UNIVERSIDADDECHILESPRING2016

STUDENTNUMBER:289669

IspentmyexchangesemesterinUniversidaddeChile–anditwasamazing.InthisreportI’llprovideasobjectivedescriptionofmysemesteraspossibleinordertomakeyourdecisionabouttheexchangeplaceoryourarrangementsbeforeheadingtoSantiagoaseasyaspossible.Firstofall,IhavetosaythatChileasanexchangedestinationisnottheeasiestoneduetoseveralreasonsIwillcoverlateron.However,it’salsoanextremelyinterestingcountry,ithassomeofthemostmagnificentplacesonthisplanetanditoffersthepossibilitytoformlifelongfriendshipsfrompeoplearoundtheworld.Soifafterreadingallthesereportsyoufindyourselfinterested,Istronglyencourageyoutogoforitandapply!Andnowtothepoint.Followingthebasicstructureofthesereports,firstlyI’lldescribehowthethingsworkoutbeforeyoustarttheschool,whatneedstobetakenintoaccountbeforeyouleaveFinlandandhowtofindaflatinSantiago.Secondly,I’llcoversomeacademicstuff,honesttalkaboutthecampus,theschoolandthecourses.Lastly,I’llmovetotheleisuretime,travels,studentactivities,meetingnewpeopleetc.

1.BeforetheexchangeBeforeleavingFinlandApproximatelyfive/sixmonthsbeforeyoursemesterstartsyou’llbecontactedbytheUniversidaddeChile,moredetailedtheFacultaddeEconomiayNegocios,FEN,providinginstructionsinordertostillsendaformalapplicationtotheschool(thisismainlyjustsendingdifferentdocumentsyoualreadyhave).Afterfewweeks,you’llreceiveaconfirmationemailfromFENandafterthatseveralquiteimportantemailsfromtheexchangepersonneloverthereregardingforexamplethestartandendingdatesofthesemester(moreabouttheselateron),housingguideforSantiago,linkstoFacebookgroupsforexchangestudents,creatingyouraccountfortheuniversityservices(webportal,googleaccountetc.)andinformationaboutthecoursesandthecourseregistrationprocess.Readthesecarefully,asitmakesthepreparationsaloteasier!CourseregistrationTheinitialcourseregistrationhastobecompletedfewmonthsbeforethesemesterstarts.Theuniversityprovidesquitedetailedinstructionshowtodothat,includingacoursecatalogwithdescriptionofeachofthecourses.Theweeklyschedulesofthecoursescanbeseenintheregistrationportalaftertheregistrationperiodhasbeenopened.ThesemesteratFENisnotdividedintoperiodssimilarlyasatAalto,allthecourseslastforthewholesemester.AlmostallofthecoursesareworthsameamountoflocalcreditsandAaltorequiresyoutotakefiveoftheminordertogetthe30ECTSrequiredforabachelorexchange(whichisweirdsinceeveryotherEuropeanuniversityacceptsfourcoursestoget30ECTSandevenFENdoesn’trecommendexchangestudentstotakemorecoursesthanthat).There’sasufficientselectionofcoursestaughtinEnglish(aroundnine)andtherestinSpanish.Intheory,thesecourseselectionsarenotconfirmedbeforethecoursestarts,butinpracticeIdon’tknowanyonewhodidn’tgetintothecoursestheyselected.Inaddition,duringthefirstthreeweeksofthesemesteryoucanstilladdanddropcourses,whichgivesyoumoreflexibilitytogoandseehowthefirstlecturesareandmakethefinaldecisionsafterthat.

