A thin sliver of the western coast of South America, Chile is rarely the first country to come to mind when thinking of the most enticing countries in Latin America. Mexico has its world-famous food, Brazil has samba music and the Copacabana beach, and Argentina has Maradona, but what makes Chile so special?

Well, this year, Chile has out-performed all the competition in at least one way: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) has been crowned the best university in Latin America in the QS Latin America University Rankings 2018. Now, obviously university rankings alone aren’t going to make people more excited about Chile than a game of beach volleyball in Rio or tacos in Mexico City, but it’s a start, right?

Fortunately, there are even more amazing things about Chile than its universities. Don’t believe us? Take a look…

From skiing to sunbathing

Look at Chile on a map. Let’s face it, as countries go, it’s fairly odd-looking. A stretch of land running north-south with the sea to the west and mountains along its eastern border, it looks like no other country on Earth. This unique shape though means it’s also beautifully varied, with ski resorts and sun-kissed beaches both a short journey away from the capital city Santiago.

This brilliant mix of snow and sunshine means Chile really has something for everyone. You can even head towards the north of the country and visit the Atacama Desert, the driest place on the planet, for yet another environmental extreme!

March of the penguins

Yes, that’s right. Despite the fact it’s home to a literal desert and has an average temperature of 86°F (30°C) in January, the hottest month of the year, Chile is also home to real-life, actual penguins. Everyone’s favorite adorable fish-eaters can be found across the southern part of the country, chilling on the beaches or heading to breed. You might also spot Humboldt penguins further north, or you can get even closer to them by visiting the Humboldt Penguin Reserve, based off-shore on the islands of Chañaral, Damas and Choros.

All the wine is all for me

Of course, what’s the point in visiting a country if there isn’t anything good to drink when you get there? One more reason to love Chile is the fact it’s the world’s seventh largest producer of wine. Sure, you can also get great wine in Argentina, but Chilean wine is truly magical and dates back to 1554 when Spanish conquistadores planted the first vineyards. Since then, French immigrants to the country have brought across their knowledge, leading to a stunning range of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay wines. If you like an easy drinking wine with plenty of flavor, Chile is the place to be.

I mean, just look at it. Seriously, look at it

Still need convincing? Just look at how jaw-droppingly beautiful Chile is. It’s amazing. Why wouldn’t you want to come here?

More history than you could shake a stick at

While other countries struggle for tourist attractions and impressive monuments, Chile is sitting pretty with six different UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and another 17 locations reportedly under consideration for future inclusion. There’s almost no way you could fit everything Chile has to offer into one visit, but if you come here to study then you’ll have plenty of time to visit the Rapa Nui National Park on Easter Island, walk the Chilean Inca Trail, marvel at the churches of Chiloé, and spend time in the historic quarter of the seaport city of Valparaíso. And that’s only scratching the surface of what Chile has to offer!

It’s worth saying again: Chile’s universities are seriously impressive

Not only are Chilean universities performing really well right now, it’s also not that expensive to study here. UC, the highest-ranked university in the country, was ranked among the top 50 in the world for nine different subjects in the QS World University Rankings by Subject. So, if you’re planning on studying architecture, theology, agriculture, law or any of the other subjects it scores highly in, you’d struggle to find anywhere better to spend your time at university than Chile.

So, what are you waiting for?

Image credits: Lead image (fahrenheit75; Flickr), Skiing (MM; Wikimedia Commons), Penguins (Liam Quinn; Wikimedia Commons), Vineyards (Fsanchezs; Wikimedia Commons)

If you want to study medicine abroad, it can be hard to choose the right study destination and university – there are more than 500 institutions in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017 for medicine alone. An increasing number of international students are choosing eastern Europe in recent years, with universities in Romania, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic among the most popular. Read on to discover why an eastern European country could be the ideal choice.

A range of prestigious universities

While eastern European universities may not be as internationally celebrated as others for medicine, the region is nonetheless home to some highly reputable universities. Many of these have also been featured among the best in Emerging Europe and Central Asia in the latest QS EECA University Rankings.

