CIEE College Study Abroad in Santiago, Chile

I would highly recommend studying abroad in Santiago! As a Spanish minor who primarily came to improve my Spanish skills, I will say that learning Chilean Spanish has been tough but has proven to be very rewarding and promising for the future. The city of Santiago is great and I have been able to meet a diverse group of friendly, warm, and genuinely kind people. Learning about Chile's social and political history as well has been very interesting and shed light on a lot of transnational issues.

My only prior experience with the city has been day trips to Chicago, so I've been stunned by how much Everything is Everywhere! I've found amazing (and cheap!) local theater shows, which I recommend to all Spanish-learners, just by clicking around GoogleMaps. The farmers' markets are marvelous; blocks of fresh cheese for $5? Salted peanuts for $2? $1 avocados? Sí, por favor! Artisan fairs also darling: Barrio Italia's is stunning. Rode a double-decker bus to / from Valparaíso (a must-see). The tea is good, the pisco sour is better, and the boxed milk is fine if you don't drink it straight up!

I commend CIEE for placing a lot of emphasis on navigating cultural differences and self-reflection with respect to one's social standing. Emphasizing those skills really helped me grow more aware as a person and opened my mind to unthinkable concepts that were new to me and the cultural framework that I come from. CIEE is really strong in highlighting difference and how to approach it with an open and willing personal attitude. Some of the logistical aspects could have had more transparency, but no program is perfect. In comparison to the profound cultural discoveries CIEE facilitates those things seem like smaller obstacles in the bigger picture. Every obstacle you face is an opportunity to grow and learn. The most important thing about CIEE, is that your growth and intercultural tools will only reach high levels of satisfaction if your own attitude and willingness to have an open mind are strong when going in.

All of the high marks in this rating can be attributed to Santiago itself. It is a beautiful city with interesting customs and a complex history. I would not recommend studying abroad through this organization, though. In summary, the pre-departure to on site orientation process was disorganized and some of the program leaders seemed unknowledgeable about the visa and class registration processes. They also asserted during the cultural orientation that racism doesn’t exist in Chile, which (which just isn’t true) and can alienate POC participants. Staff was available to help participants’ issues throughout the semester, but most of my fellow participants felt a loss of respect with this company. This was due to a lack of accountability or even apology for inconveniences that were within or out of their control. For example, I spent $400 USD on a student visa that never got approved, and also wasn’t necessary to temporarily reside in the country. The program also promised an equal opportunity to attend Santiago’s UChile, UCatolica, and Universidad de Diego Portales, however 80% of our orientation week time was spent at UDP. It is fine for legal business relationships to exist between CIEE and UDP but it is patronizing to sell American students a false promise of that not being the case. If your US university permits, I recommend researching other programs that arrive to Santiago BEFORE the week of registration. This program is by no means inexpensive, so you’re better off choosing another one.

I was able to work with CIEE in Santiago twice during my undergrad. The first time I participated in the Open Campus Program
and the second time I was in their internship program. Chile was one of my favorite places I’ve traveled to - the staff is AMAZING and I loved both host families I lived with. I made life long friends during both experiences and one is even in my upcoming wedding. I would recommend this program to anyone wanting a great study abroad experience and memories to last a lifetime :)

The program was infallible. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and working with the CIEE staff. Apart from the socials they organized to get to know one-another and learn about the Chilean culture, they were extremely welcoming and helpful. They were great in providing insight on how to adapt and thrive in a new country as a visitor, and provided great recommendations on things that must be done while there, including but not limited to: visiting the universities, beaches, mountains, learning of Chile’s rich and complicated history and how it ties in to what we saw during our stay there, and reading the works of their literary luminaries. etc. I learned a great deal of Chilean history through the program and found especially insightful the analysis of the Chilean newspaper, “El Mercurio”- the critical thinking which I brought back with me while reading the papers. Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the depth of the CIEE program. I will always be grateful having been surrounded with such amazing staff that gave me the some of the greatest experiences of my life.

The program was extremely well structured and the coordinators offered a substantial level of social, cultural and academic support. Additionally the city is large but very well connected via public transit. Whether you like an upbeat night life or quiet journeys in nature, Santiago offers. It really is what you make it though. Don’t be afraid to engage the community, get out there and get to know the city, explore the history and dive deep into nature. The city and the program give you the tools to have an amazing time.

It's now been about 15 years since I studied abroad. However, as Mauricio was the head of the program and he was a pretty young guy, I wouldn't be surprised if he still heads it. My study abroad in Chile with CIEE was a great time in my life - not only in terms of personal experience, but our orientation and CIEE programming really connected us with the Chilean history and culture, especially with regards to history of human rights, as well as touched upon so very strong intellectual conversations and growth. Our Chilean university (PUC) is respected among the best in Latin America. Santiago is a relatively modern place within Latin America - and has a wide variety of things going on. The nature in Chile is spectacular - I compare it to California a lot. Overall highly recommended program!