UNIVERSIDADDECHILE
SPRING2016
STUDENTNUMBER:289669
IspentmyexchangesemesterinUniversidaddeChile–anditwasamazing.InthisreportI’ll
provideasobjectivedescriptionofmysemesteraspossibleinordertomakeyourdecisionabout
theexchangeplaceoryourarrangementsbeforeheadingtoSantiagoaseasyaspossible.Firstof
all,IhavetosaythatChileasanexchangedestinationisnottheeasiestoneduetoseveralreasons
Iwillcoverlateron.However,it’salsoanextremelyinterestingcountry,ithassomeofthemost
magnificentplacesonthisplanetanditoffersthepossibilitytoformlifelongfriendshipsfrom
peoplearoundtheworld.Soifafterreadingallthesereportsyoufindyourselfinterested,I
stronglyencourageyoutogoforitandapply!
Andnowtothepoint.Followingthebasicstructureofthesereports,firstlyI’lldescribehowthe
thingsworkoutbeforeyoustarttheschool,whatneedstobetakenintoaccountbeforeyouleave
FinlandandhowtofindaflatinSantiago.Secondly,I’llcoversomeacademicstuff,honesttalk
aboutthecampus,theschoolandthecourses.Lastly,I’llmovetotheleisuretime,travels,student
activities,meetingnewpeopleetc.
1.Beforetheexchange
BeforeleavingFinland
Approximatelyfive/sixmonthsbeforeyoursemesterstartsyou’llbecontactedbytheUniversidad
deChile,moredetailedtheFacultaddeEconomiayNegocios,FEN,providinginstructionsinorder
tostillsendaformalapplicationtotheschool(thisismainlyjustsendingdifferentdocumentsyou
alreadyhave).Afterfewweeks,you’llreceiveaconfirmationemailfromFENandafterthatseveral
quiteimportantemailsfromtheexchangepersonneloverthereregardingforexamplethestart
andendingdatesofthesemester(moreabouttheselateron),housingguideforSantiago,linksto
Facebookgroupsforexchangestudents,creatingyouraccountfortheuniversityservices(web
portal,googleaccountetc.)andinformationaboutthecoursesandthecourseregistration
process.Readthesecarefully,asitmakesthepreparationsaloteasier!
Courseregistration
Theinitialcourseregistrationhastobecompletedfewmonthsbeforethesemesterstarts.The
universityprovidesquitedetailedinstructionshowtodothat,includingacoursecatalogwith
descriptionofeachofthecourses.Theweeklyschedulesofthecoursescanbeseeninthe
registrationportalaftertheregistrationperiodhasbeenopened.ThesemesteratFENisnot
dividedintoperiodssimilarlyasatAalto,allthecourseslastforthewholesemester.Almostallof
thecoursesareworthsameamountoflocalcreditsandAaltorequiresyoutotakefiveofthemin
ordertogetthe30ECTSrequiredforabachelorexchange(whichisweirdsinceeveryother
Europeanuniversityacceptsfourcoursestoget30ECTSandevenFENdoesn’trecommend
exchangestudentstotakemorecoursesthanthat).There’sasufficientselectionofcoursestaught
inEnglish(aroundnine)andtherestinSpanish.Intheory,thesecourseselectionsarenot
confirmedbeforethecoursestarts,butinpracticeIdon’tknowanyonewhodidn’tgetintothe
coursestheyselected.Inaddition,duringthefirstthreeweeksofthesemesteryoucanstilladd
anddropcourses,whichgivesyoumoreflexibilitytogoandseehowthefirstlecturesareand
makethefinaldecisionsafterthat.
Visa
You’llhavetwooptionsregardingthetypeofyourvisa:studentortouristvisa.Studentvisacosts
something(don’tknowhowmuch)andwiththatyou’llreceiveaChileanIDcardandgetpublic
transportationticketswithstudentdiscount.However,amajorityofexchangestudentsalways
choosesatouristvisa.It’safreeone,butit’sonlyvalidfor90daysstraight.Torenewthat90days,
you’llhavetoleavethecountryandcomeback,whichisobviouslynotaproblemformost
exchangestudents.
