Costa Rica: The experience of a lifetime Past Review
By Kimberly K (Spanish Language and Literature., Nebraska Wesleyan University) for
ISEP Exchange: Heredia - Exchange Program at Universidad Nacional
YES! I became more confident and sure of myself and got a good perspective of life. It really opens up your eyes to all the wonderful and terrible things in the world and forces you to learn and grow.
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. |
Many of my teachers relied on the students to teach the course for them and I found it to be a bit unorganized. It was difficult at time to be in an organized classroom and not fully understand everything that was going on. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
She was only available 3 out of the 7 days of the week and at times was not very helpful. She kept straight to the rules which I understand but at times she was so concerned with explaining policies and rules that she did not take into consideration our point of view or our personal experience. I felt like she was more concerned with following the rules than with our personal experiences and at times this made her seem difficult and hard to approach. I feel like she could have done a better job of ensuring that all of the students were having a good experience. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I absolutely loved my host family. They were very helpful with learning Spanish and there housing situation was very accommodating. They cooked according to my strict diet (gluten-free) and they never complained about having to do that. They were very happy and helpful and I got to know them very well during my experience. I plan on going back to visit them someday. |
| * Food: |
Wide variety of foods Delicious Nutritious |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I traveled a lot with friends and there were a lot of fun places to visit. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There was a doctors office on campus and I went there one time and was given medication that made me feel better within days. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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? | $50 It depends how much you eat out but I spent money on buying photocopies for school each week and I bought my own groceries from time to time which cost about the same as they would in the US. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | BUDGET YOUR MONEY. Spend as little as you can at first so you know you will not run out. |
Language
| 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 Conversation |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Make sure to save up money because you are going to want to travel a lot. Costa Rica is a small country with a lot of travel opportunities and you may as well experience all you can in the short time you have there. |
