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Students experience amazing geoglyph patterns in Northern Chile’s Atacama Desert.

Video Testimonials

Watch: Amanda Barker talks about her semester in Santiago, Chile.

Please note: The Chile: Santiago Enclave will be discontinued after the Spring 2008 semester. AU Abroad will now run the popular Chile: Andes to Rainforests Enclave in the SPRING semester. The Fall program in Chile will be changed to an exciting new program that studies the effects of global climate change from a Chilean perspective. Information on this new program will be available on the AU Abroad website shortly!

Since its return to democracy in 1990, Chile has achieved a level of development and forged international economic and political relationships that are unprecedented in the region. Through classes, internships and academic field trips, consider the challenges that face the country as it plans its future development strategy to become a key international leader and major business center in the Southern Cone.

The Santiago enclave program is based at the Universidad Diego Portales, the oldest private university in Chile and commonly regarded as one of the top private universities in the country. UDP has close relationships with local companies, and with the community and society at large. It is especially renowned for its Communications, Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising, Psychology and Law programs. The campus is located in the historic Barrio Brazil neighborhood, and is home to eight faculties (ie departments) and 9,000 students. Santiago enclave program classes are held on UDP's campus, and eligible program students may enroll in a regular UDP class of their choosing. Santiago enclave students may also participate in all regular UDP clubs, sports and campus activities.

During classes, students will hear from political, business and community leaders representing a wide range of views about Chile's globalization process under former President Ricardo Lagos and current President, Michelle Bachelet. Special attention is given to how modernization in this country is affecting the social mores and attitudes of the Chilean people, and how it is changing the roles of the church, family, and social institutions.

Internships are an integral part of the Santiago enclave program. The two days per week spent at the internship provide students a unique opportunity to acquire real world work experience in their chosen field/ and interact with Chileans outside the academic context, while at the same time fulfilling academic requirements through the completion of projects and papers.

Students live in Chile's capital, Santiago, a city of five million which is bordered by the spectacular snow-capped Andes Mountains to the east and the nearby Pacific Ocean to the west. Beginning with a language and cultural orientation program, Santiago program participants spend their first few days becoming acquainted with the host culture and reviewing their Spanish language skills.