Hardly Anything Happened Except for Things I Wish Hadn’t Past Review
By Taryn Leoncavallo (Lord Fairfax Community College) - abroad from 05/11/2019 to 08/03/2019 with
Study Abroad Programs in Costa Rica
A lot of people who you assume would care about you don’t, and a lot of people who you assume would not do care. I would have rather learned that a different way.
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. |
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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? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
My pharmacy visits were all self-guided |
| * Safety: |
Was robbed at gunpoint |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I did very little with the program beyond the first three weeks and I felt the program’s student support structure was deeply lacking. |
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 spent no money on traveling |
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 |
In SOL activities, there was little encouragement to use the language; however, in classes and with my host family, the language was almost exclusively used. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| 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? | Intermediate |
| 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? | Spend time with your host family |
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? | That I would do almost nothing after the first three weeks. |
