Best. Experience. Ever Past Review
By Tyler Kerver (University of Nevada, Reno) - abroad from 05/20/2016 to 07/29/2016 with
USAC Costa Rica: San Ramón - Life Sciences, Spanish Language, and Culture
I learned how to travel on my own, I learned a new language, made many friends, and gained a new respect for other countries.
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. |
Great classes! learning from Tico Professors was an incredible experience. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were always very helpful. They loved getting to know the students and helping us out with whatever we needed. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My Tica mom and I became very close. I still facebook her and lan on visiting again very soon |
| * Food: |
My host mom made it her job to keep me fed and happy. I had three meals a day (they were all super good!) and she made sure to accommodate my food needs. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Got to live with my a resident. She only spoke Spanish, so I got to know the language super fast. Was immersed into the culture and the town immediately. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
USAC offers great health care. I never needed to use it, but had a classmate get very sick. Everything worked out perfectly. On site staff were helpful. |
| * Safety: |
San Ramon was pretty safe, some of the adventures that we went on were not necessarily safe. We went swimming in a river that supposedly had some dangerous wildlife, but never witnessed it. Overall a very safe place to visit. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I loved the program; however, I would want to explore other countries and gain new experiences. |
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 could have went the entire summer without needing to buy anything. the only money i spent while abroad was for person fun activities. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | know the conversion rate so you know exactly how much money your spending. It is very easy to spend colones when you are actually spending double what you think you are. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| 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? | I had no spanish course prior to departure. |
| 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? | Learn some before you go. Even the basic sentences are helpful. Use google translate. Practice before and during the experience. use it as much as you can. |
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? | spanish |
