Sol Abroad High School Program in Costa Rica

The independence and welcoming community makes this trip well worth the money! The opportunity to see most of Costa Rica, from the Jungle to the beach. Ticos are very welcoming and nice. They will do anything they can to make your trip a great experience. If you are on the fence for just go for it. This is an experience you will remeber for the rest of your life. The opportunity to learn a new languages is amazing. The food that you try their will stick with you for the rest of your life. This trip allows you to find yourself. I will miss the walking the most, to walk into town it is three fourths of a mile. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery. In the market I was able to drink straight from the coconut. Costa Rica is on of the best places on earth!

This program was amazing! From the moment I signed up to go, the Sol Abroad staff was engaging, personable, and worked to help adjust the dates of the program to better fit my schedule. The directors involved in helping us when we arrived were very welcoming, informative, and funny! The host family I stayed with was so inviting and truly made me and my roommate feel apart of their family. Everyone involved in coordinating/helping with this program went above and beyond to ensure our safety and enjoyment throughout the trip. I would recommend this program for sure! It not only helped improve my Spanish, but it allowed me to make lifelong friends, who I still talk to even after the trip, and broadened my perspectives on many topics. This program is completely worth it for the experiences you gain by participating!

I went into this program not now what to expect, but it was more than I could have ever asked for!! The flight there was the most nerve racking part and it went very smoothly. Once I arrived the Sol Abroad staff welcomed me. My housing and host family were more gracious and kind than I could have ever anticipated! The teaching staff was also very encouraging and enthusiastic about our Spanish speaking journey. Our excursions and daily activities enhanced the trip as well. We had a huge variety of activities that gave us a good sense of the Costa Rican culture. The food we ate also enriched our experience. I will forever remember the compassion and knowledge I was given from this experience. I highly recommend this program to increase cultural awareness and your Spanish skills.

Costa Rica is amazing and I got the best out of it using Sol Abroad. Last year I did the same program in Granada, Spain and loved it so much that I decided to do another. One thing I didn't like about Spain was the food since I don't eat meat very often but in my small town in Costa Rica the food was amazing and my host mom was so kind. It also felt like everyone was just so nice everyone says hi to you and I never felt unsafe while I was there. I stayed for the whole two months and I saw many come and go but that experience will last a lifetime. Over the years I learned that it is so hard to understand a culture without living there and this is exactly what I needed to understand and love Costa Rica. It was truly a great two months and I would totally do it again.

I had so much fun! I spent my birthday in Atenas, Costa Rica and the directors made sure I had a wonderful birthday. They even ordered me a vegan cake and made us reservations for the vegan restaurant in Atenas. Other than that, the host family was very welcoming and the directors made sure I was accommodated along every step of the way. I really enjoyed the excursions and all the activities we did. The classes were very helpful and the professors were very knowledgeable. If you have dietary restrictions I would highly recommend this trip. This was the adventure of a lifetime and I made so many great friends that I know will be lifelong friends. I never thought this trip would impact me as much as it did. I will definitely recommend this program to underclassmen at my school.

Before I came to Sol Abroad, I had done another study abroad program in Barcelona for a month. Though I did have a lot of fun in the beautiful city and am definitely glad I went, I was disappointed by the fact that there wasn't much immersion that the program offered. Everything was done in English, and many parts of the city were simply meant to cater to American tourists. No doubt about it those kinds of towns also exist in Costa Rica, but that's not where Sol Abroad took us. They had us stay in Atenas, a small town where very few foreigners visit. Because of that, it shows the true lives of Costa Rican people, away from all of the beach-themed huts and restaurants where most Americans choose to stay. It is because of this that Sol Abroad offers a true cultural immersion experience, with all of its pleasant and unpleasant aspects. The homestay truly shows what it is like to live in the town, and the encouragement to speak as much Spanish as possible made me nearly fluent in the language by the time I got back. Of course, the program still has all the proper safety precautions and makes sure that every student has what they need. It is well organized with its excursions, classes, and activities, and there was never a moment that I was bored with nothing to do. The program directors, Catalina and Judith, were also some of the sweetest people I ever met, and as well as being my guides and advisors, I can proudly say they were also my friends. All in all, if you truly want to experience what it is to live in the Costa Rica, then Sol Abroad is the program for you. Pura vida!

Going to Costa Rica with Sol Abroad was the highlight of my summer! Not only did I learn Spanish in a fun, unique way, but I made so many friends and memories as well. I'd just give this little bit of advice to future study abroad students: put yourself out there on the very first day. No one knows each other at that point and if you just start talking, you'll make friends you'll never lose! The two weeks I spent in Costa Rica with Sol Abroad brought me some of the best times of my life and I'm sure I'll never forget the friends and memories made there! Of course, I went on this trip mainly to further my knowledge of the Spanish language. Before I arrived, I was expecting classes each day to be similar to Spanish class in school, but it turned out to be completely different and way more fun! We did tons of group projects and interacted with the citizens of Atenas to develop speaking skills. Going to Costa Rica with Sol Abroad was the best!!

Great trips and people but Spanish speaking should be more enforced/incentived when within the group. The excursions were very fun and usually well thought out. Every meal was delicious and safety was a constant. We didn’t go in some of the promised excursions due to various reasons which was a let down. The host family was great. Costa Rica was a great place to go because it has so many different things to offer without feeling too touristy, though at times it did feel a little cheesy, that’s inevitable though.