Costa Rica with Sol Education Abroad Past Review
By A student (Environmental Science., University of Delaware) - abroad from 01/03/2015 to 02/05/2015 with
Study Abroad Programs in Costa Rica
I learned the value of family. In America, it is expected that people will move out of the house after they graduate from high school, but in Costa Rica/Latin America in general, family is valued a lot more and so people generally live with their parents until they get married. And when people get married, they will try to live near other family. I became a lot better at Spanish, largely thanks to my host family. They were super patient when I needed to talk slowly or I needed them to talk slowly. I learned to be confident when talking to other people in Spanish, especially because I found that most people are very encouraging and appreciate you trying to talk in Spanish even though it is not your first language. I learned to be more relaxed, since people in Costa Rica are generally more relaxed than Americans.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I studied abroad through University of Delaware but we had our housing organized through Sol Education Abroad, so I will only comment on housing. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I studied abroad through University of Delaware but we had our housing organized through Sol Education Abroad, so I will only comment on housing. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Sol Education Abroad does a great job with matching people up with host families. My host family was very loving and supportive and attentive to my roommate's and my needs. They were very patient with my Spanish, especially the beginning when I had to talk really slowly and they had to talk really slowly in order for me to understand them. The house was clean and I felt safe. I only ever had one small conflict with my host family, but I talked to the program coordinator, and she talked with my host family while I was at the university, and the problem was resolved by the time I got home. Our program coordinator is very friendly and approachable. |
| * Food: |
Every meal was great! My host mother made sure to cater to my roommate's and my dietary preferences/restrictions. We also had a lot of flexibility with when we wanted to eat. We ate breakfast and dinner with our host family, and our host mother packed a lunch for us. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program director runs a conversation club through the Universidad Latina-Heredia, which is a way for Costa Rican students and American students to meet each other and practice their English and Spanish, respectively. She also ran orientation in a way that was informative and also kept us engaged for several hours. I was with a separate program that was a month long and only had housing through Sol, but all my experiences with Sol were positive. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't use it at all. |
| * Safety: |
It is safe to walk around by yourself during the day, but make sure to take a taxi at night, or walk with a group of students if you aren't going far. |
| 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) |
We had room and board covered for us, so we only needed to spend more money if we wanted to go out or if we wanted to get a snack during the day, or if we wanted to travel somewhere that wasn't included with the excursions. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I don't remember |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you want to plan a weekend-long excursion, use Expediciones Tropicales! My group went on a canopy tour (ziplining), to Baldi Hot Springs, and the next day we had a horseback riding tour to La Fortuna Waterfall, which was only about $200 for the weekend and also included the bus, tour guide, the hotel, and all our meals for those two days except one breakfast and one lunch. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
My host family pretty much only spoke in Spanish, and our program director encouraged us to talk in Spanish to each other in order to get the most out of our experience. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Second semester of college Spanish, plus high school Spanish |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Make sure you talk in Spanish with your classmates, even if they are American! Your Spanish will improve so much faster! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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 wish I knew more about the structure of the typical Costa Rican family before I started the program. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
