This past semester, I spent the most incredible four months studying in Buenos Aires through SOL Education Abroad. My time spent in Argentina was easily the greatest adventure of my life thus far, and I am very confident that SOL played a huge role in shaping such a positive, life changing experience. Buenos Aires is a city that is very unique, with a cultural mix of Latin America as well as European ancestry, creating a city that is full of vibrancy, passion and excitement! If you are looking for a lifestyle refreshingly different than the United States, with people that are confident, welcoming and fun-loving, Buenos Aires is the city for you.
If you have already decided on Buenos Aires, I highly recommend and encourage you to go through SOL; I truly could not be more thrilled with my choice. I did four months of language intensive classes at Universidad de Belgrano, which were fantastic courses that improved my Spanish immensely. Comparing these courses to classes in the US, you will definitely not be disappointed with the personalized attention and quality of professors.
Nearly every study abroad program goes through Universidad de Belgrano, so the classes and academic aspect is not what differentiates between the programs (you are in the same classes as people from different programs- so academically the programs are actually the same). What differentiates between the many different programs are the price, the different activities that is included in that price, as well as the level of personal attention you receive while abroad. Before choosing SOL, I spent countless hours researching different programs and can confidently ensure you that SOL is certainly the most affordable.
After arriving in Buenos Aires, it did not take long to see that SOL truly is the best program for numerous reasons. Not only was it the most economical, but it also offered an abundance of different cultural activities (easily 6 times more than any other program). I loved these activities! They were incredibly fun ways of exploring the city as well as learning about Buenos Aires culture. Typically we had about two or three activities a week that included tango lessons, empanada making, tours of historical neighborhoods/buildings, museum excursions, conversation clubs with locals, just to name a few. These activities were incredibly enriching for my experience in Buenos Aires and allowed for a true understanding of the city and way of life!
For me, the most important reason why I recommend SOL is the personalized care and attention you will receive, and the family-like bonds you will form through this program. The Buenos Aires program is lead by Raul, and facilitated by his son Rodrigo. I can easily say that these two individuals are two of the absolute greatest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my life! Both are incredibly optimistic and always smiling- and their good nature really is contagious. I can ensure you that it is impossible not to adore them both. Raul and Rodri are caring, sincere, genuine, generous… I really could go on and on! They both want you to have the best time in Buenos Aires and they do everything they can to guarantee that you will.
Because SOL is a smaller program, you are going to get personalized attention to make sure you are transitioning smoothly and enjoying your time. If anything comes up, Raul is always there to help you out. For instance, at one point I had a medical concern; Raul set up my doctor’s appointment and Rodri accompanied me and waited until I was done just to make sure everything went okay. When living in a foreign country, it is very comforting to know you have someone looking out for you and I greatly appreciated the support that Raul and Rodri gave.
SOL also allows for a family bond that you won’t find in any other program! Our group of 12 began calling each other “SOLmates,” and really we were like a family. The day before I and another student left, Raul and his wife hosted a homemade lunch for all of us at their apartment as a way of saying goodbye. I really could not have asked for a more perfect way to end my time in Buenos Aires.
I can truly promise that you will be happy with your decision to study abroad in Buenos Aires with SOL. Not only is it the most cost-effective program, but much more importantly it provides an experience that truly is life changing. When going abroad, you are going to get out of the experience what you put into it- but SOL certainly makes it easy to make the very most of your time in Argentina. I am confident that I will keep in contact with Raul, Rodrigo and the students from our program for the rest of my life. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have had such a wonderful experience and I highly recommend this program for everyone!
Sol Education Abroad
Sol Education Abroad provides University Study Abroad & Spanish Immersion programs in Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico & Spain! Our company mission is very simple: to treat you the same way we wanted to be treated when we studied abroad. Join us!
The host family experience was beyond anything I could have expected. Classes with local Costa Ricans were very worthwhile and helped with my speaking and writing abilities. Tons of travel opportunities and site seeing. Beautiful country, well managed, great cultural immersion. No complaints!
Sol Costa Rica was an excellent program with a wonderful staff and home stay family. The school was a close walk from home, and the learning environment was second to none. On weekends the group traveled to various parts of the country to see the national parks, volcanoes, beaches, and various wildlife. The country is gorgeous, the people are friendly, and the food is delicious. Sol Education Abroad is the only choice.
The Sol Education Abroad program did a great job organizing the whole abroad experience. They did a good job on keeping us updated with the do's and don'ts, what are the hot spots, and the expectations of the program. My experience abroad is an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life, my host family had outstanding hospitality towards me and my roommate and they did everything to make sure we were comfortable and were enjoying our experience. My teacher was great and funny, he encouraged using spanish in the classroom and was really helpful when needed. We had all sorts of excursions set up for us to go on every other day during the week and 3 out of the 4 weekends we had plans to go to other places, these included volcanoes, beaches, mountains, waterfalls, rivers, animal ranches, and museums. The nightlife was my favorite part about the whole experience though.
When I decided to study abroad I expected to improve my Spanish, meet new people and do a good amount of sight-seeing. However, I never could have imagined how 4 months in a different country could change my future goals or how it could make me feel like a more confident person. One thing I appreciate about Sol is the intimate nature of the program. The group was small and we became really close friends. The same can be said for our host families. It's been over a year and I still communicate with my host mom on a regular basis. It's such a great feeling to know that I will be welcomed back anytime I am able to return to visit. I consider choosing Sol and going to Costa Rica as one of the best decisions of my life; I became so involved in the culture and I really felt that I was home there. Now I am about to graduate from college and am looking at doing some work overseas-my only problem is that I keep wanting to go to Costa Rica although I know I should visit the rest of the world!
