Rewarding Past Review
By Jazmine M (Spanish, University of Northern Iowa) - abroad from 01/04/2015 to 05/02/2015 with
University of Northern Iowa: San José - Semester in San José, Costa Rica (Veritas)
I learned that I want to travel so much. I became more independent and now I know I can live on my own and travel alone. I am so grateful for this experience and wish I could live it again.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I learned more of the languange, culture, and dance but I don't believe my vocabulary grew much. Class was very intense and I did have some very good professors. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Veritas University was very accommodating and did a good job at answering all my questions. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my host family. No one spoke Spanish which was good, but my host mom spoke very fast so I didn't feel I learned much. The whole family was so nice and always made me feel comfortable. |
| * Food: |
My host mom was a great cook and loved it. I was so excited getting breakfast and dinner from her. Never had any complaints on her food and she never made food I didn't like. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I really feel like I lived in Costa Rica for longer than 4 months. I learned so much of the culture and adapted to it. I loved almost everything about the people, places, and food. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did have to go to the clinic and get a checkup on an issue. They were so caring and answered all my questions. There healthcare is very nice in San José and I thought they were exceptional. |
| * Safety: |
It's a city so it's going to be dangerous at times. There was always security during the day which was great, but they were gone during the night when I would want them the most. |
| 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) |
It was very difficult staying anywhere near my budget. Buying lunch everyday and then taking trips on weekends cost a lot more than expected, but I could have tried harder so some of it was my fault. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably $56 a week on lunches during the week, but then traveling I would have spent a lot more. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It's okay sometimes to make your own lunch. You will be there a long time and can enjoy great food from your host mom. Also, don't carry a lot of cash with you or use your debit card too much because you will spend a large amount of it. |
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 |
The whole country is filled with Spanish speakers. There's no way not to speak it everyday. Making American friends does hold you back a bit. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| 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? | Advanced 1 |
| 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? | Study everynight. No matter if you have homework or not. If you want to know a word look it up and save it in your memory bank. Just because you are abroad doesn't mean you will pick things up easily, you have to work for it. |
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? |
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? | I wish I would have known more about the classes I was taking, more about the nice places to travel, and more about my host family. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
