Zilin Cui ’11, an economics and Spanish double major and originally from China, is currently studying abroad in Chile. She shared with the Mount Holyoke News some of her insights about the education system there:

Q: How would you describe the education system in Chile?

A: As Chile is the most neoliberal system of the world, a lot of sectors, including education, are privatized. Public education exists but isn’t of the same quality as private education. A lot of young people I talk to think this is a serious problem because, instead of promoting more opportunities and social mobility, education ends up perpetuating the socio-economic class that one comes from in a vicious cycle.

The universities here abound but the best two are Universidad de Chile (la Chile) and Pontificia universidad Católica de Chile (la Católica). I am an exchange student at both with CIEE and have very different experiences at each of them. La Chile is public and receives government subsidies, while la Católica is private and closely connected to the Catholic church. Both are linked to Chilean history and contemporary politics. Universidad de Chile produced 16 presidents and two Nobel prize winners (Neruda and Mistral), and Universidad Católica’s economics department produced the most radical neoliberal economics reform in Chile. There is a rivalry between the two universities but to a lesser extent now. La Chile is a like a big state university in the States, while La Católica has a liberal arts atmosphere to it and a more close-knit community. La Chile is also the more politically active one, with frequent protests and strikes.

Q: How is it different from what you have experienced in the States?

A: The economics departments of La Chile and La Catolica alone have as many students as Mount Holyoke. It was overwhelming at first. My classes at la Catolica are mostly lectures and students don’t really participate (but this may have more to do with my classes themselves than any general style). My microenterprise clinic class at La Chile is very hands-on; we work with microentrepreneurs of Santiago for the fieldwork component and I participate in the microenterprise program supporting microentrepreneurs of earthquake-affected communities in Region VI.

Here the classes are intense, not like the majority of study abroad myths about less demanding academics. But this probably has more to do with what I study. La Chile and la Católica has one of the top economics programs of all of Latin America and it takes five years to complete an economics major. The students are well-prepared and CIEE was right in warning me that classes here are of post-grad level in the States and I should expect lots of challenges.

Q: How do your classes contribute to your personal and academic goals?

A: My classes in Chilean poetry and folklore not only help me explore a culture that has always fascinated me, but also enable me to see another facet of the same humanity that we are all part of. Learning the myths and legends of Chile, I can’t help but notice many of the common themes that run through many cultures. As for my economics classes, I am benefiting a lot from contemplating the subject from a philosophical perspective and a hands-on one, very different from the numbers and model mode familiar to Mount Holyoke. I am increasingly seeing economics as a human science and my hands-on experiences are helping me reflect on the ways to integrate what I learn into my communities.

Q: What is your most/least favorite part about the Chilean education?

A: Most favorite: the extracurricular activities, in which I can integrate what I learn in class. I am helping coach microentrepreneurs with other economics students of la Catolica. I love learning hands on! I also really appreciate the opportunity of studying at the two best universities in the country: only top Chilean students study here.

Least favorite: the spontaneity and less digitized registration system. Registering for classes at la Catolica meant going to every department to get a physical stamp from the secretary and my departments are at different campuses across the city! It took me two weeks to get everything fixed. The spontaneity and last minute changes prevent me from planning ahead and it can be frustrating at times. For example, I arrived at la Catolica and was told that economics classes are all postponed a week because of an earthquake, and the class I was dying to take—Economic Development in Latin America was cancelled last minute because my professor Felipe Larrain got named Finance Minister of the country. But overall it is an amazing experience and I am having the time of my life!

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