VisaYou’llhavetwooptionsregardingthetypeofyourvisa:studentortouristvisa.Studentvisacostssomething(don’tknowhowmuch)andwiththatyou’llreceiveaChileanIDcardandgetpublictransportationticketswithstudentdiscount.However,amajorityofexchangestudentsalwayschoosesatouristvisa.It’safreeone,butit’sonlyvalidfor90daysstraight.Torenewthat90days,you’llhavetoleavethecountryandcomeback,whichisobviouslynotaproblemformostexchangestudents.FindinganapartmentGettingaflatisnotadvisabletodobeforeyouleaveFinland,butonlyonceyou’reinSantiago.Atleastdon’tpayanythingwithoutseeingtheapartment,sincepicturesandthetruthcanbetwoverydifferentthings.Checkingtheflatalsogivestheopportunitytocheckouttheneighborhoodbeforesigningacontract.Andnoworries,there’splentyofapartmentsavailable,sofindingoneshouldnotbeaproblem.However,I’dsuggestyoutoarrivetoSantiagoatleastfewdaysbeforetheschoolstartsinordertofindaflatbeforeallthehassleofthefirstweeksatschool.Mostofthestudentslivethefirstfewdaysinahostel(HostalProvidenciaisagoodoptionforthat,usuallythere’salsootherFENexchangestudentslivingtherebeforethesemesterstarts).Theschooldoesnotofferanyhousing,butyou’llreceiveinformationaboutplentyofdifferentwebsitesandorganizationsfromtheincomingexchangecoordinatoratFEN.Myfavoritewascompartodepto.cl,whichallowsyoutosetdifferentparameterstosearchaflatandalsomakesitpossibleforlandlordstocontactyoubasedonyourprofile.Anothergoodwaytogetinformationabouttheapartmentpossibilitiesandfindpossibleroommatesistogettoknowfellowexchangestudentsduringthefirstdays.InourcasetheFacebookgroupwasquiteactiveandweorganizedfewget-togethersbeforetheschoolstarted.That’salsohowIfoundmyflat,ImettwoGermangirlsonthesecondnightandtheytoldmeaboutacoolstudenthousewith15peopletheyhadfound–andtwodayslaterIhadanapartment.Icanhighlyrecommendthesamehousetoothersaswellandifyou’reinterested,contactmethroughinternationalstudentservicesandIcantellmoreandhookyouupwiththelandlord(reallylaid-backandniceguy,wholovesFinland).Therentprices(aswellaspricesingeneral)arehigherthanyou’dprobablyguess.Mostofmyfriendspaidaround200k-300kpesos(270-400e)permonthandmostofthemweresharedflats.

SantiagobusinesscenterfromthetopofCerroSanCristobal

2.StudyingatFENThescheduleofthesemesterIspentfallsemester(ourspring)atFEN.Theofficialdatesannouncedintheinfopacketsentbytheuniaremoreorlessthefollowingregardingthefallsemester:SchoolstartsinthebeginningofMarch,thereareonlytwoholidaydays,andthesemesterendson6thofJuly.However,inthefollowingislistedthe”real”schedule,atleastformeandmostoftheotherexchangestudents.1.3. Orientationday3.3. Firstdayofclasses4.-15.5. Midtermtestperiod,noclasses.However,Ididn’thaveanyexamseitherduringthe

period(usualcasewithcourseswithalotofexchangestudents,theexamsareheldeitherbeforeorafter).Sobasicallyfreetimetotravel.

23.6. LastdayofclassesandlastexamThecampusThecampusofFENisprettycoolandhasverygoodlocationjustinthedowntownSantiago.Thepremiseswereprettynewandtherewerequitegoodsportingfacilitiesaroundthecampus(gym,outdoorbasketballandfootballfields).TherewasacafeteriathatofferedbasiclunchwithsimilarpricelevelthaninFinland,althoughthefoodwasn’tthatgood.Thecafeteriaalsogotverycrowdedduringlunchhours,butfortunatelytherewasplentyoflunchrestaurantsaroundtheschool.