Findinganapartment
GettingaflatisnotadvisabletodobeforeyouleaveFinland,butonlyonceyou’reinSantiago.At
leastdon’tpayanythingwithoutseeingtheapartment,sincepicturesandthetruthcanbetwo
verydifferentthings.Checkingtheflatalsogivestheopportunitytocheckouttheneighborhood
beforesigningacontract.Andnoworries,there’splentyofapartmentsavailable,sofindingone
shouldnotbeaproblem.However,I’dsuggestyoutoarrivetoSantiagoatleastfewdaysbefore
theschoolstartsinordertofindaflatbeforeallthehassleofthefirstweeksatschool.
Mostofthestudentslivethefirstfewdaysinahostel(HostalProvidenciaisagoodoptionfor
that,usuallythere’salsootherFENexchangestudentslivingtherebeforethesemesterstarts).The
schooldoesnotofferanyhousing,butyou’llreceiveinformationaboutplentyofdifferent
websitesandorganizationsfromtheincomingexchangecoordinatoratFEN.Myfavoritewas
compartodepto.cl,whichallowsyoutosetdifferentparameterstosearchaflatandalsomakesit
possibleforlandlordstocontactyoubasedonyourprofile.Anothergoodwaytogetinformation
abouttheapartmentpossibilitiesandfindpossibleroommatesistogettoknowfellowexchange
studentsduringthefirstdays.InourcasetheFacebookgroupwasquiteactiveandweorganized
fewget-togethersbeforetheschoolstarted.That’salsohowIfoundmyflat,ImettwoGerman
girlsonthesecondnightandtheytoldmeaboutacoolstudenthousewith15peopletheyhad
found–andtwodayslaterIhadanapartment.Icanhighlyrecommendthesamehousetoothers
aswellandifyou’reinterested,contactmethroughinternationalstudentservicesandIcantell
moreandhookyouupwiththelandlord(reallylaid-backandniceguy,wholovesFinland).
Therentprices(aswellaspricesingeneral)arehigherthanyou’dprobablyguess.Mostofmy
friendspaidaround200k-300kpesos(270-400e)permonthandmostofthemweresharedflats.
SantiagobusinesscenterfromthetopofCerroSanCristobal
2.StudyingatFEN
Thescheduleofthesemester
Ispentfallsemester(ourspring)atFEN.Theofficialdatesannouncedintheinfopacketsentby
theuniaremoreorlessthefollowingregardingthefallsemester:Schoolstartsinthebeginningof
March,thereareonlytwoholidaydays,andthesemesterendson6thofJuly.However,inthe
followingislistedthe”real”schedule,atleastformeandmostoftheotherexchangestudents.
1.3.
Orientationday
3.3.
Firstdayofclasses
4.-15.5.
Midtermtestperiod,noclasses.However,Ididn’thaveanyexamseitherduringthe
period(usualcasewithcourseswithalotofexchangestudents,theexamsareheld
eitherbeforeorafter).Sobasicallyfreetimetotravel.
23.6.
Lastdayofclassesandlastexam
Thecampus
ThecampusofFENisprettycoolandhasverygoodlocationjustinthedowntownSantiago.The
premiseswereprettynewandtherewerequitegoodsportingfacilitiesaroundthecampus(gym,
outdoorbasketballandfootballfields).Therewasacafeteriathatofferedbasiclunchwithsimilar
pricelevelthaninFinland,althoughthefoodwasn’tthatgood.Thecafeteriaalsogotvery
crowdedduringlunchhours,butfortunatelytherewasplentyoflunchrestaurantsaroundthe
school.
ViewfromoneoftheclassroomsatFEN
CoursesItook
Asmentionedbefore,Aaltorequiresustotakefive10UD(localcredits)coursesatFEN,andItook
alloftheminEnglish.Imanagedtosqueezeallthelecturesintotwodays,MondayandThursday
(quitelongthough,9.40-18.20),withoccasionallabsessiononWednesdays.
InthefollowingI’mgoingtobrieflydescribethecoursesItook.
