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Anyone have any first-hand experience? I'm a current Spanish undergrad in the Midwest and will graduate in May. I'm contemplating pursing an MA in Spanish/Lit. I've studied abroad in Spain, however feel PR to be more of an advantage in regards to obtaining employment, if desired, in the states.
Puerto Rico was most appealing primarily due its low tuition cost (does this in turn reflect quality/technical resources?) and my want of immersion... in addition to praises.
I've read through every thread in this U.S. Territories forum. From what I've gathered, I should mainly be looking into private universities.
I've also taken in the harsh reality of most of the posts. I've lived in N.Africa for a short, short time as well... poverty I've experienced; crime no. I'm having trouble putting this into perspective.
For the parents on the board, would you let your 22/23 year olds study abroad for a year+ in Puerto Rico, with no guardian/parental connections?
Perhaps I should be inquiring of a private university in a more rural area of Puerto Rico? or I'll assume that doesn't exist...
No first-hand experience because I came to the mainland for college, but I wanted to share that the University of Puerto Rico (public university) is very reputable so don't assume your only option are private universities. Since you are going for a graduate degree, you may not have too many choices in terms of campuses offering it, but I know it will be available in Rio Piedras.
I had a few female friends who went to work in Puerto Rico teaching English right after college and they all enjoyed the experience. You just have to take the precautions any young woman would take in a big city in terms of where to live and where to socialize. GL!
Just a thought... you might want to find out which campuses of Univ. of PR offer the coursework you need. Then post them here in order to get more specific feedback on them or at least on the area they're in. For example, I know there is a campus in Utuado which is a town of ~35K in the mountains about half way between Arecibo and Ponce. With the recent highway improvements/additions, it is only about 30 min. from Arecibo and 45 min. from Ponce in case you need to get to a big city. It is my understanding that Utuado has one of (I've unofficially heard "the") lowest crime rate on the island. Somewhere like that could help alleviate your safety concerns if that campus offered your coursework. So, post on here which campuses would satisfy your degree requirements and I'm sure you can get some more specific helpful feedback.
Good luck. And if you decide to go, please post back periodically with your experiences.
Just a thought... you might want to find out which campuses of Univ. of PR offer the coursework you need. Then post them here in order to get more specific feedback on them or at least on the area they're in. For example, I know there is a campus in Utuado which is a town of ~35K in the mountains about half way between Arecibo and Ponce. With the recent highway improvements/additions, it is only about 30 min. from Arecibo and 45 min. from Ponce in case you need to get to a big city. It is my understanding that Utuado has one of (I've unofficially heard "the") lowest crime rate on the island. Somewhere like that could help alleviate your safety concerns if that campus offered your coursework. So, post on here which campuses would satisfy your degree requirements and I'm sure you can get some more specific helpful feedback.
Good luck. And if you decide to go, please post back periodically with your experiences.
You're a genius, spell. The closest I could find to a MA in Spanish was... healthcare certification. All I've found thus far catered to medical sciences. I'm not finished yet...
No first-hand experience because I came to the mainland for college, but I wanted to share that the University of Puerto Rico (public university) is very reputable so don't assume your only option are private universities. Since you are going for a graduate degree, you may not have too many choices in terms of campuses offering it, but I know it will be available in Rio Piedras.
I had a few female friends who went to work in Puerto Rico teaching English right after college and they all enjoyed the experience. You just have to take the precautions any young woman would take in a big city in terms of where to live and where to socialize. GL!
Unfortunatly, I didn't find anything of revelance in Rio Piedras. Perhaps I was at the wrong site? Can you provide a link?
Also, I'd love to hear of their experiences, can you elaborate a bit? Did they obtain degrees in both English and Spanish, or just Spanish? Did either of them decide to live in PR, or was it just a temporary decision? Did they teach in a language school or university setting? Were they provided with enough compensation to live comfortably?Better yet, do they post here?
Last edited by Vera.; 02-03-2008 at 06:09 PM..
Reason: expanded questions
Well, Vera seems you do your home work right, but my advise would be to search which university fits your needs best. For example if you are looking for low cost try the UPR, if you are looking for quality any other of the ones you have listed are ok and are accredited except for the ones you mentioned that try to mix the religion with the eduction. Be aware of those colleges and technical institutes check for accreditation first. If you need any other info feel free to post or pm I actually live here and can give you more details of housing cost of living better neighborhoods and so forth. take care and good luck!!
Unfortunatly, I didn't find anything of revelance in Rio Piedras. Perhaps I was at the wrong site? Can you provide a link?
Here is a link that will help: http://estudiantes.upr.edu/cartascir...nual-OFREC.pdf
You want to look for "Maestria en Estudios Hispanicos" if you are interested in a graduate degree in Spanish literature (they offer varies degrees, including Spanish lit). If you want a graduate degree in Spanish linguistics, you will have to look under "Linguisticas."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vera.
Also, I'd love to hear of their experiences, can you elaborate a bit? Did they obtain degrees in both English and Spanish, or just Spanish? Did either of them decide to live in PR, or was it just a temporary decision? Did they teach in a language school or university setting? Were they provided with enough compensation to live comfortably?Better yet, do they post here?
My two friends that went to work there obtained undergraduate degrees in Education (one had a double major in Spanish and the other one a minor in Spanish). This was a long time ago, but they got their jobs there right after college teaching English in private schools. It was a good opportunity for immersing themselves in a Spanish-speaking country. They stayed there about a year or two.
Is the language of instruction in Puerto Rican universities English or Spanish?
There are plenty of English-only programs, many textbooks are in English...and due to the back and forth returnee community, the law states that professors must grade exams whether they´re written in Spanish OR English. PR has to deal with its countrymen coming back from the Mainland with little to no Spanish, and they´re attended to by the educational system in a similar fashion that immigrants in the US are.
When I started my Master´s at Inter-San Germán I knew almost no Spanish (though I forced myself to learn a ton along the way) and it was almost never a problem.
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All I've found thus far catered to medical sciences. I'm not finished yet... 
education
