Costa Rica: Pura Vida! Past Review
By Michelle A (Criminal Justice and Corrections., Saint Anselm College) for
API (Academic Programs International): San Jose - International Center for Development Studies (ICDS)
I gained a lot of independence. I also became very close to being fluent in Spanish.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Esteban was fantastic. He made me feel really comfortable and safe in the country. He had so much knowledge and love for Costa Rica and it really helped to shape my time there. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Don't go anywhere alone at night. Never bring your credit card anywhere with you or anything that you don't want to get stolen. Pick pocketing is popular as well. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100-$150. I probably could have spent less money if I had budgeted better. I traveled almost every weekend. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save your money for the weekends to travel. I spent as little money as possible on food and drinks. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate Spanish |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
My host family. Most people spoke a little bit of English. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Gender in Latin America |
| Course Department: | I don't know |
| Instructor: | Teresita Remelli |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | It was good. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |
