Best Eye-Opening Amazing Beautiful 3 weeks of my life Past Review
By Jenny A (International Business Management, University of Texas - San Antonio) - abroad from 07/18/2015 to 08/08/2015 with
Study Abroad Programs in Costa Rica
It was definitely worthwhile, it made me realize that I appreciate the diversity of cultures and the beauty that is found within each culture.
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. |
There were sufficient resources provided for the students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I absolutely loved the directors, they did and everything absolutely great and their love for their country definitely made the program beyond expectations. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I also loved my host family, they were so sweet and welcoming it was hard to leave Costa Rica. |
| * Food: |
I liked the food a lot, my family took turns cooking and there was so much variety and great food I hardly was tired of it. I'm Central American so a lot of the cuisine I've had or have eaten something similar which was nice. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt semi integrated but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I did all the tourist stuff I could do, but I definitely would've felt more integrated with more time there. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't deal with healthcare. |
| * Safety: |
The city's safety was good, usually had a walking buddy that lived on my street. At night, it was known not to walk around unless you were with a group. |
| 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? | $40 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would take cash and divide it by week, unless you have situations and random adventures that come up that you're willing to sacrifice a cafecito o souvenir in the future. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Advanced oral language skills |
| 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? | If you sincerely want to practice the language and improve you will. You just have to expose yourself to situations in your study abroad experience that make you speak it, studying abroad is the best way to expose yourself if you utilize it well. |
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?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | that there was options for more weeks/ sessions |
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.' |
