OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL
Study Abroad
International Students
Calendar of Events
Study Abroad Chile - La Serena, Chile
Program at a Glance
Location: La Serena and Santiago, Chile
Program Dates: July 5 – July 31, 2012
Courses Available: Intro to Chilean Language and Culture (1 hr - required), Global Perspectives in Anthropology, World Literature (Literature and Humanities), Intermediate Spanish I, Intermediate Spanish II*, Spanish Conversation/Composition*, History of Latin America, Race and Gender in Latin American Literature, and Special Topics: Latin American and Chilean Identity*
* = taught in Spanish. The other courses are all taught in English
Cost:$3,500
Course Offerings 2012
Application Form
Program Dates, Structure and Course Structure
Participants depart for La Serena from the U.S. on July 5 in the afternoon. The group arrives in Santiago on July 6, and travels by charter bus to La Serena.
Students may take a maximum of seven semester hours (a required one-hour Chilean culture course and two three-hour courses). Each course meets in class four days a week and has a day-long field experience each week when faculty members accompany students to sites related to their fields of study. One weekend involves a 2 night trip into the nearby Andes Mountains and a visit to a world class observatory.
Program Location
Located on the Pacific Coast in central Chile, La Serena is about 300 miles north of Santiago and has a population of almost 200,000 people. The city has a very attractive downtown center, distinguished by its rich neo-colonial architecture, beautiful beaches, and an environment where academic studies, arts, sports, and leisure make a perfect combination. The Andes Mountains, right outside the city contain some of the highest concentration of major astronomical observatories in the world. These features make La Serena one of the best places to visit and study in South America.
If you like skiing, Chile is the place to go in July. One special feature of the program will be an optional trip to El Colorado/ Farellones, a world class sky resort in the Andes Mountains about 25 miles from Santiago.
The University of La Serena’s main campus is perched on the cliffs overlooking the magnificent Pacific Ocean. The program will end with 3 days in the capital city of Santiago and will include city tours and visits to the major government and cultural centers.
Students will spend the last 5 days of the program in the capital city of Santiago including a day trip to Valparaiso and Viña del Mar including a visit to one of the homes of famous poet, Pablo Neruda.
Accommodations and Meals
Students are accommodated in double rooms, with shared bathroom, in beach-style apartments located near the Pacific Ocean. Some meals are included as part of the package. Continental breakfast will be served at the hotel each day, and lunch will be served at the school cafeteria from Monday-Friday. Dinner is not part of the program package, but there are a variety of restaurants in the vicinity to choose from or you may cook your own dinner in your apartment. Housing in Santiago will be in a modern hotel in the heart of the city with breakfast. Students are responsible for lunches in Santiago and on the weekends throughout the program.
Application and Admission to the Program
Any full-time or part-time student is eligible to participate in the program. Students from institutions that are not part of the University System of Georgia are admitted on a space-available basis and must enroll as transient students at a participating institution.
You can download an application form here; copies of the form are also available at your study abroad director’s office. Completed applications should be submitted to your Americas Council campus representatives, along with a required application fee of $200 and one passport-size photograph. Campus representatives will forward completed applications to the program office only when the application fee has been paid.
Because of space limitations, acceptance is on a first come, first served basis, according to the date of receipt of the application and application fee at the program office. Students are encouraged to apply well in advance of the application deadline to insure them of a place in the program. The application deadline for the 2012 program is Friday, March 2, 2012.
Students must be in good standing and have a minimum GPA of 2.0 to be admitted to the program. Completion of an application form does not guarantee acceptance into the program.
Program Costs
The package cost is $3500 for the 27 day program. This cost includes the following items:
- Airfare to and from Atlanta and Santiago, Chile
- Full accommodations in La Serena in Santiago
- Daily Breakfast and lunches M-F as noted in the section on Accommodations and Meals
- Arrival reception/dinner and group Farewell Dinner in La Serena
- Group round trip transportation by bus from Santiago to La Serena and to the airport at the end of the program
- Group transportation each day to/from apartments to the La Serena campus
- A primary health insurance policy that provides basic coverage for medical expenses
- Admission fees to museums and other required visits to historical places
- Minimal internet service provided at the apartment complex and Santiago hotel
- Some guest lectures
- Overnight excursion to the Elqui Valley including Vicuña and an observatory visit, and a day trip to Valparaiso and Viña del Mar
Students should plan to budget a minimum of $600 for extra meals, entrance fees, and evening entertainment. If students plan extended travel or major shopping, additional funds should be budgeted. Some course excursions might involve additional fees; course instructors will inform students if such fees apply.
