Costa Rica is the jam Past Review
By Graham H (English, DePaul University) for
ISA Study Abroad in San José, Costa Rica
Studying abroad made me appreciate simple things more. Making friends everywhere and having to survive on my own afterwards gave me invaluable patience and satisfaction.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The Spanish language classes were very intense in terms of time and amount of homework. The other English taught classes were much easier, which was good for me considering I was there for the experience and Spanish immersion, not necessarily academic advancement. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff was amazing. I had to go to the hospital at like 11:00pm one night and the program director (who's name escapes me) took me personally. Overall, everyone was great. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was amazing. My roommate was a total wiener, but ISA had nothing to do with that. |
| * Food: |
Cecelia (my host mom) was a great and selfless cook for us. Even though we had only technically paid for 2 meals a day, she never scoffed at feeding us whenever. She also let me help in the kitchen occasionally, which I love. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We took two trips together that were pretty dang fun. One to Manuel Antonio and one to Monteverde. Both were a blast, and a great chance to bond with my fellow students. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
The hospital I went to was totally fine. The experience while not pleasant, was not bad. The city of San Jose isn't the safest place and I had a few friends get mugged. But I'm from Chicago. Stuff like that is not out of the ordinary, and you just have to be smart about your surroundings. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I came to Costa Rica with many years of Spanish study under my belt, but no real-life experience to speak of. By the time I left to travel the rest of Central America, I felt completely confident in my ability to communicate and survive on my own. I was able to practice extensively with my host family who I loved dearly. The Tico friends I made in San Jose all spoke English fluently, but they humored me when I wanted to practice. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Take it easy there. Don't get too stressed about anything but your Spanish classes. Everything else is totally gravy if you're cool and reasonably intelligent. |
