Costa Rica: Boundlessly beautiful and endlessly eye opening Past Review
By Paige E (Spanish Language and Literature., Rollins College) for
Rollins College: Traveling - First Year Field Study: Costa Rica
It was so worth my while. I had an amazing and eye opening time that deepened my love for nature and the enviornment.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
We learned SO MUCH about the local species, eco system functions, sustainability. Dr. Allen was able to create a great balance between leisure time, educational time, and field time. It was the best experience of my life. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There is absolutely nothing that I would change about this program. Dr. Allen is wonderful, the program was the perfect blend of field learning and discussion. The food was amazing, the accomodations were wonderful, our bus drive and guide was very helpful and always willing to practice spanish with us. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The food was AMAZING, the accomodations were all clean and comfortable, the locations and scenery were wonderful, everything felt very safe. |
| * Food: |
BEST FOOD OF MY LIFE. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was a very well picked and balanced group of students. I especially enjoyed swimming in the hot springs, our night hikes, and staying at San Gerardo. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Very very safe |
| 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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably spent about 40 dollars in total on snacks and souvaniers |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There is a 26$ fee to exit the country |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I could practice Spanish with our bus driver, the locals, Dr. Allen, and with the other students. I used Spanish every day - the only people the mostly spoke english were the other students that didn't know much Spanish. |
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? | GO!! ITS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!! |
