to Buenos Aires, and if I do I will definitely use Mente Argentina.

It would not be inaccurate to say that my six months in Buenos Aires were some of the best of my life.

A condensed background--I am an Civil Engineering student at the Colorado School of Mines. I work during the semester, run student organizations, and bust my ass with my heavy courses. However, I have always had a heavy interest in economics, history, and literature. Furthermore, I have always wanted to learn Spanish because I thought it would be a helpful tool in the future. I decided to take advantage of my situation by taking a "break" and studying abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. Two issues, however, arose: 1. I had no idea where to go. And 2. I did not speak a word of Spanish. Luckily, I found Mente Argentina. Mente offered me a program where I did not need to speak a word of Spanish beforehand to study in university. The program offered 2 months of Spanish lessons at a small independent school followed by 4 months of the actual semester. Mente can connect you to a broad selection of universities in Buenos Aires.

I chose the University of Belgrano, a good-sized private university centered in the beautiful neighborhood of Belgrano. There, I could chose classes from the PEAL/PALAS program. One of which had courses taught in Spanish and the other in English. I took five classes: 2 in Spanish and 3 in English. Despite not knowing a word of Spanish before arriving, I was successfully able to understand (most of) and succeed in the Spanish-taught courses due to the 2 months of Spanish lessons beforehand. However, here arises my only complaint: the courses shown by Mente were *not* the same courses offered by the university. As a result, I had to get a new set of courses approved by my host university. I was unable to get all the credit I wanted too because they didn't offer the high-level course that Mente had advertised. The professors were very friendly and knowledgeable. I personally recommend the "Argentine Economy" course taught by Professor Arguero and the "Political and Social Change" course taught by Professor Gonzalez. Both of these are taught in English.

The Spanish school (VOS), was incredible in their job. I met lifelong friends there and made my mark on their wall (if you go there, my handprint is by the staircase and labelled Lucas with a heart in the middle). As I mentioned before, I was able to get to competent level of Spanish to take basic university courses within two months of their 5-day/week Spanish program. The building is beautiful and centered in the stunning neighborhood of Palermo. If you do go to this school, I recommend hitting NOLA: a Cajun fried chicken restaurant that is located a two minute walk away.

As for housing, Mente supplied me with an apartment in Palermo. The location was amazing! Five minute walk away from Santa Fe St. 20 minutes away from Plaza Serano. Bus station is outside. Less than 10 minute walk to the subway. It was fairly easy to get a taxi there. There are multiple kisocos and a small supermarket (Dia) directly outside it. There is also plenty of great places to eat around there. The apartment itself was clean with very few issues. I loved hanging out on the long balcony. Mente will circle roommates in and out depending on their program. The roommates I have had became very close friends with me (with the exception of a strange hiccup at the beginning).

Mente will host weekly events and invite everyone who is involved in a Mente program. This is where I met my closest friends in Buenos Aires, not at the university. Events include: happy hours (and miniature theatre), restaurants, museums, shows, and more. Samantha and Bea, who work at Mente, are both very friendly and fun to be around. If I ever had any questions or concerns, Mente was fast to address them and make sure I was comfortable there.

As for Buenos Aires, it is a magical city. As you live here, you will learn about the history, culture, and areas of the city. I spent most of my time in three neighborhoods: Belgrano, Palermo, and Recoleta. Belgrano is a nice neighborhood home to my university and many grand houses, including embassies of all countries. Palermo is where I lived and is the premiere place to shop and dine (in my opinion). Recoleta is more upscale and touristy, home to many attractions. As for places to see, I recommend: Puerto Madero, the Recoleta Cemetary, El Ateneo "The Grand Splendid", the Colon Theatre, the Obelisk, the Casa Rosada, all the gardens, Tigre, and many others.

Take your time to explore Argentina outside of Buenos Aires. I have been to: Mar del Plata, Bariloche, Iguazu Falls, and Salta. I won't go into detail about all of these locations, but know that Argentina is an incredibly diverse (and big) country. Make sure to explore everything that you can! And make sure to explore the rich history, too.

Before going to Buenos Aires, I had never lived in a big city or spoke Spanish. Within no time, I had become a proud porteño! Take part in the culture...eat milanesas, asado, dulce de leche, and empanadas. Drink mate and partake in merienda. Learn the phrases (dale, boludo!). Take it easy and take your time. Cheer for River Plate and play some soccer!

