A Crazy Semester January 27, 2026

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The hands on learning style of the program was very educational and I definitely retained more of what I learned than any other semester of school. It was great to learn about so many different aspects of ecology but I do wish we went a bit more in depth on each individual study area. I also would have enjoyed a bit more field work in the ecology class. The independent study project was one of my most rewarding pieces of academic work and the most intense assignment I've ever had. We did not have a ton of homework/busy work but sometimes assignments were tiring with the amount of travel. I came into the program with a pretty high level of Spanish and I felt like the Spanish class was not super helpful and a bit boring.

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

It was difficult to be moving around a lot and to not really feel settled anywhere. The entire semester we moved about every week and the longest we ever were in the same place in a row was two weeks. The quality of the housing was good though! I enjoyed the mix of host families and time living with the group.

Panamanian food is heavy on fried food and rice which was a bit hard at times depending on where we were staying. The program was pretty accommodating of allergies/dietary restrictions

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I lived with a host family during my independent project and felt immersed then. Community conversations were another great source of immersion. However, because we moved around so much I never really felt settled and integrated into any part of the country.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

SIT will take you to the best health care available. Rural hospitals in Panama/Costa Rica are pretty hit or miss in terms of quality. I had a bad experience with one doctor in Panama who gave me harmful medical advice but overall health care was good.

Overall, the program was very safe. However, our group had a very scary experience were one of my classmates nearly died while participating in program activities.

I learned a lot both about the scientific and political sides of conservation which was very worthwhile. The program was highly structured. We moved almost every week which made it hard to feel immersed.

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

We received a stipend for ISP that covered all of our cost. We did have to buy some of our meals with our own money during the rest of the trip.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

We had a 2 week intensive Spanish class and lived with host families for about a month total. The rest of the of the program was in English. Everyone's Spanish improved but not as much as it would have if the program was all in Spanish. I choose to live with a host family and do interviews for my ISP which was a lot of practice in Spanish and the most language immersive part of the program for me.

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Hotel
• Hostel

Select all that apply

• Americans
• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Americans

• host families
• independent study project

• safety
• more fieldwork

The Academic or Linguist