HELP! Touring Universities in Columbia.

[Anonymous]

PP. Continuing some thoughts.

I looked at the Academic Calendar for UniAndes and they appear to have a semester break the week of March 16th. And I think you are planning to visit the week before Easter. You should consider how Christian holidays might impact your visit.

Beyond the grad student I suggested above, your child should look into where prominent Colombian archeologist faculty are studying. Here are some names I Googled for you

"Key experts in Colombian archaeology include researchers focusing on pre-Hispanic gold, Amazonian rock art, and genetic history, such as Marianne Cardale de Schrimpff, Carlos Castaño-Uribe, and Gonzalo Correal Urrego. Significant recent work involves Professor José Iriarte (University of Exeter) on Amazonian rock art, and genetic studies by researchers like Kim-Louise Krettek and Cosimo Posth.

Key Academic & Field Experts

Marianne Cardale de Schrimpff: Renowned for studies on pre-Hispanic cultures and metallurgy.

Carlos Castaño-Uribe: Expert in rock art and the Serranía de Chiribiquete.

Gonzalo Correal Urrego: Prominent in early settlement archaeology.

José Iriarte: University of Exeter professor specializing in Amazonian pre-colonial history and landscape domestication.

Jimena Lobo Guerrero: Expert in archaeometallurgy and Muisca goldsmithing.

David Felipe Acosta: Archaeologist focusing on Muisca civilization and early settlement in Soacha.

Kim-Louise Krettek & Cosimo Posth: Leading researchers in the first published ancient human genomes from the Colombian high plains.

Areas of Specialization

Amazonian Rock Art: Extensive research is currently mapping thousands of figures in the Amazon, led by teams including local Indigenous specialists like Victor Caycedo and Ismael Sierra.

Pre-Hispanic Metallurgy: Studies at the Museo del Oro (Bogotá) and Mompox analyze Muisca gold frogs and other artifacts to determine, manufacturing, and workshop origins.

Bioarchaeology/Genetics: Research on early hunter-gatherers at the Checua site, highlighting the genetic turnover on the Altiplano.

Remote Sensing (LiDAR): Felix Dahle (TU Delft) and team, specializing in identifying Tairona terrace systems in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Key Institutions
Museo del Oro (Bogotá)
University of Exeter (Amazonian research)
University of Tübingen (Genetic studies)
National University of Colombia
University of Antioquia"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spelling the country correct would be a great start.

Agree

[Anonymous]

It's not going to happen. If you are looking to dcum and reddit for help, you are way over your head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not going to happen. If you are looking to dcum and reddit for help, you are way over your head.

Kids pursue all kinds of things with only basic support and information from parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the fact that you need to ask this here means that you aren’t close to understanding enough about the Colombian system to encourage your child to do this. And yes, not knowing how to spell it is part of that impression of mine.

Maybe your kid really is such a unique person that they could make this work. But they are going to have to do it themselves via immersion in the culture. To expect that you can just go to college in Colombia as some kind of, I don’t know, hacking the system because UVA is too competitive, is totally unrealistic.

If your kid actually wants to do this, I’d suggest relocating to Colombia for a gap year and figuring it out from there.

This is completely driven by my child, if you couldn’t tell from my posts. They have been in Spanish immersion since kindergarten and want to do archeological work in South America. Also, they want to experience living somewhere else. They have good reasons for wanting to do this. And it’s not because UVA is too selective. They will also be applying to ivies here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not going to happen. If you are looking to dcum and reddit for help, you are way over your head.

Kids pursue all kinds of things with only basic support and information from parents.

Well it’s not the kid posting here, is it? I think a kid really on their own path could pull this off but it seems clear that OP is in over her head in thinking this is anywhere similar to US colleges (expecting a culture of touring on spring break that may not even exist in a country with a totally different higher ed system).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got interested in OP's question.

OP, it seems like there are very few Americans studying in Colombia. I found an estimate of a few hundred that was a bit out of date.

I looked up to see what is hot in Colombian archeology right now and found mentions of a very complex environment including massive new discoveries, indigenous politics, and even some archeological sites that are gang-controlled.

Here are some links that look interesting.

I did trace some mentions back to a PhD student now studying in Texas who is a Colombian and a grad of UniAndes. Your child might be able to reach out to this person and get some friendly advice.

