Study Spanish in Argentina

About the School

In 1898 Colegio Adventista del Plata was opening its eyes to a lifetime of excellence and service. Guided by Divine Providence, Adventist pioneers worked hard to establish a small school to provide Christian education and spread the gospel to this vast continent. Over time, the college became a university and today it is a conservative school where many students from all over the world come to enjoy a unique experience.

UAP seeks to meet the need of every student in spiritual, academic, physical and social aspects. The institution’s motto is “Gateway to Excellence and Service.” The university includes primary, secondary and university students with a total of 2800 students, 800 of which are living in the residence halls. This is a very cosmopolitan campus seeing as how there are students from 40 different countries around the world.

Campus Life

Life at UAP is very spiritual and quite conservative. Students may find things different from their colleges and universities in North America, but will come to enjoy experiencing this new culture if they bring with them an open mind and an understanding of cultural differences. Students are required to attend daily worships and may find the dress code somewhat more conservative than they are used to. They may only wear shorts to classes during the summer months and even then, the shorts must be knee-length, Bermuda shorts style. No jewelry or piercing of any kind may be worn on campus and men are asked not to wear their hair long.

Sports activities are an important part of everyday life at UAP. Not only are there facilities for tennis, volleyball, basketball and soccer but also an aerobics center. Gymnasts will find all kinds of gymnastic equipment available and those who like running or simply walking will have a vast green field and a pine-bordered field full of fresh air for exercising. Throughout the year there are many athletic and sporting events. UAP also has a swimming pool.

Social and cultural activities operate all year long, and active students can organize and enthusiastically participate in them. During the year, students are invited to spend time together with their professors outside the classroom environment. Opportunities such as these allow students, professors, and their families to come together on a more personal and cultural level, providing an inside look into the family life of Argentina.

Local Climate

Universidad Adventista del Plata (UAP) is located in the province of Entre Ríos, 450 kilometers from the city of Buenos Aires. Gentle hills covered patch-like with green, golden and dark fields accompanied by winding rivers welcome the newcomer to the UAP campus. As if wanting to break the monotony, the town of Libertador San Martín and the campus is highly forested with all kinds of trees.

Both the seasons and academic calendar are opposite in Argentina from North America. For example, while it may be winter in North America, students in Argentina are traditionally enjoying their summer vacation. ACA students attend UAP during the spring (September to December), summer (January to March) and autumn (April to June). The weather is generally mild, but summer can be very hot and humid (82-97°F) with some days reaching as high as 104°F. Classrooms are air-conditioned and dorm rooms have fans. Fall brings the most beautiful days of the year and some chilly nights (50°F). It is strongly recommended that students bring a heavy coat and some winter wear as both spring and fall can have chilly days and quite cold nights.

Location/Directions

School officials will be waiting to meet the students at the Buenos Aires Ezeize airport as they arrive. All students must plan to between 7:30am and 12 o’clock noon. At the end of the year, flights should be after 5pm in the evening.

Students should inform the program director of their arrival time as early as possible by  e-mailing their notice of arrival which should include their arrival time, airline and flight number; or you can go on ACA web page, click on Preparing to Travel, Arrival Form, complete the info and submit your arrival information directly to the ACA program director. If for any personal or circumstantial reason a student arrives before or after the arrival date, they will be responsible for reaching the university on their own.

Cultural Tours

Argentina offers four wonderful four wonderful ACA cultural tours which are included in the tuition:

1. Buenos Aires:  capital city of Argentina (310 miles by bus)
2. Iguazu Falls:  north of Argentina (932 miles by bus)
3. Peru:  visit to Lima, Cuzco and Machu Picchu (2700 miles by plane)
4. Patagonia: southern end of Argentina (1,029 miles by bus)

Students will receive a gift of USD 100 each quarter (total of USD 300 a year) for their personal travel expenses around Argentina and neighboring countries.

Packing for UAP

Libertador San Martín is quite self-sufficient. A wide variety of goods and products can be bought in the university’s supermarket and other stores in town. The town has almost everything students might need. ACA students from previous years have made the following recommendation: “Because it is often so difficult to pack absolutely everything one would like to have, bring only bare necessities for the beginning of the year and later you will be able to buy other things that you need in Argentina.” This is better than paying the extra charge for oversized or overweight luggage and having to deal with suitcases that are too large and heavy.

Academic Program

Spanish courses are divided into three levels: Intermediate, Advanced I and Advanced II. Each level has the following series of required courses: grammar, composition, conversation and religion. Without additional costs one can take up to 18 credits (the minimum is 12 credits to be full time) of classes. This may be accomplished by taking, in addition to the required courses of each level, such electives as Latin American Civilization (History, Folklore, Geography). Literature and Translation is also offered for students in Advanced I and II. Following this, there is a broad variety of elective courses that students will be able to take during the third quarter (March-May). These courses are part of the regular class schedule of the university and students need to be fluent in Spanish in order to take any of them. Permission must be obtained before enrolling in them and will be granted to those with advanced language skills.

Universidad Adventista del Plata (UAP) is able to give a ‘Diploma de Castellano como Lengua Extranjera’ (Diploma of Spanish as a second language) certifying linguistic competence in language and culture. This certificate is important when applying for a job which requires language skills.

At the end of the academic year, students will have to take an examination to demonstrate that they have the knowledge required for each level. These exams have a written and an oral section.

• Intermediate Level: Certifies that students are able to express themselves in daily life situations, and that they can conduct a simple conversation and understand native speakers when expressing themselves orally or in written form.
• Advanced I Level: Certifies that students are able to communicate in-depth and express themselves more completely as well as understand authentic text and write an essay.
• Advanced II Level: Certifies that students are able to communicate fluently and be aware of the syntax of the language.

Internships

SPAN 397: INTERNSHIP- 1qh= 7.5 hours per week (75 hours total per quarter)

• Health
• Business
• Nutrition
• Multi-media
• Translation/Interpretation
• ESL Teaching
• Music

Certificates & Diplomas

Together with the State Universities of Buenos Aires-Cordoba – UBA and UNC- the UNL (Universidad Nacional del Litoral) is the headquarters of the CELU (Certificado de Español: Lengua y Uso) delivered by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Argentina. The CELU evaluates the student’s linguistic level in its written and oral form in daily, family and socio-academic situations. There are two language levels: Intermediate and Advanced.

ACA students who are interested in acquiring a diploma in Spanish totally accredited and recognized all over the world, will be prepared at the UAP for these examinations free of any extra charge.

All students must participate in the outings designed as ACA cultural tours. These tours are an integral part of the instructional program. Record will be taken and specific assignments given. Students’ completion of these assignments and positive participation on these tours will affect their overall grades in the courses with which they are connected.

About the Academic Year Program

Visa Information

Cultural Trips & Tours