• Charles University, Czech Republic

Located in Prague (which was ranked joint 26^th in the latest QS Best Student Cities ranking), Charles University ranked 151-200 for medicine in the latest Rankings by Subject and fifth in the QS EECA University Rankings. It achieves the second-highest score in EECA for the Academic Reputation indicator.

• Semmelweis University, Hungary

Ranked 151-200 for medicine, Semmelweis University is located in Budapest and is the oldest medical school in the country (established in 1769). It’s not eligible for inclusion in the EECA ranking due to its specialized focus, but it also appears in the top 150 for pharmacy in the subject rankings.

• University of Debrecen, Hungary

The University of Debrecen is currently ranked 201-250 for medicine and 35^th in the EECA ranking, earning its highest score for its proportion of international students (18^th in the ranking).

• Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

Ranked 301-350 for medicine and first in the EECA ranking, Lomonosov Moscow State University was ranked the best in EECA for both the employer and academic reputation indicators.

• University of Tartu, Estonia

The national university of Estonia, the University of Tartu is ranked 301-350 for medicine and third in the EECA ranking, achieving 11^th place for its academic reputation. It offers a good range of English-taught programs, including medicine.

• Jagiellonian University, Poland

Ranked 301-350 for medicine and joint 14^th in the EECA ranking, Jagiellonian University is located in Kraków and is the oldest university in Poland, established in 1364. It ranks sixth for its academic reputation in the EECA ranking.

Although currently not featured in the medicine subject ranking, Bulgaria also has a good selection of medical universities, including Plovdiv Medical University and Sofia Medical University, both of which offer English-taught medical degrees.

You can study medicine abroad in English

Getting to grips with a foreign language is one thing, but knowing it to such a high standard to be able to study medicine in it is a lot easier said than done. The good news is, many international students are able to study medicine abroad in English. Many universities also offer optional courses to help students fit in to their new study destination by learning the basics of the local language. This may also be required as part of your course, in order to communicate with patients during as you progress with your medical degree.

It’s affordable

Another huge incentive for studying in eastern Europe is its affordability: four of the 10 most affordable cities for students in the latest QS Best Student Cities are eastern European cities (five if you count Tomsk, which is technically in the Asian part of Russia). These are Warsaw (capital of Poland and third for affordability), St Petersburg, Budapest (capital of Hungary) and Kiev (capital of Ukraine).

Looking at another source, the Expatistan Cost of Living Index for Europe, many eastern European cities are featured as the cheapest to live in in Europe (Ukraine’s Odessa has the lowest costs of living of the 96 cities in the index).

Tuition fees can still be fairly high, but are still lower than in other countries. Here are some examples:

• According to StudyInBulgaria.com, Bulgarian universities tend to charge €5,000-8,000 (~US$5,800-9,300) a year for general medical programs, which take six years to complete. At Sofia Medical University, for example, fees are €7,000 (~US$8,140) a year for Bulgarian-taught medical programs and €8,000 (~US$9,300) a year for English-taught programs.
• Poland’s Jagiellonian University Medical College charges €13,400 (~US$15,550) per year in the first year for MD programs and €13,000 (~US$15,100) per year thereafter.
• Charles University’s First Faculty of Medicine in the Czech Republic charges CZK360,000/€14,000 (approximately US$16,300) per year for its six-year General Medicine program, taught in English. Tuition is free if you study in Czech.
• At the University of Debrecen in Hungary, English-taught MD programs currently cost US$16,900 a year. This includes the cost of health insurance, a medical checkup and a student card.
• Estonia’s University of Tartu charges €11,000 (~US$12,800) per year for English-taught medical degrees. Medical degrees taught in Estonian are free as long as you don’t miss more than six credits.

As you can see, you can typically study for a lower cost (or even for free) if you study in the local language. If you need a scholarship, you can find a range of scholarships to study in eastern Europe here, and it’s also worth checking official university websites.

