Orientation

NYU staff will meet you at the airport and take you to the academic center upon arrival. At the center, NYU in Buenos Aires staff will check you in and ensure that you have all the documentation necessary for obtaining a student visa. Once this process is complete, they will show you to your housing assignment. Over the next few days an in-depth orientation will cover all the topics pertinent to every day life in Buenos Aires—from banking and cell phones, to local customs, navigating the city, the academic facilities and the role of the student life staff. A survival Spanish course, a neighborhood tour, and a welcome reception conclude your first few days. By the time you arrive in Buenos Aires, you will already have registered for your classes. Advisers from the site will assist you with changing your schedule, if needed.

Housing

NYU requires that all students live in NYU-arranged accommodation. You may choose between living in the residence halls located in trendy Palermo Viejo, or doing a homestay with a local family.  The student residences are about a 20-minute commute to the academic center. The residence halls are home to an exciting and diverse community of local and international students and feature cafeterias, computer labs, outdoor courtyards, study lounges, and emergency medical services. Furnished rooms, including linens, telephone, cable TV, and private lockers, are shared by two or three students. Homestays are ideal for students who desire a true immersion experience. In most households, bathrooms are usually shared, and students either have kitchen privileges or share meals with their host families.

Meals

There is a meal plan at the residence halls, students can also opt to eat out. Students staying with a homestay usually have kitchen privileges or share meals with their host families.  Students will be shown where groceries and supermarkets are located in their neighborhood.

Student Life Services

NYU's knowledgeable student services staff assists students with their adjustment to Argentinean life outside of class. The staff assigns housing and attends to the maintenance of student housing, plans activities and sees to the general well-being of the student body. Being away from home and familiar surroundings can sometimes be disorienting, and the student life staff is prepared to respond to any questions or concerns which may arise throughout the semester. Our full-time professional staff is always available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on an emergency cell phone to respond to any unexpected events that may present themselves in off hours.

Health and Safety

The NYU Student Health Center and the Department of Public Safety work closely with program staff to plan for safe, healthy, and enriching opportunities long before you arrive. You will be introduced to many of these services in the months leading up to your program abroad while others will be explained in detail during the mandatory on-site orientation such as meetings with local health care providers, presentations of local laws and crime prevention techniques, and examples of cultural differences.

While an issue is unlikely to surface, should an emergency situation arise, there is a contact person designated for wellness issues on call 24 hours a day located locally; as well, the Department of Public Safety in New York will assist with international emergencies (212-998-2222). For medical situations, the University provides coverage by HTH Worldwide, an international insurance company, to ensure that treatment is available to you by qualified professionals when needed with no out of pocket expense. Students are also required to maintain insurance with their home policy. For assistance in extremely rare situations, the University has contracted with International SOS, the world's leading provider of international customer care, which includes evacuation services.

The Department of Public Safety in conjunction with the Office of Global Programs works to create a safe and secure environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors to pursue their educational and professional goals and aspirations. The annual security report for NYU in Buenos Aires contains useful and relevant information.

Before you depart for the semester you will be instructed on how to use NYU Traveler, a Web-based information collection tool where flight and travel details, local and U.S. telephone numbers, and emergency contact information can be stored so that NYU staff can assist you if needed.

Trips and Activities

The NYU in Beunos Aires student affairs staff plans trips and activities to help students connect with Argentina's lively culture. They take students to authentic tango shows, exciting  fútbol matches, and historically significant landmarks and monuments. Weekly activities may include movie screenings, game nights, lunches, guided museum trips, and walking tours. There is also plenty of time for students to do some exploring on their own. Music and dance feature prominently in Argentine culture, and Buenos Aires's vibrant theatre district, centered around Avenida Corrientes, is renowned in the region. Here students can find performance of all types from musicals and operas to a wide selection of tango shows to an interesting array of Argentine music concerts in different genres.

Porteños, as the inhabitants of Buenos Aires are known, have a number of pastimes that are also worth exploring. Sports fans will want to catch a game between Boca Juniors and River Plate, two of the country's most popular soccer teams. Students can relax at one of the city's many stylish cafes and try mate, the famous local tea. Beef lovers can savor an asado (Argentine barbeque) at one of the city's world-famous steak houses. Architecture buffs can explore the city's astonishingly eclectic mix of architectural styles: the center is Romanesque; Recoleta is classical French; and Puerto de Madero is international.

There are several trips, which are open to all NYU in Buenos Aires students as part of the program, scheduled throughout the semester to bring participants to other regions of the country that they might not otherwise explore on their own. Past trips include visits to Salta, Jujuy, and Tigre and to an estancia (ranch) in the picturesque town of San Antonio de Areco, where students were introduced to the charm of gaucho life through horseback riding and traditional barbeque, song and dance.