<p>I am looking for a good study abroad program in a spanish-speaking country. I'd like it to have flexible academics (i.e., a variety of subjects), but other than that I don't need anything specific. I'd like a place where the scheduling coincides somewhat similarly with a U.S college school year (i.e., fall semester ends somewhere in december and spring semester ends around may/june-ish). I'd like a program that offers opportunities to explore local areas and to go out on one's own.</p>
<p>Now, aside from Spain (which I know of), can anyone point me in the direction of some interesting programs? Do all South American programs have the same sort of schedule (i.e., starting in july, or starting in february and going till july)? </p>
<p>D is in a program in Ecuador at USFQ. Starts in Aug and goes till Dec. Great programs for learning Spanish and taking classes in Spanish. Plus the weekend excursions can't be beat - snorkeling, whale watching, river rafting, mountain bike riding, etc. Great clubs, food and relatively cheap country to travel in. She's been to the Galapagos, beaches and has the Amazon and Andes coming up. Highly recommended!</p>
<p>Well if you go in South America, Argentina for example, it'll be the spring semester in the fall, and vice versa. My friends went to Argentina (well they're still there) through IFSA-Butler and are able to take a wide variety of courses--the catch is that you take them at different universities depending on the classes you want, so travel times may be an issue. But they're happy with the flexibility of the program. They've traveled to Ecuador, the mountains, and Iguazú waterfalls and have had a blast. They left around the end of July and the program generally ends in early to mid-December.</p>
<p>How is your Spanish fluency and what are your goals for your study abroad? Anything specific you want out of the experience? What about cost? What's your budget like?
Most programs will give you plenty of opportunities to visit surrounding areas and such and most schools' Oficina de Intercambio (international student exchange office) will offer various weekend and day-trips and such, although if you really want to get into the culture, I'd suggest getting away from those after the first month or so and doing things with the student from the area that you meet instead -- basically, become a part of their culture! It will be far more beneficial when you come back and have experienced the culture itself (especially if you live in a part of the U.S. with a high number of Latinos and end up in a Latin American country).</p>
<p>budget isn't really a problem. I go to a private U.S. school, so the odds are that most South American Universities will be cheaper than my regular tuition. My goals? I guess I want you're average, ordinary, life-changing experience. Seriously, though, I'd really just like a program that allows me to study at a University and meet kids (I'd also like to live with a family) that live in that country, and immerse myself in their culture. I'd like to have a lot of freedom to travel around the country, and surrounding countries. My spanish fluency is decent. I'm not fluent, per se, but have taken several semesters of college spanish and it would probably not take long for me to become completely fluent. </p>
<p>Do you know of any South American countries (esp. among Argentina, Peru, Chile) that have programs that might coincide more with a U.S. college semester? Which are the closest? </p>