122 CultureShock! Chile
the school itself or through a sports clubs. Some of the most
well-known clubs in Santiago are Club Deportivo Patricio
Cornejo, Club Deportivo Universidad Católica, Universidad
de Chile, and all of the clubes de colonia (national clubs) like
the Estadios Italiano, Español, Croata, Israelita and Club
Deportivo Manquehue (German).Preschools
Preschools in Chile are called jardines infantiles and there are
many different ones to chose from. There are several that
operate in foreign languages, but you might want to consider
putting your child in a Spanish-speaking preschool. This is
a perfect age for your children to be immersed in another
language. Children in preschool do not wear uniforms but
you will be expected to purchase from the school a delantal
(smock) for them to wear everyday over their clothes.Universities
The Chilean university system has a very good reputation,
built primarily on the prominence of the two main traditional
universities, Universidad Católica and Universidad de
Chile. Degree programmes in medicine, law, engineering,
economics, business (ingeniero comercial), agriculture and
mining and marine sciences are among the best in the
region. For this reason, many Latin Americans choose to
study in Chile.
Prior to the 1980s, Chile had only a small number of
traditional universities that received full or partial state
funding. The military government decided to introduce
competition into the system. Anyone who complied with
certain requirements could open and run a university. ‘New’
universities are separate from the traditional universities,
but are under their supervision until firmly established.
Today there are over 30 new universities in Chile, a higher
number than that of traditional universities. The traditional
universities enjoy name recognition, are more prestigious
and are assumed to have better professors. (It is common
in Chile for practicing professionals to teach at the
universities.) While the new universities are not considered