Brazilians transform medical school in Argentina – 03/13/2024 – World

A quick walk through the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) is enough to find the first pair of Havaianas. The feet belong to Guilherme Henrique Leão, 28, from Acre: “When I arrived, six years ago, there wasn’t this flood of YouTube channels talking about how to study here”, he says, sitting on the long staircase.

The number of Brazilians who, like him, study medicine in Argentina increased fivefold from 4,000 to more than 20,000 in seven years, from 2015 to 2022, the latest data from the local government. This is equivalent to half of foreigners and 12% of the total number of students studying the course in the neighboring country, reaching 31% in private institutions.

With them came coxinhas in cafeterias, coffee in the classroom, Portuguese in the corridors and even “Brazilian” coats. Athletic and beer associations were established that were previously non-existent in Argentine academic life; Pabllo Vittar shot up the playlists, and bars and sambas spread out in the surrounding areas, some accepting payment via Pix.

Brazilians are attracted by the lack of entrance exams, unlimited places, the quality of education and also the low cost of living — at least until the beginning of this year, when prices soared and the “blue” dollar used by foreigners depreciated, in government of Javier Milei, which is already making some people give up on the course and return home.

“How long are you going to stay frustrated in Brazil, trying unsuccessfully for university entrance exams? Did you know that the cost of a course pays for a private monthly fee in Argentina and you still have money left over?”, advertises one of the popular “advisories” hired by families to solve problems. travel and registration to rent and health insurance.

These were some of the reasons that seduced Letícia Belloti, 24, from Rio de Janeiro, and took her to UBA, the most coveted federal university: “A friend who had studied for six years and couldn’t take it anymore called me”, she says, while another Brazilian interrupts the conversation. conversation in Portuguese to ask where the introductory “semi” (medical semiology) class will be held. The school year there started this Monday (11).

Argentina is considered a country that is very open to immigrants, who, according to the Constitution, enjoy almost the same rights as locals. One in four medical students is from other countries (24%), including Peruvians and Paraguayans. “If there are four Argentines in my room of 30, that’s a lot,” says Gabriela Calanca, 29, from São Paulo.

That’s why Milei’s announcement that she wants to charge monthly fees to foreigners without residency caused so much anguish. “I started crying like crazy around the house, because in the college’s WhatsApp groups the projection was almost the price of a private one”, says Ísis Garcia, 25, a second-year student.

She only calmed down after it was clarified that the charge would not affect Brazilians, since, under Mercosur and bilateral agreements, practically everyone has a residence. Furthermore, the measure has not yet passed in Congress. It is included in the president’s “bus law”, which went back to square one and is now being negotiated with governors.

Reports also caused concern that, this year, immigration authorities are stricter with students without visas — despite the Milei government saying that only 38 out of 1 million Brazilians were barred until February. “It’s a feeling of rejection”, says Ísis, who is vice-president of the athletic club Fúria, from UBA.

The collective founded in 2017 is one of three existing in Buenos Aires colleges and, in addition to sporting functions, it has become a kind of community to integrate those arriving in the country. They organize “chopadas”, receptions for “bixos” —but without hazing, which is not part of Argentine culture— and establish partnerships with Brazilian businesses and services.

“Where to get a haircut? Who knows a handyman? Where can I find a PF (done dish)?” are common questions in the message group. Students say that coxinha and brigadeiro have become almost a symbol of the end of the course, and that nowadays condensed milk is easy to find around the university.

A few blocks away, on the street named after tango singer Carlos Gardel, a small Brazilian village was also formed, with entire buildings rented by students and two bars with Brahma, Fanta Uva and green-yellow flags.

“In Brazil it is impossible to study medicine, there are no vacancies”, says graduate Vanessa Penha, 37, toasting with an American cup and a litrão wrapped in Lionel Messi’s “10 condom”, to celebrate passing the final exams at the Barceló Foundation, another institution flooded with Brazilians. “Furthermore, the quality of life here is better,” she says.

But, if Argentina is easy to get into, it is also difficult to get out, says the mantra repeated by the students, who say that over the years of the course the number of Brazilians decreases significantly. “Here on the stairs is where we cry”, jokes Gabriela, from São Paulo.

She explains that the UBA takes the vast majority of its tests orally and uses methods similar to those of the American Harvard or Yale, centered on the student and not the teacher. A new requirement that came into effect this year also requires level C1 in Spanish, higher than the old B2, for entrants.

The students believe that these difficulties may have contributed to the drop in enrollment of Brazilians by half at the institution since 2022. On the other hand, registrations and transfers to individuals, considered a little less demanding, grew at a faster pace. At the University of Morón, about 30 km from Buenos Aires, 101 of the 125 students come from Brazil.

Jéssica Gurgel, 29, is one of them: “I spend around R$6,500 per month on rent, transport, everything. In Brazil, college alone can reach R$10,000”, says the woman from Ceará, who decided to open a coat brand and Brazilian-style surgical pajamas, which deviate from the basic Argentinean blue. “This one is more princessy,” she says, showing the colorful “looks” in her kitchen.

But not everything is perfect. Language can be a major obstacle, and stories of prejudice are not hard to find. “At first we didn’t speak Spanish very well. I remember I had just arrived and a teacher said during an oral test, just him and me: ‘you come to my country, study and leave’. I was in shock”, he says Leticia.

After an average of six to eight years of study, students have to decide whether to stay and practice their profession in Argentina, where salaries in general are much lower, or whether to return to Brazil and take the dreaded Revalida test (national exam revalidation of foreign medical diplomas).