SIT Study Abroad: Social Movements in Argentina

I came back from this program a more passionate, educated, and confident individual. This program truly helps you grow academically, socially, and culturally. It is definitely a unique program that is unlike any others. The program excels at improving your language skills and encouraging experiential learning. The focus on human rights and social movements matches perfectly with the location of Buenos Aires. The city really becomes your classroom. I learned about Argentine history and the human rights issues of the dictatorship in a way that I would have never had the opportunity to learn about in the U.S. The subjects that the courses cover are incredibly interesting, but hard to learn about; however, the professors and guest lecturers do not shy away from anything. The visits to local organizations, museums, and historic sights really help to put what you learn in the classroom into context. There is no way you can come away from the semester without changing your perspective on the world.

The home stay aspect of the program is also fantastic. Almost everyone had a great experience with their host family. They are so welcoming and really make you feel like a part of the family. They act as a great way to immerse yourself in the culture and get comfortable in a new city and country. Outside of your host family, it is pretty hard to make local friends because you end up spending most of your time with the other students in the group. The size of the program tends to be small (my program only had 25 students) and the excursions to the north and south result in you spending a lot of time together. The program does have its weaknesses, but they are all outweighed by the overall experience. In the end, you get out of the program, is what you put into it. If you are looking for a unique study abroad experience and are a self-starter, I would highly recommend this program.

If you are looking to challenge yourself or are an Honors student, this is definitely the right program. You will get real, invaluable experience. Coming back from Argentina, I found that many of the things I personally experienced there were coming up in many of the courses I was taking at home. This allowed me to be able to relate to many more people and experiences and has since given me an edge that other students don't have.

SIT is a very strong program provider for a multitude of reasons, but in my experience, its most valuable assets are the experiential learning component and the Independent Study Project structure.
With regards to language acquisition, I can think of no better way to gain skills than immersion. Although immediate immersion can be intimidating, the Social Movements and Human Rights (SMHR) program directors educated us on the importance of constant practice in our learning process. Furthermore, we were encouraged to speak Spanish to exercise respect and appreciation for Argentine culture, as well as a gateway to forming grounded relationships with our Argentine friends. My home stay in particular provided me with a comfortable environment in which I could struggle through the learning process with my host mom, who helped me gain so much confidence! The structure of the program also allowed my group to learn outside the classroom on a daily basis, a component that in retrospect pushed us to gain a deeper understanding of the practical applications of the theoretical concepts taught in the classroom.
The Independent Study Project (ISP) gave us the space to form professional and personal connections with Argentinians. While the academic rigors of the ISP challenged me on a daily basis, I also gained the research experience of conducting interviews in Spanish and writing a qualitative research paper. I'm actually currently continuing various components of my research back at my university in the US!

I most enjoyed the unique travel experiences offered by SIT. Over the course of the program, we visited Andean Patagonia, Uruguay, the northwestern provinces, and tons of other cities in between. I felt I really got to know the country outside of our base, Buenos Aires, which can be a tough city to live in, particularly for those who identify as female. Between all of our classes and the independent study project we completed to finish the program, I didn't have a lot of time to hang out with friends and see the city - but I loved my classes and was dedicated to my grades, and I feel I learned a lot as a result.

I cannot speak more highly of this program. Not only was I able to fully appreciate BA's nightlife and culture, but I learned so much about its history and culture thanks to amazing professors and staff.

I learned so much while abroad! It was 1000% worthwhile. I loved that the program had a specific, interesting and relevant theme that all our courses and activities pertained to, and I learned so much from these components of the program. I also learned a great deal about myself and really matured and grew individually just from adjusting to a different country/city, culture, language, homestay, etc.

This program was definitely everything I looked for - you don't spend too many hours in conventional classes but you'll learn a ton. Argentina has almost limitless chances to get to know a place that might seem similar to a Western city at first, but has a completely different attitude, culture and politics.

My host parents were impressed with how much we got to know Argentina and BA - I was their first student from SIT and it really was different than the other experiences they described, and the stories my friends from competing programs described. The homestay will be what you make it - speak as much spanish as you can with your family, spend time with them, ask questions and say yes to any opportunities!

You'll have a few fancy meals of Argentine asado but also find the cheap lunch spots across BA – there's an awesome growing culinary culture and a million food blogs to go follow for recs.