Today, we spent the first of many days at the Pilar campus of Austral University. After spending the day attending lectures about the University, the hospital, and innovation in healthcare, the similarities and differences between Pitt and Austral were apparent. Both are highly regarded universities with affiliated hospitals that are committed to the development of healthcare professionals. So, both Pitt and Austral have access to top-tier hospitals with resources that allow students the opportunity to participate in research and innovation and engage in practical learning, namely clinicals for the nursing students. Additionally, when we were walking through the school, I saw a bunch of groups of nursing students huddling around and studying the muscle groups together. So, the same student culture can be seen on both countries.

On the other hand, Pitt and Austral are VERY different in terms of size and setting. Austral has about 6,000 students, while Pitt has closer to 22,000. Austral is in a suburban area and has a very green campus lined with trees. Pitt, on the other hand, is an urban campus where the only green space is Schenley Park. Also, Pitt operates more like an entire institution in the community, where people spend the entirety of their lives for four years. Students live, work, eat, study, work out, and socialize on campus, whereas Austral seems more just like a place to take class and then go home. I’m not sure why university life is so much more deeply ingrained in our culture at home than it is here in Argentina, but it could be due to the fact that Argentina is a very family oriented culture so focus stays on spending time with family rather than away at school. Also, Austral mainly had pre-professional majors, like engineering, law, medicine, business, and nursing, whereas Pitt has a variety of majors that include liberal arts degrees. This could be due to the fact that Argentina has an unstable economy so people are more intent on guaranteeing a job for themselves as opposed to using their major to explore interests that might not be as lucrative.