Heredia Fall Semester

Overall, I loved my time in Costa Rica. If I had the chance to do it over again, I would have probably picked a direct exchange program where I was more fully immersed in the culture/language, but there were many qualities of the USAC Heredia program that make it valuable especially for those who haven't traveled much or don't speak Spanish.

Pros:
- The home stay!!! I loved my familia tica. The food was great, the house was always perfectly clean, and I got to go on trips with my host family. It was sad to leave and I'm still in touch with them!
- Opportunities to meet other local university students at UNA
- Gustavo, the Spanish track IV professor, was INCREDIBLE
- the bus system in Costa Rica is awesome and I got to travel almost every weekend

Cons:
- surrounded by other English speakers
- classes are not very rigorous or challenging
- not great for students who already speak Spanish conversationally
- sometimes the program directors are a little disorganized