Costa Rica, a little bit of everything. Past Review
By Kimberly P (Spanish, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey) for
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: San Jose, Costa Rica
My study abroad experience has helped my Spanish immensely. I loved it here so much that I am also staying for the winter semester.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The spanish workload differs from teacher to teacher. My first month was pretty easy, not a lot of homework, but I wasn't a huge fan of the teaching style of my teacher. The second month of Spanish was on another level! Silvana gave us tons of homework but everything had a purpose and I learned a ton from her. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
CEA was great. Maggie was all alone working with a group of 16 of us, trying to make sure all our needs were met. She was always available, either in the office, or on the phone. Not to mention she was super sweet! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Loved my host family and our house! It was three blocks away from school, so super convenient. And also not far from various bars/clubs- there is definitely something for everyone. The only thing I would suggest to future students is to not bring clothes that you are super attached to. Somehow all the laundry here gets really messed up. |
| * Food: |
LOVED when we got served Costa Rican food- I could eat pinto every day! But the women in our house who cooked for us tried to switch things up (give us more American dishes) which of course aren't the same as at home. I wish they would've just stuck with the Tico food all the time! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Every excursion arranged by CEA was amazing and totally worth it. We got to see a little bit of everything- jungle, beaches, volcanoes, and waterfalls. Plus there was still plenty of time to go off and do your own thing on the other weekends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
San Jose isn't the safest city ever, but Zapote,where the school is located, and the surrounding neighborhoods are all extremely nice. All in all safety is something you should be concerned about no matter where you are- US or CR. Just be smart about it. I can't really talk about the healthcare as I had no health related issues here. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
You can practice with other study abroad students, as well as Costa Rican students who also attend Veritas. Also, most students live with a host family with whom you can also practice. |
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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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 would definitely suggest that ANYONE come to Costa Rica. It is such an amazing country with so much to offer. I would describe it as a "2 and a half world country"- so keep in mind that you won't have all the amenities of the US. Most people take these cultural differences in stride, but I had a roommate here (very high maintenance) that had a hard time here. Even though Veritas is located in San Jose, it is so easy to travel around this country and really get to experience everything. Certainly a student studying Spanish would benefit most from the program, but honestly I think any student with an open mind would enjoy it. |
