Pura Vida Past Review
By Danielle Baer (Universidad Latina de Costa Rica) - abroad from 05/14/2016 to 06/04/2016 with
Study Abroad Programs in Costa Rica
I feel that I had learned a lot from living with a host family. It was 100% worthwhile and I want to go back and study again in the winter.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I feel that the overall experience for education was awesome. My professor was very easy going and always there if you needed help. One thing that I didn't like was how much information was shoved into each day. I understand that each class is only 3 weeks, but it is still a lot of information to retain. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I did not have much contact with our onsite director. I know when fellow students wanted to talk to her she was hard to find and was not in the office. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was so pleased with my housing. I loved my host family. I was nervous going into it thinking I would not get along with my host family but I had the complete opposite experience. I had told my host mom that I wanted to come back and study again and I wanted to request her because that's how much I liked her. |
| * Food: |
My host mom was a retired cook, so I did not have a problem with food. From the beginning she knew I didn't like onions, tomatoes, and beans and she didn't get any of those to me while I was there. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Since I had made friends with some of the ticos at the University I feel that I got to experience the culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I had felt fairly safe during stay in Costa Rica. One thing that you always need to keep in mind is never walk alone, always walk in groups. I had a couple of guy friends in my neighborhood and they would walk me home if we stayed out late. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
They were very helpful with the application process. While abroad they had many different activities planned and excursions. |
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) |
I feel that I had spent $100 or less every week. All your meals are included with your host family, so most of my money that I spent was either on the souvenirs or alcohol when we went out in town. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 or less |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure that you bring small bills that you can exchange for colones. |
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 didn't speak any english so I had to speak spanish to communicate. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| 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? | Intermediate 1 spanish grammer |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | 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? | Not to dress up in jeans and a nice shirt everyday. I did not expect it to be as hot as it was. Bring shorts and t shirts!!! |
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! |