NegociosI(InternationalBusinessI),ENNEG310,10UD,ErichSpencer
HeldinEnglishdespiteoftheSpanishname(there’salsoaSpanish-heldequivalent).Basicoverall
courseofinternationalbusiness,withanobjectivetointroducethestudentstodifferentareasof
conductingbusinessingloballevel:strategy,functions,culturalawarenessandmanagement,
modelsofinternationalizationandentries,globalentrepreneurship,etc.Quitebasicstuff,buta
goodcoursetotakeifyouhaven’thadanyIBcoursesbefore.Wasalsothebestmanagedcourse
fromtheonesItook.Ontheotherhand,hadtheheaviestworkload,withalmostweeklyfull-sized
caseassignments,twootherassignments,amidtermandafinalexam(however,didn’thaveto
takethefinalifgradewasgoodenoughatthatpoint).Prof.Spencerwasquitestrictwhenitcame
totimetables(didn’tletanyonetoentertheclassroomifhe/shewaslate),butotherwisequite
relaxed,madejokesandwasquiteflexiblewhenitcametoreschedulingforexampleexamsdue
totravelplans.AgoodcoursetomeetChileanstudents,sincetherewereplentyofthem
attendingandwewereforcedtomaketeamsincludingbothlocalandexchangestudents.
InternationalManagement,ENNEG324,10UD,GabrielleSchulten
Anintroductiontodifferentdimensionsofinternationalmanagementculturalawareness,
frameworksandmodels(thesearethetopicofalmostwholefirsthalfofthecourse),
communication,leadership,negotiations,etc.Severalgroupassignments,littlequizzes,amidterm
andafinalexam.Reallyeasythough,didnotrequiremuchwork.Prof.Schultenwashavingher
firstcourseeverandthatwasshownabitthroughoutthecourseasdisorganizedstructureand
instructions.Shewasalsoreallyflexibleregardingspecialarrangements,datesetc.I’dsaythis
courseisalmostimpossibletofail.Ourclassconsistedofalmosttotallyexchangestudents,there
wasonlyoneChileanguy.
EnvironmentalEconomics,ENECO487,10UD,MariaRuiz-Tagle
Thiswasbyfarthemostinterestingcourseandthemostdemandingaswell.Itfocusedonthe
economictheoriesbehindenvironmentalpoliciesandthereforehelpedtounderstandmore
thoroughlymanyaspectsbehindpublicenvironmentaldiscussion.Thestructureofthecoursewas
verytraditional,wehadthreesmallerexamsbasedonfeaturedarticlesandthenafinalexam.The
lecturerProf.Ruiz-Taglewasveryprofessionalandclearlyknewtonsaboutthetopic.No
mandatoryattendance.
LatinAmericainWorld’sAffairs,ENNEG423,10UD,WalterSanchez
Prof.SanchezisquiteacharacterandwellknownatFEN.He’soneofthemostrespectedexperts
inthecountrywhenitcomestointernationalpolitics,butteachingisclearlynothisstrongestskill.
Thelecturesconsistedofhismonologues,whichoftenhadnothingtodowiththetopicitselfand
wereveryhardtofollow.Thecourseconsistedoflectures,twoquiteeasyarticle-basedexams,
finalexamandagroupproject.Duringtheprojectwestudiedcertaintopic(e.g.ourtopicwas
Chile,fromsocialismtoneoliberalism)andthenmadeawrittenreportandapresentationbased
onourfindings.Eventhoughitwasveryeasyandnotveryscientific,Ifoundtheprojectvery
interestingsinceitofferedapossibilitytodovequitedeepintotheLatinAmericanpoliticsand
history.
Globalization,treatiesandtradeagreements,ENNEG362,10UD,WalterSanchez
Fullyidenticalwiththepreviouscourse,butwithslightlydifferentangle.Someinteresting
discussionsaboutcurrenttradeagreementnegotiations(TTIPandTTP)butotherwisequite
useless.Thethingwithbothofthesecourseswasthatthetopicinprincipalwasveryinteresting
andwould’veprovidedsomedifferentviewpointscomparedtothecourseswehaveatAalto,but
duetoterriblelecturesintheendthelearningoutcomewasquitepoor.Veryeasycourses,
though,anddidn’thavemandatoryattendance.
