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Location
  • Costa Rica
Length
26 - 52 weeks
Program Categories
Cultural Immersion Language Immersion Study Abroad
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, LGBTQIA+ funding, BIPOC funding
Health & Safety
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Program Details

Timeframe
Academic Year Fall
Housing
Host Family
Language
Spanish

Pricing

Starting Price
10000
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Some Meals
What's Not Included
Some Activities Domestic Airfare Some Meals Visa
Dec 12, 2024
Jun 15, 2018
Wish List
6 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Costa Rica is the place of pura vida (pure life), a contagious attitude of living life to the fullest. And it shows – Costa Rica is the world's happiest country according to the Happy Planet index. Costa Ricans call themselves ticos, and you’ll often hear them demonstrate their national pride by describing something as muy tico, or “very Costa Rican.” Ticos are generally easy-going, so you’re likely to get along with most people you meet.
Our high school study abroad program in Costa Rica is filled with an immersive homestay and high school experience, and an unbelievable tour of this stunning land. This is your chance to make lifelong friends across cultures and become a member of the community. With its tropical climate, biodiversity, fresh food, and relaxed lifestyle, going to school in Costa Rica is an enchanting way to discover a new culture. By living with a host family and attending a local high school, you’ll get an inside look at this idyllic society.

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Video and Photos

AFS Exchange students in Costa Rica nature
AFS Exchange students participating in Costa Rica cultural event
AFS Exchange students smiling in Costa Rica nature
AFS Exchange students experiencing the jungle in Costa Rica
AFS Exchange student experiencing nature in Costa Rica
A plate of food from Costa Rica
Costa Rica flower
AFS Exchange students having fun in Costa Rica

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Diversity & Inclusion 💙

AFS-USA is committed to providing international and intercultural learning experiences to individuals from diverse backgrounds and communities, including mixed heritage, foreign nationalities, and all socio-economic levels.
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AFS-USA welcomes members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and actively encourages and supports their participation in all types of AFS opportunities, including studying abroad, volunteering, and hosting exchange students.
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AFS-USA is committed to practicing and promoting accessibility and inclusion.
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Program Highlights

  • Immerse yourself in the Spanish language - the best way to become fluent in the second most-spoken language in the world.
  • Live with a host family to deepen your immersion and connection to Costa Rican culture. If you’re like most AFSers, you won’t want to leave this second family and home.
  • Explore the lush, tropical beauty of Costa Rica and sample some of the world’s freshest fruits and vegetables.
  • Make connections and memories you'll never forget with other AFS exchange students from all over the world.
  • Become a global citizen. Gain intercultural communication skills. Build your college and career resume. Help create a more peaceful, understanding world.

Program Reviews

5.00 Rating
based on 2 reviews
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  • Growth 5
  • Support 4
  • Fun 4.5
  • Housing 4.5
  • Safety 4.5
Showing 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Default avatar
Gillian
26
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Life Expanding

Jun 15, 2018

Everyone always describes their exchange as “life changing” but mine was life expanding. Not only did I learn to speak Spanish with the help of my amazing host family and classmates, but I learned how to cook, surf, *actually* relax, and become part of the culture. When I returned, all I could ask myself was “when can I go back?” One thing to take with you there and come back with, is to always be open for change and new opportunities. Costa Rica is the best place to learn to adapt, improvise, and overcome any obstacle. My favorite memory has to be getting out of school early and grabbing some surfboards, food, drinks, and heading to the beach on some bikes with my friends for the rest of the day. There are no words to explain my experience, only a simple piece of advice: just go already!

What would you improve about this program?
Better investigation into host families.
97 people found this review helpful.
Helpful
Isla Tortuga snorkeling trip
Playa Avellanas, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Thermomania Hot Springs in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Hot springs and pools straight from the volcano itself.
Read my full story
Default avatar
Morgan
25
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Costa Rica with AFS

Feb 6, 2018

No matter where you end up living in Costa Rica, there is always an opportunity to travel and see the other parts of the country. Traveling throughout Costa Rica is very easy because of how great the public bus system is and how reasonable the costs are. The people of Costa Rica are very friendly and always willing to sit down to talk over coffee and bread in the afternoon. The atmosphere is 100% Pura Vida and everybody is always relaxed and very go-with-the-flow.

