Eye-Opening and immersive cultural and global awareness experience! Past Review
By Kelsey Hunt (Stephen F. Austin State University) - abroad from 08/01/2017 to 09/14/2017 with
Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA): Traveling - Student Teachers in Costa Rica
I gained better perspective and awareness of myself, my nation, and the world. I also buffed up my Spanish speaking skills, and gained experiences and knowledge I can use in my future classroom. It was incredibly worthwhile.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Even though we only had class for an hour or two every night, I was learning every moment I was there! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I really got to experience Costa Rica everywhere from housing to food to transportation. The housing was very clean, but the lack of air conditioning in some of the areas helped to put me in the Costa Rican perspective. |
| * Food: |
The food was absolutely incredible. There was also a very large selection of things we could eat. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt incredibly integrated. With our professor knowing a lot of the locals, and plenty of opportunity to interact with the residents in each location I got to experience cultural immersion. It was phenomenal! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We were given PLENTY of safety tips that will stick with me for the rest of my life in any location, but were especially useful because they were given in reference to each location we went to. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved every aspect of this program. |
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) |
Our professor definitely arranged this trip to be cheap if we wanted. The cost of housing was low, and food could be low if we chose as well. A lot of the activities that were more expensive were optional to help students on a tight budget. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Think ahead on meal-planning. Extra snacks can be useful but are very easy to overspend on. The meals are big too and I was able to split meals a lot with another person. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I honestly feel that we were extremely well prepared for this trip. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
