Study Abroad, You Better Past Review
By Katy C (International Relations, Spanish, Latin American Studies, University of Arkansas - Fayetteville) for
ISA Study Abroad in San José, Costa Rica
My Spanish skills were greatly improved and I became more independent in general. I would not be opposed to living abroad in the future and staying there indefinitely.
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. |
My classes were really easy. I'm thankful though for how interactive the classes were and how much time I got tospeak in Spanish in my classes. We did lots of group work and grades were given out very freely. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
My program was very small and all of the on-site ISA staff were incredibly helpful and friendly. They did way more than I ever even expected of them to do. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
accomodating. quantity was great and overall satisified with quality. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I appreciated them all. Travel travel travel! Itwas so worth it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Heatlh care was really accessible and fast. I went to the hospital once and my program director drove me to there and back in her own car and helped me the entire time. I didn't need any vaccines and nothing big ever happened to me. I just had to be careful in being out alone and not being alone at night. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | nothing. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | advanced |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Yes I used Spanish everyday, but all of myclassmates were from the US so it was difficult to not speak English with them. I met with a teacher a couple of hours each week to speak Spanish and with my host mom and a few friends I made while abroad. |
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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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? | don't speak English |
