Fantastic Spanish-Learning and Travel Experience Past Review

I definitely improved my Spanish through this program and had a wonderful experience with my host mom as well as the other American student I was housed with. I think the Sol program is particularly tailored to the student who hasn't travelled as much in the past, although there were many of us who had international travel experience and still found the program to be very worthwhile. I didn't find the classes to be difficult since the structure was fairly laid-back, but I still picked up a lot of important conversational knowledge and grammar. The two Sol weekend trips were so fun and I got to know the other students on my program really well through those. Two important things to note for students considering this program: 1) For summer sessions Sol only plans activities for the first three weeks/ weekends for you, so after that you're on your own in terms of planning. I ended up loving this because it meant that I had greater opportunities to be independent and to see other parts of the country (most destinations are accessible by Greyhound-style buses that you catch in San Jose). I would definitely recommend getting some of your new friends together and planning out weekend excursions ahead of time! (On my free weekends I went to Tamarindo, Monteverde and Montezuma-- highly recommend all of them!). Sol does offer a few extra week day activities for students who have been there for longer, but you do have a lot more free time. 2) This program is very socially intensive with the other American students. I wasn't sure about this aspect when I first started the program but I definitely warmed up to it more as time went on. I was initially surprised by the amount of students from the geographic South on this program (in hindsight not at all surprising considering the program is based in Texas) which was really fun for me because I'm from a totally different part of the country. However, I do think it's important for prospective applicants to realize that the most Costa Rican cultural exposure most students get on the program is through their host family rather than other local students. That's not to say no one made Tico friends, but those who did were definitely in the small minority. So in short, I recommend this program to anyone wanting to improve their Spanish, travel experience, and knowledge of Costa Rican culture with the advice that the experience really is what you make it. Happy travels!