Costa Rica: Nature and the Pure Life Past Review
By Corinne C (International Development, Clark University) for
The School for Field Studies / SFS: Costa Rica – Ecological Resilience Studies
Yes, this program was worth it to me because of the great academic experience and opportunity to live in a small town and get a glimpse at the true Costa Rican life.
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. |
Overall, the work load was not unmanageable and I ended up learning more from the professors here than I have throughout any semester at my home university. You get an in depth look at each area you are taking a class in (through discussions, lectures, field research, readings, etc.) and then take part in a final directed research project that gives you a break from the monotony of classes everyday. I was very happy with the academics portion of the program. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I found the administration of the program the most frustrating aspect of my abroad experience. Our schedule was jam packed every day (with a very early curfew as well) and when we asked the center director to help us out with it (such as extending curfew for our Last night in the country) we were met with zero understanding and leeway. They need to be more flexible to make this a better experience. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
All of the students live together in one house (where the classes are located as well) with normally four people in a room in the girls hallway and about three per room for the boys. It's a very tight living situation and leaves very little room for alone time, so be prepared to have the other students constantly around you. It does help you get close to everyone though! |
| * Food: |
The food was always great (local Costa Rican women and students prepared each meal) and mealtimes were always a fun occasion on campus. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The day field trips and the week field trip to Panama were some of my best memories from this program. It was great having classes outdoors in the field and getting away from the house for brief periods of time. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Atenas is a very safe town if you take normal precautions. I never felt I was not safe in the town or at the house we lived in. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The spanish language portion of this program was very small and something I definitely wished I could experience more of. We took a language and culture class (which involved spanish classes about once a week) and I found the professor for that (a local Costa Rican) very unhelpful with the language and think she probably had never had teaching experience before. If you want to become better at Spanish it's very much up to you to go out and talk to the locals and improve on your own. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | If you're interested in anything environmental or international development related I would recommend this program to you. This program is good if you like living close with other students (or would like to learn how!), but know you aren't going to have as much free time as you expected and it has a VERY rigid schedule. Don't choose this program if you want to focus on language acquisition, and be prepared to go out on your own to improve your spanish. |
