Pura vida Past Review
By Tyrah D (International Relations, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 09/21/2015 to 12/19/2015 with
API Universidad Veritas
Gaining confidence in my spanish skills was my biggest gain. I also learned how to travel cheaply.
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. |
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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? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
Honestly it was a great experience and awesome program,. However fI didn't really feel comfortble going out and doing things alone, especially after 5 pm (and I'm a lonet so that really sucked). Tons of students were robbed. My momma tica was robbed walking home one night and my tico brother had been held up at gunpoint before. Plus I had a bad experience with some local fuys. |
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) |
Most people spent moat of their money on alcohol, so snce I'm not a big drinker, the only time I spent money was on trips. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50 not including trips |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't waste your money on alcohol, you can get drunk in the states. |
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 |
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| 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? | 5 semesters |
| 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? | All the things they say about how women dress are not true in San Jose. Bring what you want, not what you think you should! With the exception of a rain jacket, definitely take one of those! |
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! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Agroecology |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Amanda |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class was the a heavy workload, but incredibly interesting and completely worth taking! The field trips were both educationa and fun. They included trips to organic farms and markets as well as gardens. |
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| Course Name/Rating: |
Environmental impact and social development |
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| Instructor: | Mauricio |
| Instruction Language: | |
| Comments: | Easiest class I've ever taken, but super fun and engaging. Also amazing field trips (horseback riding and hiking through forests). There was one 20 page paper and some smaller ones, which were more for completioon. |
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