Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The program is very well thought out. CPI provides booklets that lead the student easily from beginning concepts to more complicated speaking. I loved the conversation class after the morning classes because it allowed me to really use the concepts I had been learning in the morning. Learning Spanish at CPI catapulted my understanding of Spanish by a 100 fold. I had taken classes but only learned to read/write which in no way expanded my ability to listen/think/speak in Spanish and that is the real goal. At CPI I was able to learn to listen/think/speak in Spanish but of course everything takes time. By the end of 6 weeks, since I had prior experience with Spanish, I would say that I'm close to mid-way fluent now. I believe that it would be possible to learn this much Spanish in the United States but the class set up would have to change because only by practicing every day for a couple of hours at a time was I able to really soak up all the information being given to me.

On-site administration of your program

CPI is a very well organized institution that is very responsive to the students needs. Online they answer any all questions quickly and clearly and in person they are welcoming and easily available if you need help or have more questions. Their program is well coordinated between campuses so changing campuses does not interrupt your progress. And they work very hard to have easily available excursions that help you to experience the culture and history of Costa Rica.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I stayed with three different host families since I wanted to experience all three campuses and overall I strongly recommend staying with a host family. Most of them are very welcoming and very kind. It is really helpful to return from school and be able to practice what you learned and to practice simple living situations like asking for the salt or what is going on in that crazy television program. I did not need to buy anything to stay with my host family, just needed to bring my clothes and toiletries. Yes, things were very different than in the United States but I welcomed the opportunity to experience life from a different stand point and I strongly recommend that if a misunderstanding happens between you and your family (like you say your allergic to wheat and then your family only serves you fruit) ask for advice from your instructor at school or try writing out what you want to talk about so that both of you understand. You will have a much better time if you don't ignore these kinds of misunderstandings and your will learn a lot, too.

The host families are usually too generous with their portions since you are a guest but it shows how kind they are. The food was typical costarican food, such as beans, rice, platanos, fruit, potato soup, and some meat. The only thing I missed was vegetables. Vegetables are expensive and so they don't eat them everyday.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

At each campus they have multiple excursions that are generally reasonably priced and always fun. The best campus for cultural excursions is in Heredia. There I strongly recommend the Cafe Brit tour which is not only informative about how the coffee plantations work but also very hilarious. There is a weekly market tour which is fun and helps you to familiarize yourself with the surrounding area if you want to use the buses to go other places. In Monteverde there are many exciting tours like ziplining, waterfall rappeling, and rafting but also there are many places to visit to learn about the flora and fauna of Costa Rica. In Flamingo the tours mainly consist of activities to have fun at the beach or in the ocean. I loved learning to surf and the sailing/snorkeling tour was great.

I felt very safe overall. I realize that everywhere even in the United States that bad things happen and so I tried to stick to the advice I would give to people visiting the United States. Try to stick with a buddy, don't roam around after dark just go to your destination, use offical taxis, don't carry your offical documents instead carry copies, don't bring anything you aren't afraid of losing, and trust your instincts.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

The main focus of the school CPI was on speaking which was great. While teaching grammar the instructor would require verbal answers which helped to cement the concepts in the speaking/listening part of my brain instead of the reading/writing part. I tried all the three campuses at CPI in Costa Rica and found that the Heredia campus is the best for speaking Spanish outside of the school. At the other two campuses so many Costaricans speak English that you have to insist on Spanish if you want to practice outside of school. The best and hardest part was using the Spanish I learned to talk with the host-families I stayed with. It really helped to have such kind caring people to talk with and build friendships with.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family