Costa Rica: A lot of work yet a lot of play Past Review
By Stacy B (Criminology., Kansas State University) for
Intercultura Spanish Language School: Heredia and Samara - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I am now able to understand spanish a lot more and have more confidence speaking it.
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. |
We had a pretty heavy workload, especially the last three weeks. In all I think we wrote 13 papers in spanish during the course. The grading system was very simple, all together the papers were worth the same as the midterm and the final. The classes are pretty small because everyone is split up into either beginner, intermediate, or advanced. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program is very unorganized but part of that is just costa rican, laid back, culture. The professors are great but the administrators of the program are very hard to get a hold of and aren't very quick to help you with anything. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Many other students in the program loved their host families, but I got stuck with a not so great family. My family rarely interacted with me other than making me my meals. The neighborhoods around campus are very safe, as long as you use common sense. Don't walk alone at night ect. Heredia has several bars, but a lot of people who want to go clubbing drive 30 mins to San Jose. |
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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: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | It depended on where we traveled to that weekend. hostel, food, park entrance costs ect. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You have to pay to print your papers, but it is cheap. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish 3 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
You practiced spanish mon-thurs in class and everyday with your host family and people around town when you go out. Everyone around campus, in Heredia, mainly spoke only Spanish. But if you travel on the weekends all of the touristy areas speak a lot of english. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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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