All costs are subject to change because of unanticipated increases in airfares or other program elements or fluctuations in monetary exchange rates. The program administrator will make every effort to keep program costs as advertised and will inform prospective participants of any changes as they occur.
Financial Aid
Courses in the 2012 La Serena Study Abroad Program are part of the regular offerings of member institutions; therefore, students may apply for loans or grants for which they would normally be eligible. Students should apply for financial aid at the campus where they are registering for courses. Campus representatives will assist students in obtaining information about financial aid.
Students must meet all campus requirements in applying for financial aid.
Payment Schedule and Refunds
A $200 application fee is due at the time of application. The application fee is applied towards the total program cost of $3500. Other payment deadlines are as follows:
March 9, 2012: First payment of $1,650 to cover air fare, and facility deposits in Chile.
April 20, 2012: Final payment of $1,650
Students' application fees and other payments are applied towards required advances, purchase of airline tickets, and other costs related to the program. Note that the $200 application fee is non-refundable as it covers processing and reservation fees. Participants who withdraw from the program after the application deadline will receive a refund according to the following schedule:
Withdrawal between March 9 and April 11: All but $400 will be refunded.
Withdrawal between April 11 and April 25: All but $1000 will be refunded.
Withdrawal between April 26 and May 15: All but $1,800 will be refunded.
Withdrawal after May 16: No money will be refunded.
All withdrawals must be made in writing to the program administrators.
Registration
In most cases, institutions in the University System of Georgia identify courses and course numbers of their own that are comparable to the courses being offered by faculty members from other institutions. This enables many students to register for courses at their home institutions. Students from institutions that do not permit registration for certain courses should contact the La Serena Program Administrator for assistance. For students at institutions actively involved in the Americas Council, the first step in registration is meeting with the campus representative.
Students may earn from three to seven semester hours of credit in standard courses offering three hours of credit each. Students may take one or two of these courses. Students who need to maintain full-time status for financial aid eligibility may enroll prior to departure for La Serena in May or early summer sessions at their home campuses.
Note that the program package cost does NOT include tuition fees. Tuition is paid directly to the college or university where you are registering.
Health Matters and Insurance
Participants will be using the Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) which is a world Class Coverage Plan designed for the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Study Abroad Programs. The policy does not have deductible.You can learn more about the Cultural Insurance Services International by visiting their website.
Students with special medical problems may be required to provide a physician's assurance of their ability to undertake foreign travel and study. It is not possible for the America's Council to guarantee accessible facilities abroad for students with special needs.
Participants should bring medications they regularly depend upon and should have copies of prescriptions in generic form in case they need to acquire additional medications.
No special immunizations are needed to enter Chile, and the International Immunization Certificate is not required.
Passports and Visas
Everyone who travels to Chile must have a valid passport. Participants who have expired passports should have them renewed. Participants who have never had a passport should begin the process of obtaining one immediately; it sometimes takes six to eight weeks to get a passport. Inquire at your local post office for directions on obtaining a passport.
Holders of U.S. passports do not need visas to enter Chile for summer study. Participants traveling on passports of other countries should contact their campus representative for assistance in determining whether they need a visa.
For everything you may need to know about getting a passport click on the link below:
State Department - Passport Services and Information
Course Descriptions
Students must take at least three semester hours of academic work, and many enroll for six hours of credit. All courses are three-hour courses.
Half the courses are taught in the morning and half in the afternoon.
Note that all courses are designated as lower division (LD) or upper division (UD) courses. LD courses are normally 1000 or 2000 level courses; UD courses are 3000 or 4000 level courses. (Upper division courses may be taken for graduate credit through special arrangement with the faculty members teaching the courses.) The exact numbers assigned to courses will differ slightly from institution to institution. Check at the college or university where you plan to register to find out what course numbers will be assigned to the courses you want to take. If you would like to find out more about any of the courses being offered, you can contact the faculty members teaching all the courses via e-mail.
All courses are dependent upon sufficient enrollment; courses with inadequate enrollment will be canceled. Students will be kept informed of courses at risk of cancellation.
Contact
If you do not have a campus contact or are unable to obtain information that you need, please write or call the program administrator.
Dr. Jim Anderson
Office of International Education
Armstrong Atlantic University
11935 Abercorn St.
Savannah, GA 31419
PH 912.344.3224
FX 912.344.3456
Email james.anderson@armstrong.edu
