Studying abroad in Argentina

Foreign sentiments: an American’s reception abroad

One of my many concerns when I decided to study abroad was the possibility of encountering anti-U.S. sentiment or presumptions when revealing my nationality to people in my host country. Now, Argentina is not like Iran or Venezuela, for example, which I mean to say that there are not severe tensions between the governments of the two countries. Nevertheless, the prevalence of U.S. policies in the world still engenders a wide range of opinions with respect to our country.

Originally during my study abroad experience I would only hear occasional references in class, on the news, or possible a faint discussion or mention of the United States in passing on the street. Yet, in classes, I was still taken aback by the sort of shameless remarks made. It seems the phrase “U.S. hegemony” in Argentina is accepted as factual as “the Earth revolves around the sun.” When entering into a debate during class, the validity of U.S. so-called imperial interests is not contested, not questioned, not uncertain; it is a fact built upon to lead into other discussions.

Now, I am fully aware that the U.S. has for years been known to meddle in the affairs of other countries, but I always underestimated the extent to which people look at our country in that way. However, despite the obvious negative connotation of this statement, it is sometimes said in a not-too-malevolent way, by professors who don’t necessarily have some sort of internal hatred for the U.S.

Next, I began to experience new levels of counter-U.S. skepticism. This began to arise as I got a job and began to get to know my co-workers on a more personal level, made close friends, and participated more fully in deeper class discussions. It seems an almost universal opinion (which, for not having heard about prior to my study abroad experience, perhaps makes me a badly informed person) that the real reason the U.S. went to the Middle East after the September 11 attacks was specifically in order to bargain with oil-rich countries and gain a profit in the end – to the extent that the idea of ‘pursuing Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden’ is a total farce.

I have even heard Argentines go as far as advancing that there is scientific evidence that the World Trade Center towers could not possibly have fallen down entirely due to airplanes smashing into them, and that their structural integrity was such that additional and intentional weakening of the infrastructure by a state-sponsored collaborator would be necessary. All these claims go along with the notion that Americans do not pay much attention to the interests of other nations, that we are selfish and don’t value other countries and cultures, and so on.

Needless to say, some of these convictions have been upsetting to me, and defending my country sometimes was a losing battle to these people who are already so rooted in their beliefs, demanding evidence and statistics to debunk these (somewhat outlandish, if you ask me) theories. Nevertheless, in general I have been received well in Argentina, let alone be attacked or harassed for my national origin. In fact, I’ve made it my mission in this country to convince the populace that at least the American people are halfway decent.

Becoming A Global University: Why is NYU Sending Students Abroad At Double The Price?

I won’t forget the moment I was telling an Argentine friend about my strange little Americans-only university in the middle of Buenos Aires. She asked me how much I paid for a semester. After a quick translation of dollars into pesos, I told her and she laughed and said I must have done the math wrong, there’s no way it could be that much.

I imagine that’s a common experience at NYU sites abroad. It’s hard to believe we’re paying many times more than locals pay to take classes with the same professors they have at their renowned, much cheaper schools.

It’s because of a policy called “home school tuition,” where you pay just what you would in New York. It’s a common practice among Universities that offer study abroad. It’s also totally unjustified – the cost of running an abroad site is far lower – less than 50% – than what we pay.

According to Jaci Czarnecki, Associate Director of Study Abroad’s Student Services, NYU takes 55% of your study abroad tuition and keeps it in New York (in your school, e.g., CAS). The other 45% goes to the Office of Global Programs. Of that 45%, only some portion actually goes abroad to pay for the program’s budget.

Czarnecki noted she wasn’t certain about the numbers, but repeated requests for confirmation and comment from higher level administrators went unanswered.

Although it’s not surprising that not all of the tuition goes towards the abroad site’s budget, the cost is shockingly out of sync with the price. Karin Fischer, a staff writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education, told me that the practice is common, but that she’s not aware of a school releasing their hard numbers like this.

Fischer wrote (paywalled) in 2008, “…A survey on program management conducted [in fall 2007] by the Forum on Education Abroad found that 47 percent of institutions require their students to pay home-school tuition.”

But she noted that Duke decided against the policy because officials agreed that “it was unfair to charge students a premium to transfer academic credits from overseas institutions when the university did not make students pay for other outside credits, such as those earned in high-school Advanced Placement courses.”

Amen. The biggest argument in favor of the “home school tuition” is that it allows schools to give more financial aid to needy students. That’s legitimate. But there’s no way NYU can justify charging us well over twice the actual cost of the site, even in light of the desire to give more aid.

In fact, if they cut the price, demand would go up for their study abroad sites, reducing overcrowding in dorms in New York and slowing down the need for the coming East Village takeover. Students would get a price break and NYU would get more space. Win-win.

Whatdya say, JSex?

___________________________________________
SOURCES:

“Foreign sentiments: an American’s reception abroad”
Zac Wilkins
Issue date: 3/26/10
Section: Opinion
http://www.cwruobserver.com
http://media.www.cwruobserver.com/media/storage/paper1370/news/2010/03/26/Opinion/Foreign.Sentiments.An.Americans.Reception.Abroad-3895258.shtml

“Becoming A Global University: Why is NYU Sending Students Abroad At Double The Price?”
On Campus
by Charlie Eisenhood
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
NYULOCAL
http://nyulocal.com
http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2010/04/13/becoming-a-global-university-doubling-the-price