Today we traveled a bit outside of the city to visit Austral University. There, we learned a little bit about the university from Dr. Marcelo Villar. I was surprised to hear how young the university is (just 40 years!), as it seems to have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. With a successful business school, nursing school and graduate programs, it is easy to see why Austral University is one of the top schools in the country, second only to the University of Buenos Aires. Coming from Pitt, it was interesting to walk around a school that is not directly in a city. The campus was much more rural in comparison to what I’m used to, but I found it refreshing to be able to walk around after class in a peaceful setting. While Austral is private, its impressive academic programs and beautiful campus are an excellent option for those who can afford to pay tuition, or for the few that are able to receive a full scholarship from the school.

I found the level of involvement of the hospital on campus with the school itself to be interesting as well. Though Pitt students work with UPMC, our school itself is no longer affiliated with the hospital. Austral differed in this way. According to Dr. Gaston Gabin, one of the hospitals main objectives is not only to provide great care for their patients, but also to provide an educational experience for the students of the university. It was cool to see these students standing in the hallways, interacting with and taking classes with doctors who worked at the hospital. I really liked the idea of this, but can see how at a university as large as Pitt, and with a healthcare system as big as UPMC, providing this same type of experience may be difficult. However, with a smaller university like Austral, this method seems to work well and be successful for both students and staff.

A final detail that peaked my interest was the fact that students are not housed on campus at Austral. Instead, most pay for apartments in Buenos Aires and make the commute to school. As someone who lives on-campus during the school year, I was surprised that no rooms are provided for the Austral students. However, because Austral is still very young, it was easier to see why housing is not yet an option, and Dr. Villar even mentioned later in class that future housing on-campus is currently being considered.

For the rest of the day, our group took a bus tour around the city. It was amazing to so quickly see so much of Buenos Aires in just a couple of hours, and I was happy to give my feet a rest after so much walking. I can’t wait to truly explore the city (in a good pair of walking shoes) later this week. That’s all for now!