Argentine University System

I thought that since I am a college student here in Buenos Aires it might be interesting to write a quick post about the differences in the University system here in Argentina. There aren't a whole lot of differences but there are definitely enough to make it interesting.

First, the public universities here are really the ones that are the best. Specifically, University of Buenos Aires. All of the public universities in Argentina are government funded and take the best students from the secondary education system here in Argentina. So basically if you say you go to a public school here you are a smarty pants.

Second, and probably most importantly, the public universities here are free. Now when I say free you still have to pay for your books and stuff, but the university itself is free. That's right no tuition at all. So in Argentina, the best students go to the public universities for free.

Now one of the big difference is also that students don't generally live on campus. They live at home with their parents. I'm sure this is a horrendous thought for many of the people reading this blog in the states, but the reality here in Argentina is people live at home with their parents until they are married. This usually doesn't happen until their late 20's early 30's, which explains why everyone thinks that I am 28 and living alone, because the idea of a 21 year old living alone is simply horrendous to the vast majority here.

Another major difference in the university systems is the level of education that one receives or the type of degree you can get. Basically, the idea of a master's degree or graduate degree is non-existent here. They have a degree you get when you go to the university, you are not an undergraduate you are a university student.

Another major difference is the state of the school grounds. In the United States the very best universities tend to be private and have huge endowments with lots of money to spend on general upkeep of the university and the equipment that it uses in classroom teaching. Well because the best universities here are public, and the universities don't receive nearly as much money as those in the United States, the state of affairs in terms of the actual physical condition of the grounds and buildings of the public universities is pretty sad. I have a bunch of pictures later so you can see what I mean.

The final major difference between the university system in the US and Argentina is the idea of research. I feel like in the United States to even be considered a top tier professor you have to have at least 2 or 3 different major research projects going on with successful results coming from all of them. In Argentina, the idea of research simply does not exist in the same universe as it does in the United States. Whatever research goes on here, no matter how important is fairly minimal. This really does change the entire dynamic in the university. In the states, many students compete to work in certain labs or with certain professors doing research and creating new knowledge. In Argentina, universities aren't really meant to create new knowledge but rather to educate the country's people at a higher level. That I think is the real difference between the two systems.

Now time for some pictures of the University of Buenos Aires, or how everyone here refers to it, UBA:

This is the hospital that the medical school does all of its trainings and practicals at....very different than the US huh?

This is a picture of the security guard that yelled at me for taking pictures of the school. Apparently it is not allowed. I  of course sneaked around to another entrance and took them stealthily and left. Yes I am risking South American imprisonment for this blog....you readers better appreciate that.

Typical of any college campus anywhere....the two people who are so madly in love with each other they feel it is okay to be completely sexually inappropriate in a public place.

The sign depicting the best medical school in Argentina.