Ecology Depends on us, overview of Costa Rica Past Review
By Melissa V (Biology, General., University of New Mexico) for
Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS): San Jose - Tropical Biology on a Changing Planet
My mind was opened to so many new ideas for conservation issues and preservation. Field trips were a daily occurance and everything was seen and taught first hand. i believe every person should leave their country at least once.
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. |
There are three different instructors and they all have different teaching styles and all three are experts in different fields. There is a teacher for every learning style. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
This program provided all it said it would. The weakness, if you could call it that, was the rustic order of many of the lodgings, most didn't have hot water. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The host family was a middle class and very nice family. The house was in a good neighborhood and a public bus was needed for transportation and was always just a walk away. Everything was provided for us, including food and laundry. |
| * Food: |
Vegetarian and vegan options were offered and were well made and delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were so many it hard to just pick one. I will remember it all. |
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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? |
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? | Everything was provided and money was only spent if you felt you needed something extra such as snacks or another pair of shoes. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Just remember you need $26 to leave the country of Costa Rica and 500 colones is about one dollar. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
This program provided a month with the University of Costa Rica Language Institute. Every person lived with a Costa Rican family, level of English spoken was dependent on the family. My family spoke no English and I spoke little to no Spanish but that was the main component in my learning Spanish. The teachers teach mainly in Spanish depending on your level, but this institute was amazing and so are the teachers. |
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? | Be prepared to hike, get stuck in the mud, and see so many amazing and beautiful sites. I think you may enjoy this better if one is physically fit, although I am not it was draining but in the end I made it and was stronger for it. |