What would you improve about this program?
The staff in Costa Rica can be more proactive in changing families (rather than waiting 2-3 months for uncomfortable students).
88 people found this review helpful.
Helpful
Me and my host family in Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Gillian Flannery

Program
AFS Year and Semester High School Abroad in Costa Rica
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Why did you choose this program?

I chose this program because it offered me a chance to experience a culture extremely varied from my own. I chose Costa Rica for the wildlife and geography, as well as the history that is attributed to one of the happiest places on Earth.

I was looking to escape my average life and leave to meet new people, learn a new language, adopt a new way of life, and gain a better understanding of an entirely new portion of the world. I opted for a semester (5-6 months), in which I would also be enrolled in school, so I would have a full immersion into the life of an individual my age in Costa Rica.

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

AFS provided me with the international travel and Visas, as well as an arrival orientation that helped me gain an idea of what Costa Rica is about and what to expect in terms of school, family life, and social/cultural norms. The program also provided me with a host family and host school, a mid-stay orientation, contacts and counselors to help me immerse myself, and travel opportunities to other nearby countries.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

My best piece of advice is to go with the flow and expect the unexpected. Not everything will go just as planned. Just like life at home, there will be obstacles to overcome in school and with friends and family.

Life becomes much easier once you learn to let loose, enjoy the time you have with the people you meet and the places you are in, and make the most out of every situation.

Whenever my friends ask me about my experience and if they should look into traveling abroad, I always tell them that it was the absolute best time of my life and that I will forever be thankful for the people I met, the way of life I adopted, and the lessons I’ve learned. It is a life changing experience, and I will always recommend it.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Although it varies depending on where you are placed and with what family, an average day for me would have been waking up around 8 in the morning, taking a shower, and eating homemade gallo pinto and plantains for breakfast with my family. I would go to school for my classes for the day, then come home, and my friends, family, and myself would grab our surf boards and fishing gear and head to the beach until sunset. Dinner was eaten later at night, accompanied with music or talk and multiple family members stopping over to say hi or to join for dinner.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest fear was leaving home and missing out on life back in the States. I soon overcame my homesickness, and I became so connected and involved with my life in Costa Rica that I didn’t have any time to worry about missing events or occasions back home. It’s not easy to overcome the homesickness, and I always missed my family members, but I knew that what I was doing in Costa Rica was on my own precious time and I should enjoy every second of it.

What is your most memorable experience?

My most memorable experience was on a Saturday when my friends and I went to a nearby beach. We brought a few dollars each, our surfboards, swimsuits, blankets, and biked a few miles out to the beach. We swam and surfed and I taught my friends how to body surf. When lunchtime came, we bike to a friend’s family member’s house where we ate a homemade lunch of plantains, yucca, fruits, and vegetables all fresh from a market.

After lunch, we rode back to the beach and my friends encourage me and my best friend, Nicolas, another exchange student from Italy, to jump off the bridge into the water below. It was so far up and I was terrified, but we jumped and everyone watched and clapped and laughed. That was one of the most exhilarating experiences and most memorable moments from my time there.

Location

Location:
Costa Rica
Currency:
Costa Rican Colón
Weather:
Jan-Mar
83 F / 67 F
Apr-Jun
85 F / 69 F
Jul-Sep
85 F / 69 F
Oct-Dec
83 F / 67 F
Airports:
Juan Santamaría International Airport
( SJO )
Limón International Airport
( LIO )
Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport
( LIR )

A pioneer of ecotourism, Costa Rica draws many tourists to its extensive series of national parks and other protected areas. Costa Rica began reversing deforestation in the 1990s, and they are moving towards using only renewable energy. Head to the cloud forest, relax on the beautiful beaches, or visit a coffee farm.

About AFS-USA

AFS-USA (formerly the American Field Service), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a leader in intercultural learning and offers international exchange programs in more than 40 countries around the world through independent, nonprofit AFS Organizations, each with a network of volunteers, a professionally staffed office, and headed up by a...

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