ViewfromoneoftheclassroomsatFENCoursesItook Asmentionedbefore,Aaltorequiresustotakefive10UD(localcredits)coursesatFEN,andItookalloftheminEnglish.Imanagedtosqueezeallthelecturesintotwodays,MondayandThursday(quitelongthough,9.40-18.20),withoccasionallabsessiononWednesdays.InthefollowingI’mgoingtobrieflydescribethecoursesItook.NegociosI(InternationalBusinessI),ENNEG310,10UD,ErichSpencerHeldinEnglishdespiteoftheSpanishname(there’salsoaSpanish-heldequivalent).Basicoverallcourseofinternationalbusiness,withanobjectivetointroducethestudentstodifferentareasofconductingbusinessingloballevel:strategy,functions,culturalawarenessandmanagement,modelsofinternationalizationandentries,globalentrepreneurship,etc.Quitebasicstuff,butagoodcoursetotakeifyouhaven’thadanyIBcoursesbefore.WasalsothebestmanagedcoursefromtheonesItook.Ontheotherhand,hadtheheaviestworkload,withalmostweeklyfull-sizedcaseassignments,twootherassignments,amidtermandafinalexam(however,didn’thavetotakethefinalifgradewasgoodenoughatthatpoint).Prof.Spencerwasquitestrictwhenitcametotimetables(didn’tletanyonetoentertheclassroomifhe/shewaslate),butotherwisequiterelaxed,madejokesandwasquiteflexiblewhenitcametoreschedulingforexampleexamsduetotravelplans.AgoodcoursetomeetChileanstudents,sincetherewereplentyofthemattendingandwewereforcedtomaketeamsincludingbothlocalandexchangestudents.InternationalManagement,ENNEG324,10UD,GabrielleSchultenAnintroductiontodifferentdimensionsofinternationalmanagementculturalawareness,frameworksandmodels(thesearethetopicofalmostwholefirsthalfofthecourse),communication,leadership,negotiations,etc.Severalgroupassignments,littlequizzes,amidtermandafinalexam.Reallyeasythough,didnotrequiremuchwork.Prof.Schultenwashavingher

firstcourseeverandthatwasshownabitthroughoutthecourseasdisorganizedstructureandinstructions.Shewasalsoreallyflexibleregardingspecialarrangements,datesetc.I’dsaythiscourseisalmostimpossibletofail.Ourclassconsistedofalmosttotallyexchangestudents,therewasonlyoneChileanguy.EnvironmentalEconomics,ENECO487,10UD,MariaRuiz-TagleThiswasbyfarthemostinterestingcourseandthemostdemandingaswell.Itfocusedontheeconomictheoriesbehindenvironmentalpoliciesandthereforehelpedtounderstandmorethoroughlymanyaspectsbehindpublicenvironmentaldiscussion.Thestructureofthecoursewasverytraditional,wehadthreesmallerexamsbasedonfeaturedarticlesandthenafinalexam.ThelecturerProf.Ruiz-Taglewasveryprofessionalandclearlyknewtonsaboutthetopic.Nomandatoryattendance.LatinAmericainWorld’sAffairs,ENNEG423,10UD,WalterSanchezProf.SanchezisquiteacharacterandwellknownatFEN.He’soneofthemostrespectedexpertsinthecountrywhenitcomestointernationalpolitics,butteachingisclearlynothisstrongestskill.Thelecturesconsistedofhismonologues,whichoftenhadnothingtodowiththetopicitselfandwereveryhardtofollow.Thecourseconsistedoflectures,twoquiteeasyarticle-basedexams,finalexamandagroupproject.Duringtheprojectwestudiedcertaintopic(e.g.ourtopicwasChile,fromsocialismtoneoliberalism)andthenmadeawrittenreportandapresentationbasedonourfindings.Eventhoughitwasveryeasyandnotveryscientific,IfoundtheprojectveryinterestingsinceitofferedapossibilitytodovequitedeepintotheLatinAmericanpoliticsandhistory.Globalization,treatiesandtradeagreements,ENNEG362,10UD,WalterSanchezFullyidenticalwiththepreviouscourse,butwithslightlydifferentangle.Someinterestingdiscussionsaboutcurrenttradeagreementnegotiations(TTIPandTTP)butotherwisequiteuseless.Thethingwithbothofthesecourseswasthatthetopicinprincipalwasveryinterestingandwould’veprovidedsomedifferentviewpointscomparedtothecourseswehaveatAalto,butduetoterriblelecturesintheendthelearningoutcomewasquitepoor.Veryeasycourses,though,anddidn’thavemandatoryattendance.OverallIdidn’tlikestudyingatFENthatmuch.ThewholeschoolfeltmorelikeacombinationofhighschoolanduniversitythanthebestbusinessschoolinLatinAmerica.Therewasmandatoryclassattendancebydefault,theassignmentsingeneralwereveryeasyandsomeoftheexamsmeasuredpurelyhowwellweknewsomeconceptsandabbreviationsbyheart.Inaddition,manyofthecourseswereveryunorganized,evenabitchaotic.Ontheotherhand,sincetheschoolwasn’treallydemanding,therewasaplentyoftimetodootherstuffaswell.LearningthelanguageLastly,fewwordsaboutlearningthelanguage.Pleasenotice,thatFENdoesnotofferSpanishlanguagecoursesanymore,informationabouttheminolderreportsisoutdated.ThismeansthattheonlyoptiontogetSpanishteachingistobuyitfromathird-partyorganizationandfititintotheteachingcalendaroftheuniversity(quitedifficultinpractice).InformationabouttheseorganizationsisprovidedbyFENinthefirstemails.ThiscombinedtothefactthattheChileanSpanishisreallyhardtounderstandduetoveryfastwayofspeakingandtheamountofspecificphrasesandwordsmakesitinmyopinionquitehardtolearnSpanishatFEN,ifyou’relanguage