Altogether, I am very satisfied with my experience. Looking back, it feels too good to have been real. Surely, I will be returning to Buenos Aires, my second home!

Mente was an awesome and professional program to work with throughout the entire process. After initially planning the dates for the trip, the pandemic arrived, causing my trip to be delayed for nearly two years. The Mente team had me ready to travel to Buenos Aires in just weeks after the borders reopened for travel. Their relationship with local non-profits, businesses, language schools, and host families makes this experience so unique and fulfilling. Studying with Mente felt like having a web of support during my internship. I am hoping to return for their graduate programs in the next few years!

Had a fantastic experience in Buenos Aires with Mente Argentina! The team is very professional and takes care of everything for you: from picking you up at the airport, providing transport & sim cards, exchanging money, making sure the apartment has everything you need, etc. I can't say enough good things about everyone at Mente!

I participated in the cooking and wine programs and loved every second of it. You are enrolled in a professional cooking school with Argentine students, so it's a great way to immerse yourself in the culture! I took a variety of cooking classes, such as pastry & bread making and Argentine classic dishes (like milanesa and empanadas). The wine program is at another prestigious school, and you will learn about wine making, tasting & pairing, varieties of grapes, etc.

I had the best month of my life cooking and drinking wine every day in Buenos Aires. If you're looking for an immersive experience abroad, I highly recommend checking out Mente Argentina!

This program created an easy transition to travel to a new country on my first time traveling abroad, and they provided everything I needed to have the most amazing experience living and studying in Buenos Aires for 3 months! They provided accommodations, weekly activities with other international travelers, cooking classes at a professional level, Spanish classes, and guidance in navigating through Argententian life and the city of Buenos Aires. I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking for a great experience in Buenos Aires.

My experience with Mente Argentina could not have been any better. I did the internship program and was able to combine that with some Spanish lessons as well. I had the chance to be flexible and switch between Spanish courses according to what would fit best. Furthermore I was assisted throughout the whole program. I received valuable information regarding public transport and other and was assigned to a lovely shared apartment in a great location. The staff was very supportive and always at your disposal. To top it all off Mente organized lovely trips where I was able to get to know the city better and meet other international people. I recommend the program without reservation!

chose Mente after a lot of internet research, but really, one feels very nervous when they are spending a good chunk of money and then just hoping beyond hope that you have chosen the best overseas study program. What a relief it was to be hosted in Buenos Aires by the professional, fun and kind staff at Mente. They know what they are doing and they took care of everything I needed. My apartment was awesome and in a great (and safe!) part of town only a few blocks from the Mente head office. I stopped in for one thing or another and even though the advisors would be busy working, they always had time to help me and really make me feel at home. It gave me great comfort to learn that I could rely on them. From getting me a toaster to a toilet plunger, a blender and helping me book my weekend excursions and even helping me with my Spanish homework – the staff at Mente are tireless. The anxiety I had about being in a big city with beginner Spanish skills melted away the first couple of days when I knew I would be able to count on my new friends at Mente. The outings they plan for the group are so fun (and included in your fee!!), the University Spanish course I took was in a nice school and I was pleased with the whole experience. (I just received my official transcript from the University of BA) and the teachers and staff were just simply nice, accommodating, helpful and lovely. For one month I experienced the best of Argentina and because everything went off without a hitch, it will remain one of the best experiences of my entire lifetime.
Susan Chalmers
Social Studies/Spanish Teacher, Canada

I participated in their intensive Spanish and tango programs on a 3 week visit to Buenos Aires. Mente made the experience phenomenal! From the time that I signed up for the program to when I left Buenos Aires, I had all the support I could need from maps, sim card, help with navigating Buenos Aires and more. I was very happy with my host family that they matched, and the Spanish and Tango courses that they organized.
They also organized many group activities ranging from museum visits, picnics, day trips outside of BA, concerts, football games and great lunches which helped me meet not only other travelers but also locals. I had an amazing experience with my host family, learned a lot of Spanish, got to try many cultural Argentinian activities and explore Buenos Aires all in 3 weeks. Highly recommend Mente Argentina for solo travelers and those seeking a full immersion program and want to experience all that Buenos Aires has to offer!