BOSP Summer Quarter in Santiago, Chile

"Some of the most valuable academic experiences that I had from studying abroad in Santiago were creating close personal relations with the professors. You study in classes that can be as small as four people. Within these classes, you are able to dive into the brains of impressive faculty members on issues and subjects that they had lived through. You can always lie in your bed or go on Facebook at Stanford, but you are not always given the opportunities that being abroad presents." - Larry Reinhard, Management Science and Engineering

The Southern Hemisphere operates on an opposite academic calendar from ours, so summer quarter in Santiago means that Stanford students are in Chile while the local universities are active, enabling more interaction with local students and more integration into the life of the city.

This will be the second year that BOSP offers a full-length summer quarter in Santiago. Santiago includes a focus on sustainability and the environment and international relations, with local faculty teaching courses that would appeal to students majoring in Earth Systems, STS, International Relations, Iberian & Latin American Studies, Public Policy, Civil & Environmental Engineering and Political Science. For Summer 2015, the faculty-in-residence will be Kenneth Scheve, professor of political science. Students can also take advantage of various volunteer or internship opportunities during the program.

"I’m not BOSP’s typical study abroad student. For one, I’m majoring in Atmosphere/Energy Engineering. Many Stanford students majoring in engineering immediately dismiss the idea of studying abroad, believing there’s no room in their schedules to take a quarter of mainly humanities classes. This is terribly unfortunate, as I firmly believe studying abroad benefits all those who fully embrace it. With enough planning, it’s almost always possible to fit studying abroad within a four-year Stanford undergraduate experience." - Will Troppe, Atmosphere/Energy

Next Steps

  1. Explore the Santiago website for an overview of the program.
  2. Visit a study abroad advisor. You might want to meet with Alyssa Poey or a peer advisor to discuss Santiago in more detail.
  3. Consider enrolling in the winter Gateway course ILAC 131: Introduction to Latin America, or in any of the related courses offered on campus.
  4. Apply. Applications will open in early December. The 1st Round application deadline for summer applications is Sunday 25 January, at 11:59pm.

See Also