skillsarereallyweakornon-existingbeforehands.However,ifyoucanmanagesimpleconversationsormore,Chileisagreatplacetoreallyimproveyourskillssinceonly3%ofthepopulationspeaksEnglish.IfyouknowsomeSpanish,IwouldhighlyrecommendtakingatleastonecourseinSpanishinordertobeforcedtouseitonregularbasis,sinceforexamplewithexamplewithotherexchangestudentsyou’llmostlikelyspeakEnglish.Inaddition,someofthecoursestaughtinSpanishhaveallthematerialsinEnglishandtheprofessorsmayofferchancestowriteforexamplesomeofthetestsinEnglishifneeded.Ifyou’dliketohaveinformationaboutthesekindsofcoursesorhaveanydoubtsregardinglearningSpanishatFEN,I’dsuggestcontactingtheirincomingexchangecoordinatorbeforethecourseregistrationopens.

3.Free-timeandotheractivitiesLivinginSantiagoandactivitiesaroundthecityInthebeginningIhavetosaythatSantiagoinmyopinionisnotthe”easiest”citytofellinlovewith.There’ssomequitebigdownsidesduetoforexamplethesheersizeoftheareaandthepublictransportationwhichdoesn’tworkthatwell.Inaddition,sincethecityislocatedinabottomofa”bowl”formedbysurroundingmountains,thepollutionisareallybigproblemfortheinhabitants.It’snotalsothemostbeautifulcityingeneralintermsofhistoricalbuildingsorarchitecture(eventhoughtherearesomereallycoolareasandbuildings).Ontheotherhand,it’squitesafetolivein,themountainsaroundthecityarespectacular(whenyoucanseethemthroughsmog)andthere’splentyoffree-timeoptions.Asaglobalmetropoleofmorethansixmillionpeoplethere’salwaysalottodoinSantiago.GeneralactivitiesIlikedtodoweree.g.goingtorestaurantsindifferentpartsofthecity(thefoodsceneisreallydiverse),goingtofootballgames(theChileansarecrazywhenitcomestofootball),visitingvariousmuseumsandgoingtoclubs.Especiallyinthe“partyarea”Bellavistathere’salwayssomethinggoingon,nomatterthewhatthedayis.Thestudentactivities,however,arenotnearlyasbigthingasbackinFinland.There’ssomequitebigeventsorganizedbythestudentassociationand/ortheinternationalstudentassociationIsaFEN,butwetalkaboutcoupleoftimespersemestercomparetothecrazyvastvarietyofdifferentstufftodowithinKYandAYY.Ontheotherhand,wehadaround130exchangestudentsatFENduringthesemester,sothereforsurewasalwayssomethingorganizedjustbysomeofus,houseparties,trips,sportsactivitiesetc.ThehikingandotheroutdoorsportspossibilitiesoutsideSantiagoaretremendous,thankstotheAndesmountainswhichsurroundthewholecity.Variouswell-markedhikingroutesuptothemountainsareaccessibleviapublictransportorshorttaxiride.MyfavoritewastheclassicCerroManquehue(thefirstphotointhecoverpageistakenfromthetop).There’salsoplentyofmountainbikingandraftingoptions,especiallyinthenearbyCajondelMaipovalley.Andthepossibilitiesdon’tstopthere,onlyone/twohoursridefromthecitytheoptionsjustincreaseexponentially.ManylocalsaswellastravelersoftenescapethepulseofthehecticcapitaltothenearbyValparaisoharborcityandViñadelMarholidaycity.Thesebotharelocatedjust1,5-hourdrivefromSantiagoandoffercompletelydifferentkindofsceneryandatmospherethanthemetropolitanarea.In2-hourradiustheoutdoorsportspossibilitiesalsoincreasequiterapidly.In

