Past Review
By Joseph Chang (Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering., Rice University) for
ISA Study Abroad in San José, Costa Rica
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Summer 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The class was a little easy, but immersion in a Spanish speaking country was still great for learning conversational Spanish. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very thorough orientations. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Single bedroom w/attached bathroom. One "roommate" with his own bedroom. <br /><br /> It was about 15 min driving and >30 min walking in busy traffic from the school. |
| * Food: |
Pretty good if you like rice and beans. The host family tried to put in some variety while still keeping to traditional Costa Rican cuisine. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Study abroad staff and fellow participants were very friendly and organized numerous social activities. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Orientation thoroughly covered how to be safe in Costa Rica. |
| 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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Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The more you speak only in Spanish, the more you will learn. But, many times the students in my program would speak only in English because it was simpler to communicate with. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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