OverallIdidn’tlikestudyingatFENthatmuch.Thewholeschoolfeltmorelikeacombinationof
highschoolanduniversitythanthebestbusinessschoolinLatinAmerica.Therewasmandatory
classattendancebydefault,theassignmentsingeneralwereveryeasyandsomeoftheexams
measuredpurelyhowwellweknewsomeconceptsandabbreviationsbyheart.Inaddition,many
ofthecourseswereveryunorganized,evenabitchaotic.Ontheotherhand,sincetheschool
wasn’treallydemanding,therewasaplentyoftimetodootherstuffaswell.
Learningthelanguage
Lastly,fewwordsaboutlearningthelanguage.Pleasenotice,thatFENdoesnotofferSpanish
languagecoursesanymore,informationabouttheminolderreportsisoutdated.Thismeansthat
theonlyoptiontogetSpanishteachingistobuyitfromathird-partyorganizationandfititinto
theteachingcalendaroftheuniversity(quitedifficultinpractice).Informationaboutthese
organizationsisprovidedbyFENinthefirstemails.ThiscombinedtothefactthattheChilean
Spanishisreallyhardtounderstandduetoveryfastwayofspeakingandtheamountofspecific
phrasesandwordsmakesitinmyopinionquitehardtolearnSpanishatFEN,ifyou’relanguage
skillsarereallyweakornon-existingbeforehands.However,ifyoucanmanagesimple
conversationsormore,Chileisagreatplacetoreallyimproveyourskillssinceonly3%ofthe
populationspeaksEnglish.IfyouknowsomeSpanish,Iwouldhighlyrecommendtakingatleast
onecourseinSpanishinordertobeforcedtouseitonregularbasis,sinceforexamplewith
examplewithotherexchangestudentsyou’llmostlikelyspeakEnglish.Inaddition,someofthe
coursestaughtinSpanishhaveallthematerialsinEnglishandtheprofessorsmayofferchancesto
writeforexamplesomeofthetestsinEnglishifneeded.Ifyou’dliketohaveinformationabout
thesekindsofcoursesorhaveanydoubtsregardinglearningSpanishatFEN,I’dsuggest
contactingtheirincomingexchangecoordinatorbeforethecourseregistrationopens.
3.Free-timeandotheractivities
LivinginSantiagoandactivitiesaroundthecity
InthebeginningIhavetosaythatSantiagoinmyopinionisnotthe”easiest”citytofellinlove
with.There’ssomequitebigdownsidesduetoforexamplethesheersizeoftheareaandthe
publictransportationwhichdoesn’tworkthatwell.Inaddition,sincethecityislocatedina
bottomofa”bowl”formedbysurroundingmountains,thepollutionisareallybigproblemforthe
inhabitants.It’snotalsothemostbeautifulcityingeneralintermsofhistoricalbuildingsor
architecture(eventhoughtherearesomereallycoolareasandbuildings).
Ontheotherhand,it’squitesafetolivein,themountainsaroundthecityarespectacular(when
youcanseethemthroughsmog)andthere’splentyoffree-timeoptions.Asaglobalmetropoleof
morethansixmillionpeoplethere’salwaysalottodoinSantiago.GeneralactivitiesIlikedtodo
weree.g.goingtorestaurantsindifferentpartsofthecity(thefoodsceneisreallydiverse),going
tofootballgames(theChileansarecrazywhenitcomestofootball),visitingvariousmuseumsand
goingtoclubs.Especiallyinthe“partyarea”Bellavistathere’salwayssomethinggoingon,no
matterthewhatthedayis.
Thestudentactivities,however,arenotnearlyasbigthingasbackinFinland.There’ssomequite
bigeventsorganizedbythestudentassociationand/ortheinternationalstudentassociationIsa
FEN,butwetalkaboutcoupleoftimespersemestercomparetothecrazyvastvarietyofdifferent
stufftodowithinKYandAYY.Ontheotherhand,wehadaround130exchangestudentsatFEN
duringthesemester,sothereforsurewasalwayssomethingorganizedjustbysomeofus,house
parties,trips,sportsactivitiesetc.
