I came to Maximo Nivel to take Spanish classes. I took classes for a full month, 6 hours a day. I took a more intensive schedule than most students who come to Maximo Nivel choose to do, but it was worth it. I really appreciated how personalized the course was. There were only two students in my classes, so the course was 100% personalized. Outside of class I was staying with a host family, so I was speaking Spanish most of the day. This is really the best way to learn. I am going home from this program speaking Spanish much more fluently and correctly than I did when I showed up only a month ago. Outside of classes, Maximo Nivel made sure my experience was comfortable in everyway. The staff were ready to help with any and every question I had. I also really enjoyed getting to know the other students here as well.

I was nervous to take some Spanish classes abroad, since I was going to be traveling by myself. After doing some reserach on Spanish immersion programs in Central America, I found Maximo Nivel. My University has a study abroad program in collaboration with Maximo Nivel, so I knew that if my University found value in sending students here, I would too. Maximo is great for students and professionals because through this institution, they arrange so much for you. I was so happy that through Maximo I found a host family that was amazing. My living conditions were great and I got to practice my Spanish in the household. Maximo is also right next to a travel agency, so it is very convinient to book trips or learn more about the different places in Costa Rica.

As far as my expereince in the classroom, I am beyond happy with how much my Spanish has improved. The class sizes are small, and depending on what time of year you travel, you may be the only one. I was with one other student for a majroity of my time here, but I ended up taking one week of solo lessons. The teaching staff here is expceptional. All of the educators are dedicated and extremely friendly. The class is modeled after a conversational style of learning, which is extremely helpful for learning everyday phrases, and holding your attention for a long period of time. I personally took 4 hour lessons each day, and I highly recommend this amount of instruction for anyone looking to vastly improve their Spanish.

The only downside to my expereince was that, at times, I was the only one in my class or host family. I think this was because I came here towards the end of summer. There were many families that traveled together, and they all seemed to have a great expereince. If you are looking for a solo adventure, this is a great institution to come to, as the staff is super friendly and there are a few outside activites they plan for free.

Overall, I am very greatful for my expereince here at Maximo, and although it can seem daunting to travel alone, I recommened this program to anyone interested!

I really enjoyed my time in Costa Rica! The host family was always very helpful and hospitable. The staff at Maximo Nivel were friendly and available for any questions we had about the city, the program, anything. Our Spanish class teacher was kind, instructive, and fun. In addition to teaching us Spanish, she was enthusiastic about sharing information about the local culture, which made the class much more personal and valuable.

I spent a quick 1 week in San Jose, CR and took one week of 3 hour private lessons. I was very impressed with how personable the staff was, and the community and comraderie at Maximo and between Maximo students and volunteers.

I thought the price, compared to other programs that I researched in the area, was great, especially considering the caliber and experience of my professor, the free activities that were offered on various days, and the comfort of my homestay.

My professor, considering my one week, exposed me to the most practical lessons that I can immediately use and build upon. My homestay family was accommodating, and was deliberate about helping me practice without hovering.

I would most definitely recommend the program.

People in CR are so friendly. I had such a good time!
In CR you can experience the best of adventures, beaches, wildness and night life in just one place.
People in reception are so nice and welcoming.
You can meet people and have a great time in the best PURA VIDA lifestyle. People that are also like you. And finding good friendships, you can enjoy the most.
The Spanish classes were fun and full of jokes, and for sure, learning. I can completely say I have a experienced a huge improvement in my Spanish.

Even though I was going to Costa Rica with 3 other people from my university, I was extremely anxious as I had not taken Spanish since I was 10. I was worried that my homestay would be awkward or I would resort to just speaking English while I was there.

When I arrived at my homestay, I already realized that I had nothing to be worried about. I lived with an absolutely amazing family who actively encouraged me to practice speaking Spanish. They spoke clearly and used vocabulary that was at my level. When I spoke, they waited patiently and only when I finished my sentence would they correct anything or figure out another way to express my thoughts. Without my host family, I absolutely would not have come out as confident as I am now with just trying to speak as much as I can, even if I am self-conscious about how I sound or how grammatically incorrect I am. I also shared the house with my fellow colleague and both of us worked together to figure out how to say things and it made the experience that much more meaningful.

My classes at Maximo Nivel were incredible. Not to say that it wasn't hard, at times it was incredibly frustrating as I only had 3 weeks and I was learning a ton of grammar in that short period of time. However, I put time into practicing whatever grammar I had just learned with short narratives about my day with my teacher, Alejandra, and she would patiently listen and work with me to correct anything that was blatantly wrong. This alone helped my confidence and my knowledge considerably. My teacher was incredibly patient with me and changed tactics to fit my learning style. While we did learn from the Medical Spanish book, she made sure that she spent time just conversing with me in Spanish because that was where I wanted to improve the most.

I cannot say enough about how much I loved this experience. If there is time in the future, I will absolutely come back to improve my Spanish more. Even now, I still continue to practice my Spanish with my teacher and my host family, and I think that speaks a lot to what kinds of people are a part of this program.

The Maximo Nivel Spanish immersion program in Costa Rica is an incredible experience. From the pre-trip planning communication to check-out, the Maximo staff is incredibly professional, efficient, detail-oriented, and most of all ridiculously friendly. Our trip coordinator Stephen Hakim took care of every possible issue in country and was available for support well above and beyond expected. Our homestay was spacious, clean, comfortable and our hosts were kind and genuinely interested in our lives allowing for some great cultural and personal conversations (in Spanish of course). Regarding the Spanish courses: the amount of vocabulary, grammar, and conversational skill I gained in 3 short weeks was remarkable and no doubt in large due to the well-organized, dedicated Spanish teachers at Maximo. Finally, the social environment at maximo is ideal with activities most days of the week (i.e. cooking and dance classes), tandem-partners practice as an opportunity to meet local students, and the countless outreach projects to get involved with that put you in place with other maximo participants and local community organizers.

If you are looking to study abroad for any length of time in a home-stay, whether individually or as part of a group I could not recommend this program more strongly.

I had the most enjoyable experience. I had not used Spanish since college and had only used Duolingo prior to coming to Costa Rica. I traveled here with a friend, at about the same Spanish level. The staff was excellent, and placed us in a class together. There was just the two of each day and the instructor was perfect. I was amazed at how much I could understand immediately. She spoke about 75% to 80% in Spanish during the class. She was willing to adabt the material when we requested. The town of San Jose was easy to manuver walking, but I wouldn´t recommend driving. The people were friendly and all obviously very proud of their country. Our accomodations were good and a short walk to school each day.

I totally recommend this experience.