Costa Rica was the best 4 months of my life, hands down! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was much less than at CU Boulder, but you still learn a lot in your classes and they are very interesting. The teachers know that you want to travel and experience the culture, so they respect that and don't assign too much "busy work" and tedious work. Most of the work are tests and papers, but they are manageable. The teachers were very qualified and made class very rewarding and enjoyable. I have no complaints about the academics: I learned a lot, but got the chance to travel and enjoy the culture as well.

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The ISA program arranged the housing, so it was super easy. They re-use many of the same families, so they are used to having students and know how students feel and how to handle them. My house was about 15-20 minutes walking from the Veritas University where I went to school. It was one of the farthest houses, but there was a shuttle that ran right by my house to the school and came by a couple times of day, so it was really easy to get to school. The neighborhood was a sketchier one. As time went on I felt more safe, but it was not safe to walk around at night. If I had one complaint, it would be the cleanliness and safety of the neighborhood, but that is part of the experience. The house had sheets and the only things I had to get were toiletries. The house was really close to downtown San Jose and many clubs and bars, so the nightlife was really fun!

The food was awesome. My house mama was an amazing cook and I loved everything. All the families are really accommodating to any food needs and preferences.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

San Jose has a great night life and many cultural places to see. They have lots of museums. It is really easy to travel from San Jose and I got to travel every weekend and see so much! San Jose is the best place to live if you want to travel because everything comes and goes from San Jose.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had to go to the doctor because I got sick while I was down there. The ISA program took me right away to the hospital they always use and got me medicine. It was much faster and more efficient than in the U.S. I was very impressed!

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

The program really helped my Spanish. However, I felt I improved the most from speaking with locals and my host family. The classes were helpful for grammar, but my conversation skills improved the most from using them in everyday interactions. There were many locals that spoke English or a little bit of English, but they like speaking Spanish with you and encourage you to do so. It is really up to you: if you want to really improve your Spanish you can, but if that is not your goal, you can also get by without speaking it much.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family