Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Rollercoaster Past Review

By (Wartburg College) - abroad from 01/15/2016 to 05/13/2016 with

USAC Costa Rica: San Ramón - Life Sciences, Spanish Language, and Culture

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I am now more of a risk-taker; I try to remain "tranquila" more; It was worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes were challenging, particularly the Advanced Spanish course. Not as hard as the classes I normally experience in my Neuroscience major, but very comparable to Spanish classes at my home universty.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

They were sort of disorganized and neglected to tell us a lot of information. I felt slightly disrespected on occasion (i.e. they laughed at us when three of us nearly died of drowning by huge waves in the ocean), but I do know that they had my back the entire time as they reacted to certain situations fairly well (removing students from unhappy housing arrangements.)

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My mama-tica went to America April 8th and never returned. The food was not varied and I could hear them gossiping all the time about me and each other, despite not understanding everything.

* Food:

Not varied. Not extremely representative of Costa Rica.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

There were some sexual harassment issues, but they were not terribly dangerous situations.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I think that of the three USAC Costa Rica programs, the San Ramon one is the best. But I don't know if I would necessarily choose USAC again. I probably would.

Finances

* 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 fairly expensive. I probably spent $125 a week.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $125
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Just bring enough. I only brought $500, which I should have not done.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? 300-level
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? Make tico friends or only talk to your American friends in Spanish. Talk to strangers.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • the students
  • the location
  • the classes/teachers
* What could be improved?
  • better school campus with more resources
  • better picks for host families
  • more internship variablility
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That the internship was not worth the experience.

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 Linguist
You 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!