Admission requirements

Another big plus of studying medicine abroad in eastern Europe is that many universities do not have entry exams, making admission a less stressful experience. To gain admission you’ll need:

• To have completed high school successfully and have a high school leaving certificate or equivalent, with strong grades in biology and chemistry.
• To be in good health, both physically and mentally (you may need to have a medical exam to prove this).
• To be able to fund your studies.
• Letters of recommendation and/or a personal statement (or statement of purpose).
• Evidence of extracurricular activities, internships or volunteer work, particularly those that demonstrate your commitment to healthcare.
• To meet the language requirements of your course i.e. proving your proficiency in English with TOEFL/IELTS if you’re not a native speaker and studying in English.

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智利是拉丁美洲一些最著名的大学的所在地(包括今年2018年QS拉丁美洲大学排名第一的智利天主教大学Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)，智利是一个相对经济实惠的学习目的地，是户外运动爱好者的理想选择，也是该地区最安全和最繁荣的国家之一。

请继续阅读，了解在智利留学的典型费用，包括你可以申请的奖学金。

智利的学费

智利的所有大学，包括公立和私立大学，都是自己制定学费的。近年来，学费一直在上涨，但仍低于美国等留学目的地的学费，私立大学的平均学费为每年5,500美元，首都圣地亚哥的学费略高，国际本科生的平均学费为6,300美元。医学等课程的费用会更高。

您的具体费用将取决于您所选课程的数量和学时，但以下是智利一些顶尖大学的例子。

智利天主教主教大学：每学期1200美元（2400美元）一年。每个学分需要120美元。

康塞普西翁大学：每年5,000美元

塔尔卡大学：每年5,000美元

此外，您还需要在入学时支付预科费，智利大学的预科费为250美元。

如果您需要提高您的西班牙语水平，智利的许多大学都会提供额外的课程。例如，在智利天主教主教大学，西班牙语课程的费用是每小时150美元。

生活费

由于其强劲的经济增长，智利是拉美地区生活费用较高的国家之一，但也拥有该地区最高的生活水平。你的具体费用将取决于你所处的位置、消费习惯和生活方式，但一般来说，学生每个月需要700-1100美元左右，或者每年至少需要8400美元。 需要注意的是，留学生在智利学习期间法律上是不能工作的，所以到了智利后不能用打工来补充经济来源。首都圣地亚哥在最新的QS最佳学生城市中，在可负担性类别中排名第58位，在100个特色城市中处于中等水平。和很多国家一样，大城市以外的生活成本较低。

在住宿方面，学生们可能会住在大学宿舍，私人租房，或者住在智利的寄宿家庭（这可能是最实惠的选择，每月600美元，包括所有的账单和食物，也是完善你的西班牙语的理想方式）。

根据Numbeo的数据，以下是一些智利典型的生活费用的例子。

• 在廉价餐厅用餐： 8美元
• 一瓶水: 1美元
• 一升牛奶： 1. 20美元
• 一块面包: 0.95美元
• 当地交通工具的单程票: 1美元
• 交通月票: 47. 50美元
• 健身房月费: 42美元
• 服装(夏装): 37美元
• 位于市中心的一居室公寓的月租金: 343美元
• 市中心外的一居室公寓月租。274美元
• 每月上网费: 30美元

您还需要预算额外的费用，如医疗保险和学生签证申请费，这些费用根据您的国籍不同而不同。

在智利留学的奖学金

智利为国际学生提供了一系列奖学金，包括：

智利天主教主教大学

根据成绩颁发一系列国际奖学金。

迭戈波塔莱斯大学

为有经济需求的学生提供一系列奖学金，以及根据学业成绩颁发的奖学金。

纳尔逊-曼德拉奖学金项目

这是为来自南非、安哥拉和莫桑比克、在智利的指定大学攻读硕士学位的留学生准备的。

CONICYT国家硕士奖学金

另一个在智利攻读硕士学位的奖学金。CONICYT还提供给博士生奖学金。

要寻找奖学金机会，你可以咨询你感兴趣的智利院校的官方网站，查看政府机构，独立的奖学金数据库网站和其他在线列表。你可以在这里阅读更多关于如何寻找留学奖学金的建议。

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