ThehikingandotheroutdoorsportspossibilitiesoutsideSantiagoaretremendous,thankstothe
Andesmountainswhichsurroundthewholecity.Variouswell-markedhikingroutesuptothe
mountainsareaccessibleviapublictransportorshorttaxiride.MyfavoritewastheclassicCerro
Manquehue(thefirstphotointhecoverpageistakenfromthetop).There’salsoplentyof
mountainbikingandraftingoptions,especiallyinthenearbyCajondelMaipovalley.
Andthepossibilitiesdon’tstopthere,onlyone/twohoursridefromthecitytheoptionsjust
increaseexponentially.Manylocalsaswellastravelersoftenescapethepulseofthehecticcapital
tothenearbyValparaisoharborcityandViñadelMarholidaycity.Thesebotharelocatedjust1,5hourdrivefromSantiagoandoffercompletelydifferentkindofsceneryandatmospherethanthe
metropolitanarea.In2-hourradiustheoutdoorsportspossibilitiesalsoincreasequiterapidly.In
additiontothealreadymentionedCajonDelMaipo,oneshoulddefinitelycheckoutatleasta
magnificentartificiallakeEmbalseelYesoandskiduringthenorthernhemispheresummerat
someoftheskiingcenterslocatedjustoutsideSantiago.
ValleNevadoskiingcenter,Chile
TravellingaroundChileandothercountries
Assaidbefore,eventhoughthere’smandatoryclassattendancethestudiesarestillquiteflexible
whenitcomestotravels.Chileisamagnificentcountryandespeciallythenaturearoundthereis
somethingbeyondimagination.Duetoitslengthofaround4000kilometersinnorth-southaxisit’s
forsureoneofthemostdiversecountriesintheworldwhenitcomestonaturalscenery.Just
duringmytimethereIgottoseesnow-toppedmountains,drydeserts,sandybeaches,volcanoes,
glaciers,rainforests,beautifullakessurroundedbythickleafforestsandrockycoastlines.Andall
thiswithinonecountry!Thehighlightofmytravelswasforsurenearlytwo-weektriptoPatagonia
(Chile/Argentina)whichofferedthemostbreathtakingplacesIhaveevervisited.
Butthewondersdon’tstopthere,there’salsoplentytoseeintheneighborcountries.Duringthe
springIgottovisitArgentina,Brazil,UruguayandPeru.I’mhappytoprovidemyitinerariesand
othertipsifyou’reinterestedintravelingtoanyofthesecountries/places,mycontactinfois
availablethroughinternationalstudentservices.
MachuPicchu,Peru
Finalremarks
PersonallymybiggestmotivationtogotoChileandLatinAmericaingeneralwastolearnmore
aboutthishugecontinentanditshistory,andtounderstandmorethedifferencesbetweenLatin
Americancountriesandcultures.Afterall,LatinAmericaisn’tverywellrepresentedinourhistory
classesorevenintheglobalmediacomparedtomanyotherpartsoftheworld.Formethemost
valuableoutcomeoftheexchangewasbeingabletofamiliarizemyselfwithdifferentculturesof
thecontinentandtorealizethattheyareasdifferentwitheachotherasEuropeannations.
ThemostIforsuregottoknowChileancultureandIleftalittlepartofmyheartthere(sorryfor
super-cheesyexpression).EventhoughChileansarequitecareer-orientedcomparedtomany
otherLatinAmericans,theystillvalueforexamplefamilyandbuenaonda,thegoodvibesoflife,
onaveragemorethanNorthernEuropeansandthatperspectiveespeciallyisforsuregoingtostick
withmefortherestofmylife.
Overall,IcouldreallyrecommendUniversidadDeChile.Chileasanexchangedestinationoffers
youapossibilitytoliveinahugecitywherenotthatmanynormallyvisit,travelaroundsomeof
themostbeautifulplacesonthisplanet,gettoknowdifferentLatinAmericanculturesandmeeta
lotofwonderfulpeoplefromaroundtheworld.Ifthisfeelsintriguing,apply!I’mhappytoprovide
helpwiththedecisionoranypracticalarrangementsandassaidbefore,youcancontactme
throughinternationalstudentservices.
Toconcludethisreport,fewmorepictures:
MountFitzRoy,ElChaltén,Argentina
PeritoMorenoglacier,Argentina
Pucón,Chile
EasterIsland,Chile