additiontothealreadymentionedCajonDelMaipo,oneshoulddefinitelycheckoutatleastamagnificentartificiallakeEmbalseelYesoandskiduringthenorthernhemispheresummeratsomeoftheskiingcenterslocatedjustoutsideSantiago.

ValleNevadoskiingcenter,ChileTravellingaroundChileandothercountriesAssaidbefore,eventhoughthere’smandatoryclassattendancethestudiesarestillquiteflexiblewhenitcomestotravels.Chileisamagnificentcountryandespeciallythenaturearoundthereissomethingbeyondimagination.Duetoitslengthofaround4000kilometersinnorth-southaxisit’sforsureoneofthemostdiversecountriesintheworldwhenitcomestonaturalscenery.JustduringmytimethereIgottoseesnow-toppedmountains,drydeserts,sandybeaches,volcanoes,glaciers,rainforests,beautifullakessurroundedbythickleafforestsandrockycoastlines.Andallthiswithinonecountry!Thehighlightofmytravelswasforsurenearlytwo-weektriptoPatagonia(Chile/Argentina)whichofferedthemostbreathtakingplacesIhaveevervisited.Butthewondersdon’tstopthere,there’salsoplentytoseeintheneighborcountries.DuringthespringIgottovisitArgentina,Brazil,UruguayandPeru.I’mhappytoprovidemyitinerariesandothertipsifyou’reinterestedintravelingtoanyofthesecountries/places,mycontactinfoisavailablethroughinternationalstudentservices.

MachuPicchu,PeruFinalremarksPersonallymybiggestmotivationtogotoChileandLatinAmericaingeneralwastolearnmoreaboutthishugecontinentanditshistory,andtounderstandmorethedifferencesbetweenLatinAmericancountriesandcultures.Afterall,LatinAmericaisn’tverywellrepresentedinourhistoryclassesorevenintheglobalmediacomparedtomanyotherpartsoftheworld.FormethemostvaluableoutcomeoftheexchangewasbeingabletofamiliarizemyselfwithdifferentculturesofthecontinentandtorealizethattheyareasdifferentwitheachotherasEuropeannations.ThemostIforsuregottoknowChileancultureandIleftalittlepartofmyheartthere(sorryforsuper-cheesyexpression).EventhoughChileansarequitecareer-orientedcomparedtomanyotherLatinAmericans,theystillvalueforexamplefamilyandbuenaonda,thegoodvibesoflife,onaveragemorethanNorthernEuropeansandthatperspectiveespeciallyisforsuregoingtostickwithmefortherestofmylife.Overall,IcouldreallyrecommendUniversidadDeChile.Chileasanexchangedestinationoffersyouapossibilitytoliveinahugecitywherenotthatmanynormallyvisit,travelaroundsomeofthemostbeautifulplacesonthisplanet,gettoknowdifferentLatinAmericanculturesandmeetalotofwonderfulpeoplefromaroundtheworld.Ifthisfeelsintriguing,apply!I’mhappytoprovidehelpwiththedecisionoranypracticalarrangementsandassaidbefore,youcancontactmethroughinternationalstudentservices.

Toconcludethisreport,fewmorepictures:

MountFitzRoy,ElChaltén,Argentina

PeritoMorenoglacier,Argentina

Pucón,Chile

EasterIsland,Chile