Universidad de Chile

2016-2017

preparation
exchange/placement application process
After choosing an exchange destination, you need to fulfil the application process of the UU, after that comes the
application of the host university. In my case, the things I had to hand in weren’t very clear, but I had to hand in a
nomination letter from the UU, a transcript of my notes, a Spanish motivation letter, a copy of my passport,
health insurance and a digital picture, besides that I needed a certificate of a certain level of Spanish.
counselling/support at home university
Because the exchange with the law faculty of Universidad de Chile isn’t very popular I had to figure out a lot by
myself. Nevertheless, the international office Universidad de Chile was very helpful!!
academic preparation
Only the Spanish preparation and some basic law courses.
language preparation
A certain language test is not required but you need a B1/B2 level of Spanish, also the application process and
courses will all be in Spanish.
I already knew some Spanish before I started the application process, but the courses Spa-Taalvaardigheid 1
and 2 are a really helpful addition to your preparation. Nevertheless, Chilean-Spanish is concerned to be one of
the most difficult types of Spanish and in the first few weeks you can really get the feeling that you don’t know
any Spanish at all, so just try to speak as much as possible, even if people are (or trying to) talking English. After
a while you will even use Chilean words like palta, bacán and cachai :)!!
finances
Chile and especially Santiago are expensive!! Also the student visa (you can also go without one but with the
visa you have a lot of advantages like discounts at national parks, a tne (a kind of OV-kaart) etc.) is very
expensive (arount 400eu!!!!). Prices in the supermarket are ind of the same as in Europe, but on the market,
fruit and vegetables are cheaper. Housing and rent also cost about the same as in Utrecht.
study/placement abroad period
study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
I followed 5 courses all with a complete different content. I had to choose around 5 courses, how many ECTS I
will receive for them is not clear yet. Notes are given between 1-7 (4 is passed). All the classes are lectures and
you can’t really “practice” the theory but have to read texts.
academic quality of education/placement activities
The quality of the courses really depends on the course and the teacher (if you get the chance, ask for a
“buddy” they can really help you by choosing your courses and the teachers!!). Universidad de Chile and
Facultad de Derecho are considered to be one of the best universities in Chile and Latin America. But to be
honest, the quality is very different than our Dutch system, also considered the fact that you only have lectures.
For me the real challenge was understanding everything in Spanish.
counselling/support at host institution/organisation
They were so helpful!!! The international office of the faculty responds very discrete to your questions and
they organise a lot of events (for example: I had the chance to go to a prison, the presidential residency and the
supreme court). You can ask them everything by mail and they will offer you your student card and tne for
example.
transfer of credits
I just finished my exams (end of July) so my transcript still needs to be transferred. But, the whole process really
can take a while, so start early: the “examencommissie” needs a transcript of your courses and the Chilean
university only provides these in Spanish, so you have to translate them.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
Two months before my exchange I was appointed a “buddy”, she really helped me by choosing my courses,
accommodation and provided info about the university. Also, its very nice to already know someone in
Santiago. The first week, the faculty, but also the pme (the exchange committee for all university) organised
some welcome activities that were really nice to get to know the faculty, other (exchange) students and the
city.

accommodation
It was quite easy to find accommodation via the site www.compartodepto.com. Most of the Chilean students
still live with their parents, so a lot of (student) houses are filled with other Exchange Students and are one of
the best ways to meet new people (and after a while you talk with each other in a mix of all the languages
haha). I would recommend to start your search when you are already in Santiago: Universidad de Chile has
faculties all over the city so you will know which part of the city would be best to live in if you are already in
town. I lived only a 5minutes walk from my Faculty, in Barrio Bellavista/Providencia, which was a really nice
neigbourhood with a lot of bars and restaurants. O and be prepared that most Chilean houses don’t have a
heating system so during their winter it can get really cold.
leisure/culture
Waaah I can write a lot about this!!! Chile is a very diverse country and Santiago is very safe and can seem really
modern, there is everything you will need! Yet it is still very South American: don’t do anything in a rush. For
the visa-procedure for example, you have to wait in line whooole day and there is no logic to it at all. Yet,
universities (though getting late is really normal for both students and teachers), the metro and for example
restaurants are really well functioning. People are really polite (another culture thing: they always kiss someone
on the cheek even if you don’t know them, which can feel a bit awkward in the beginning hahaha), yet a bit to
them selves: in class it is not that easy to “mix” with Chilean students for example. O and Chile is really
obsessed with sushi, pisco (grape liquor) and palta (avocado) and waiting in line seems like it’s their hobby….
Another really chilean thing: paro (striking). I had like 10 strikes during the semester and the whole faculty will
be closed, but it is really the way to criticise the system in Chile. Yet, try not to get involved in one: there usually
will be teargas and/or police involvement.
Furthermore, Chilean culture isn’t only Santiago: try to see as much as possible of whole Chile (it’s sooo big!!)
and enjoy the culture, it’s amazing!
suggestions/tips
Concerining transportation in Santiago: the Metro is the most common way to travel, yet the tne-tarjeta (the
ov-kaart thing) takes really long before you have it (I got it 2 days before the official last day of class…….). After
the Metro, uber is really the safest/cheapest way to get around town!!
Concerning travelling: go for it! Chile (and South America) are sooo diverse and exploring it by bus is a really
nice way to see every part of the country. I’ve even been to Easter Island and also Bolivia, Argentina and Peru
are very popular to travel to from Chile.
And, talk as much Spanish as you can, and don’t feel disappointed if you make mistakes or don’t immediately
see improvement. (Btw in a lot of student houses they speak english and it’s funny to notice that after a while
you speak more “spanglish”….).

conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Definitely: YES!!! The fact that every course is taught I Spanish, that Santiago, Chile and South America are
incredible places to explore and that you are really on the other side of the world makes it a unique place to
study and live.
do you have any additional advice or comments?
First of all, don’t doubt about going: it’s a chance in a lifetime and absolutely worth it. You can ask for my
contact at the International Office, I would love to give more recommendations if you want.
 Universidad de Chile

2013-2014

preparation
exchange/placement application process
You have to write a motivation letter (also in Spanish to show that you have a certain level of the language).
Furthermore, you have to follow the normal procedure of the application process which you can find at the UU
webpage.
counselling/support at home university
They are very helpful. However, in my case I almost figured out everything by myself, because I was the first
student which went to Chile for an exchange.
academic preparation
You only have to fulfil the requirements of the UU (to pass some basic courses/kernvakken)
language preparation
You need a certain level of Spanish, but a language test is not required. For example, the application process
and the courses you will follow are Spanish, although you can also choose a few English courses. You don’t have
to speak it on an academic level, at least I wasn’t able to do that but I learned a lot by doing it.
Finances
A retour- ticket is around 1000 / 1100 euro.
A student VISA is 600 euro. (which is really expensive in comparison with other countries!)
Rent for a depto / house is around 250 euro.
Costs for daily needs are quite the same as in the Netherlands. Fruits and vegetables are way cheaper in
summer! The metro and micro are quite expensive, around 1 euro for one way (doesn’t matter how far).
Chile is not like a lot of other Southern American countries as Peru / Bolivia which are way cheaper!

study/placement abroad period

study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)
I followed 4 courses, which is very common for exchange students. In the beginning of the semester you have
to hand in a form with your courses, but you can change them after two weeks off ‘trying’.
For some courses you get 6 credits, for others 4, the system is not the same as ECTS and I don’t know yet how
many ECTS I will receive for it. A course includes 2 or 3 classes a week, every class lasts 1 hour and 10 minutes.
The classes are lectures in groups of 30-40 students. The only thing you have to do at home is reading the texts,
there aren’t real exercises. Every course includes two pruebas and 1 final exam. A prueba is or a written test or
a paper.
academic quality of education/placement activities
Universidad de Chile is one of the 4 best universities in South America and thereby the best Law School of Chile.
The quality of the education depends on the course and the teacher. For example, Criminology, one course
which I followed, was a really good course, which I can recommend.
In contrast to this, there are also courses which have really easy pruebas, you can’t even imagine that they can
ask you things that literally from the book.

counselling/support at host institution/organisation

Well, here I can write pages about..
It’s South America, and everything takes a lot of time! We received our student cards (which is not really
necessary to have but very useful to enter the library without telling your story again) 2 weeks before the
ending of the semester! Thereby, some students were not registrated for a course which they were following.
Something went wrong with changing the courses, but they never told us.. You have to be relaxed because
nothing will happen directly!
transfer of credits
At this moment it is not yet known.
student life
welcome/orientation programme
An assistant of the university will organize a welcome drink, which took place after two months. So, it is up to
you to find your fellow exchange students.
Accommodation
The University does not offer you anything, so you have to find a place by yourself. You can find everything at:
www.compartodepto.cl . If you create a profile, you will even receive messages from landlords, which makes it
even easier! You can better go a week (or a few weeks) earlier to Santiago to visit some houses, because not
everything looks like the pictures (that is what I experienced). Thereby, in winter it can be quite cold (as in the
Netherlands) and most houses don’t have central heating, however they do have common areas without roof,
which is not the best combination. And keep an eye on the neighbourhoods, because not every neighbourhood
is really safe in the evening/night.
leisure/culture
Two words: Tranquilo (which means calm) and Manana (which means tomorrow). If you leave your typical
Dutch characteristics at home, you will fit in perfectly! Chile is quite modern is comparison with the other South
American countries. A funny cultural habit is to kiss everyone on the cheek when you see them the first time of
the day (even your roommates / landlord and the most random people!)
suggestions/tips
If you want to know more about Chile, do not hesitate to send me a message! I would love to tell more!
acmtonis@live.nl

conclusions
would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain
Yes! It is amazing to be a student in Chile, the country is so rich of nature and history! And there is a lot to do in
Santiago, you will never be bored!
do you have any additional advice or comments?
Just GO!! You probably have this change once in a lifetime!