I hope you are seriously interested, but even if not, I had fun reading about some new archeological discoveries.

https://www.sacredtreks.com/betoma-sierra-nevada-archeological-site-colombia/

https://www.sacredtreks.com/trip/bunkuany-trek/

Daniel Rodríguez Osorio - Curriculum Vitae
https://utsa.academia.edu/DanielRodr%C3%ADguezOsorio/CurriculumVitae
https://www.doaks.org/about/people/ay-2024-2025/daniel-rodriguez-osorio
https://wennergren.org/article/wif_daniel-rodriguez-osorio/

🙏 Thank you. My child is extremely interested. That is why we are going Bogotá over spring break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not going to happen. If you are looking to dcum and reddit for help, you are way over your head.

Kids pursue all kinds of things with only basic support and information from parents.

Well it’s not the kid posting here, is it? I think a kid really on their own path could pull this off but it seems clear that OP is in over her head in thinking this is anywhere similar to US colleges (expecting a culture of touring on spring break that may not even exist in a country with a totally different higher ed system).

I didn’t have my kid post here because there are so many toxic jerks. And I was right.

There also so many helicopter parents who write their kids’ college essays that they can’t fathom a parent who lets their child have agency in decisions like this or encourages them to take a different path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the fact that you need to ask this here means that you aren’t close to understanding enough about the Colombian system to encourage your child to do this. And yes, not knowing how to spell it is part of that impression of mine.

Maybe your kid really is such a unique person that they could make this work. But they are going to have to do it themselves via immersion in the culture. To expect that you can just go to college in Colombia as some kind of, I don’t know, hacking the system because UVA is too competitive, is totally unrealistic.

If your kid actually wants to do this, I’d suggest relocating to Colombia for a gap year and figuring it out from there.

This is completely driven by my child, if you couldn’t tell from my posts. They have been in Spanish immersion since kindergarten and want to do archeological work in South America. Also, they want to experience living somewhere else. They have good reasons for wanting to do this. And it’s not because UVA is too selective. They will also be applying to ivies here.

Ok. Well your child needs to continue driving this then instead of somehow expecting that the systems are equivalent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not going to happen. If you are looking to dcum and reddit for help, you are way over your head.

Kids pursue all kinds of things with only basic support and information from parents.

Well it’s not the kid posting here, is it? I think a kid really on their own path could pull this off but it seems clear that OP is in over her head in thinking this is anywhere similar to US colleges (expecting a culture of touring on spring break that may not even exist in a country with a totally different higher ed system).

I didn’t have my kid post here because there are so many toxic jerks. And I was right.

There also so many helicopter parents who write their kids’ college essays that they can’t fathom a parent who lets their child have agency in decisions like this or encourages them to take a different path.

With all due respect you and your child are deeply naive and uniformed about what higher ed consists of outside of the US. They can study in Latin America and do archeology via a number of pathways but enrolling in a Colombian university (based on going to Spanish immersion which often does not get a kid anywhere close to fluency) is a fanciful notion. It’s not the US. There is not going to be a “tour the college” program over Colombian spring break. The socioeconomic equivalents of your child are probably touring colleges in the US …

[Anonymous]

Maybe have him take an online college level course from a Spanish speaking country. That might give him an idea of his languag abilities.

[Anonymous]

I've lived and worked in Latin America for many years, including in Colombia, and this would be a no for me. You can do study abroad (I did for 2 of 4 years of college AND 2 of 4 years of HS so I'm all about thinking outside of the box), but when push comes to shove you want a degree from a globally recognized school, which neither of these are. Not to mention if there is any chance of changing major. There are a lot of of opportunities to give that experience without it being your entire undergrad degree that has serious geographical limitations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I clicked on this to find out when they opened a university in Columbia. Sadly disappointed that it's still just the mall and Merriweather there.

I thought OP was maybe talking about DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've lived and worked in Latin America for many years, including in Colombia, and this would be a no for me. You can do study abroad (I did for 2 of 4 years of college AND 2 of 4 years of HS so I'm all about thinking outside of the box), but when push comes to shove you want a degree from a globally recognized school, which neither of these are. Not to mention if there is any chance of changing major. There are a lot of of opportunities to give that experience without it being your entire undergrad degree that has serious geographical limitations.

I think OP is imagining that it is just like a US college except abroad. But it could be an entirely different system.

[Anonymous]

Has your kid tried Spain? They should look into that