Unbelievable! Past Review
By Skylar Fushi (Eastern Illinois University) - abroad from 01/05/2019 to 05/04/2019 with
API Universidad Veritas
I gained confidence, intelligence, and a better sense of awareness of the world around me.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The teaching style was quite a bit different, but overall was an enjoyable challenge and allowed me to learn in ways I never have before. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The on-site administration was very helpful to me as I was changing classes and answered all my questions. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was terrific, they made delicious homecooked meals and were very welcoming people. I had no troubles while staying with them. |
| * Food: |
I am not a very picky eater, and I wanted to try new things while in Costa Rica, so I had no problems adjusting to the food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel like my host family did a great job integrating me into their culture, but I had a harder time connecting with locals, especially because my Spanish is not great. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no health care issues, so I had no problems while away. |
| * Safety: |
I personally had no issues with safety, but the city is known for being more dangerous. People are also often pick-pocketed. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I ended up having such a great time, I wouldn't want to change a thing, even though this was my second choice program. |
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) |
Because food was provided for you, that really helped me cut back on my spending. On the other hand, if I wanted to travel on my own that ate up quite a bit of my money I had saved. The most important thing is to prioritize what you want to do most to make sure you have enough. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about $100 a week. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
My classes were in English so I did not have to speak Spanish during school, but mostly everyone around me spoke Spanish outside of school, so that really helped me pick some things up. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had four years of high school spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | I suggest maybe trying to brush up on your skills before you leave for your study abroad country, so you do not get there and are completely lost |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I practiced Spanish before leaving for Costa Rica, and I also wished I got in a little bit better shape for all the hiking I ended up doing. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Freshwater Ecology |
| Course Department: | Biology |
| Instructor: | Sonia Gamboa |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I took this class as an independent study. I needed it as a requirement, but I never expected to enjoy it so much. Sonia was a great teacher and truly helpful. She provided me with really cool research opportunities that were incredible and enlightening |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I had no issues transferring credits, I just had to make sure my courses were approved. |
