The University of Belgrano

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The University of Belgrano is the university in which I studied at during the Intercambio in Buenos Aires. There a load of universities in this capital and I think that at least for me, as I was in this one, that I have the power to talk about it. I didn't really like it and I am going to talk to you about the reasons a lot in this blog and you can also see it in my exchange program experience.

Now then, the University of Belgrano is a tall tower situated in the neighbourhood that gives it its name, which is the name of one of the most important Argentinian generals in the process of independence. It is one of the most important neighbourhoods in the city. I lived there to be close to the university and I can confirm that it really is.

The university, like I was saying, is an enormous tower of twenty floors where you will find everything; the classes, offices, etc. The fact is that unlike the better known UBA, which is the public university, the University of Buenos Aires is private and so, at least from my point of view, education affected a lot of it. Since I had always been to public ones and I'm quite impressed by this kind of university because everything is very different, too different. On the other hand, many say that the UBA is too politicised, or that many times there are many stoppages to the classes because the teachers do not attend, or because there are demonstrations for lack of heating... but many people there say that this is exaggerated; the truth is that I do not know if it really is much like that but many people say it is, although those inside say it is not like that. In any case, at least it is free, unlike the Spanish one.

In terms of the university, what gave me this impression is that they wanted you to pay more; I will tell you the problems that I had when I just started with them. They were supposed to be looking for an apartment for you etc. when everything was more expensive than anywhere else. For example, if we look at the cafeteria, everything was expensive, the same as the travel agency in the basement, the library that they had and above all, the photocopies that were a true deception. Every one cost a peso, which comes to 20 cents, so if you imagine that you have to print a final piece of work for a subject or for some emergency because they have not told you if they want it in colour... also the queues that are always created by them. But, that being said, it was worse in front of the photocopier where they usually leave your photocopies because everything was disorganised and the people that worked there knew practically nothing.

In terms of the subjects advisor, there were three, who in this case were much better as I did not face any problems in the subjects selected or anything at all. Although that being said, something clear is that out of the five subjects that I selected, I had to change two and although the advisor at my university at home in Salamanca did not enjoy fame with other friends of mine that went to Italy at all etc. as they complicated them a lot, with me they always acted well, although the actual woman did show a lot of respect.

In terms of the university that I am referring to, like I have told you, everything felt very strange to me. Like, for example, a specific case that I am going to tell you about later: the card to sign. This is without a doubt the strangest thing about everything related to the University of Belgrano, that every day when going to class we had to pass a card around so they know that we had been in class, and again when we were leaving. Also, if you had any classes in the afternoons from 13h you had to sign it again, always before it was over and fourth, both in the afternoons and in the mornings, otherwise it already counted as if you had not been at that time.

This, of course, was very, very interesting to me, especially since I had never had any kind of control in the University of Salamanca, and whether you want to go or not. In addition, the total attendance had to be greater than 75% to be able to submit your exam, and it was quite important to attend the class so it seemed, but then they did not take it into account.

And the important thing is: what is the trap that can be made? Well, you can always give your card to someone to pass it on, which I used to do every time I went on a trip, which was very often. That's why you always have to have good friends in college. On the other hand, you could also go through these machines with just your student number and that was enough, so at least when you forgot you could mark it or even tell someone to mark it, especially in the mornings where the classes began at eight o'clock the sheets were always signed off.

On the other hand, you always have to be careful because every few months a man went through the list a couple of times and how you would have passed the card, and if you or someone did it and you did not find yourself in the class... you were going to have problems. The first time you do it, I think that they just give you a little talking to, which you can take advantage of but once you've had it once... it's bad if you pass the cards on if you're not going to be there because I think they can even expel you and I do not think they would be lenient because you are exchange students, so if it's the university you have to go to, you have to keep this in mind. Other universities like the Catholic one that is in Puerto Madero, which a Spanish girl told me that they also had to pass attendance and they even prayed every day, something a bit strange but of course, that's why it's Catholic.

As for my subjects, the truth is that it was not difficult for me to pass them; I study history in Salamanca, and although here in this university there was no history I did some related subjects that were more or less similar at the base, and somewhat different compared to the optional ones. On the way to take the classes, the truth is that I did not talk to too many people because most were quite stretched, children of wealthy people... in the whole semester I saw absolutely nobody other than me go in tracksuits to class, which I thought was shocking but that does not mean I didn't make some great friends.

When it comes to exams and all that kind of stuff, they have a way of doing things that I also found really strange. They only have four-monthly courses in a given subject, not annual ones; well up there everything is fine but it is that it turns out that despite being only quarterly they have some partial ones that are mandatory to pass in the middle of it. But hey, everything would make sense if they would release the subject that you had examined... but it turns out that it was not, so it is very rare because it was not worth anything because it did not mean something in the final exam, they did not even consider it a bit. But hey, it was mandatory to go and pass it. After all, some teachers freed you from a part of the subject if you had done some work that they had set throughout the year, etc., so at least if some of them were behaving, or they let you choose the type of exam that you wanted.

In one of the partial exams, which I had on a Tuesday, I went on a trip with my Spanish friends to Puerto Madryn, I had hardly looked at anything other than Monday on the way back and even so I passed, although it had a lot to do with the fact that another girl from class gave me their notes (I had no idea of anything, because I was just going over class), which was a type of test or as they said it was multiple choice or copied like a real madman. Let's say everything had to do.

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On another occasion, I did some work that I had to deliver on a Monday after travelling with some friends who came to see me from Spain, I had to do it dead of grief because they had just left just two or three hours before and I got ten, nothing more and nothing less. Although, the for the next two pieces of work I scored lower after spending a lot more time on them. Very weird.

The other subjects were somewhat easier or rather I liked them more. The history of Argentina today was very complicated because it had a million names and things that I had never heard of. Others, such as the history of the current world, I loved. The teacher was one of the best I've had in my life and I learned a lot. I liked it so much that I even have the teacher on Facebook and I can follow his movements and his things because he publishes very interesting things.

Another of them was quite friendly and behaved very well with me, although I do not think he knew much, at least he did not give that impression.

But hey, I did a pretty good job in a final exam, which was the possibility he gave us instead of doing the normal exam with a brief interview. Therefore, I was really happy because he gave me a very good grade, as in practically all the subjects because it has served me a lot to increase the average of the university in addition to the experience. So I can say that I can not ask for anything else because on the advice of my university on the way back he behaved great with me. Although the world was very borderline, surely because she is a specialist in American History and would like to see people who bet on the exchange to this type of country, even though she had to work a lot because instead of credits there was a number of hours per week and he had to keep counting and counting, but that does not matter to me either.

The fact is that I got to improve the grade in a subject and those who had given me a ten made me honorary enrolments, and that I noticed a lot this year to make the new enrolment because I was going through the roof with the rate of increase and I only need a few subjects.

Turning to the subject of final exams, the most interesting thing of all is that they are oral exams. This is something that at first made me very scared but at the same time it was a challenge for me since for me talking was not very good but it was what I had.

The first one was the worst and it made me really disappointed. It is assumed that for an oral examination there should be two teachers for this and not just one but I only had one. And that was not the worst thing of all. When the other teacher arrived, I was the second to enter and as she saw that we were doing badly, she decided to do the rest in writing, and that seemed very unfair because the questions were very easy as I was asked about the type of deputies that won the Peronist party in the elections of I do not know what year, which of course I did not know, and I doubt that any Argentine knew what they were there. Despite doing quite badly to my understanding, I did not get a bad mark and that is what my advisor came up with on the way back, so the play came out quite well, although I will always think that I could have been much better.

The others went very well, especially the current world subject about the cold war, the wars with Israel, the conflict with Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan... I loved it. Also, I had a spirit of revenge after what had happened in the previous one. The worst of these exams, which I had forgotten to say, was that you had to wait outside until you were called, and in this case, I was the last. And we had to be there from 7. 30 to introduce ourselves to the teacher and at 2 in the afternoon I went in... it was very bad because the wait was endless, you were dying of nerves, you asked the previous one who they had asked,... let's go that fatal. But this was great for me. The professor was impressed, although I already got the good grade in the partial even though it was not valid for this moment. He asked me about the wars, I was saying, I even took out an atlas to use maps at the time of the explanation. It was shot and I was really comfortable, while the previous time the man was also very close to me. But being so comfortable is like being with them having a coffee.

As for the grades, it went very well, although I told you that it is not a university that I liked, but good nonetheless. If some of you are going to Buenos Aires, Federal Capital, you already know how it is a little and functioning university, especially if you are from Salamanca, because it is the only university in Argentina with which they have an exchange, although there are many other countries.

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