CIEE College Study Abroad in Monteverde, Costa Rica

My time in Monteverde challenged me academically, socially, and mentally in all the best ways. The course is designed such that everything we learned, we had hands on experience with as well. Instead of simply talking about different types of agriculture, we visited various farms and spoke with the people who ran them. On the energy unit, we took a 3-day field trip to investigate the most prominent energy sources in Costa Rica. In our free time, my peers and I explored the city, enhancing our Spanish and learning about the culture as well. The staff on the trip were all very friendly and helpful. We felt independent in that, because we are college students, they were not tracking our every move. However, we knew that if we ever needed anything they would be there.

Studying abroad with the CIEE Monteverde Tropical Ecology and Conservation program was truthfully one of the best decisions I ever made. I deliberated long and hard over several different semester long programs, but ultimately chose this one because of the price, the focus on seeing many diverse ecosystems, and the educational topics.

First of all, I would like to emphasize the quality of teaching on this program; all of the professors and TAs were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about ecology, conservation, animal and plant diversity, how people interact with their environment, etc. The director of the program is an American who has lived in Monteverde for decades, and the remaining professors and TA's are all native Costa Ricans. This provides a unique local perspective. Having been in Costa Rica for all or most of their lives, the teaching staff can give firsthand anecdotes about how climate change is affecting the cloud forests in Monteverde. All of the staff, especially the TAs are very helpful and caring-- they will gladly help you with any physical or emotional troubles you may have during the program.

Next, this program approaches learning from a hands-on perspective. We learned about different plant and animal species, while looking at those species in their natural habitats. We also devoted several days to field ecology techniques: in Tirimbina, we marked and recaptured leaf-cutting ants, in Bocas del Toro, we did point-counts of fish while snorkeling, in Corcovado, we measured tree above ground biomass, etc. Spanish class occurs in Monteverde and is an immersion program, meaning the Spanish class is all in Spanish. They will place you in the correct level and put you in a small interactive class. At first, I was very nervous since I hadn't taken much Spanish, but my professor was endlessly helpful, kind, and funny, and Spanish class ended up being very fun and engaging. The Humans in the Tropics course takes students to different places to learn how people affect their environment. We visited many places including coffee farms, a pig farm, wind turbines, and tree plantations. The Tropical Ecology and Species Diversity courses have a strong focus on reading and comprehending scientific papers, which is useful for anyone going into scientific fields. I also cannot stress how valuable the independent research projects are in giving students the opportunity to design and carry out their own research (with guidance from professors and TAs) and then draw conclusions, write a scientific paper, and present their work. I worked with Lesson's Motmots, which helped me to get another internship with bird research this past summer.

This program includes two field trips, one on the Pacific coast and one on the Atlantic coast. These trips take you to many different ecosystems, from coral reefs, to dry forests, to rainforests. These were, for me, the most rewarding part of the program. Here's a very brief list of some of the amazing experiences we had on the field trips: we saw a wild puma in Corcovado National Park, hiked a very remote part of the Children's Eternal Rainforest and stayed in a small lodging there, snorkeled in coral reefs in Bocas del Toro, Panama, had many sing-alongs around campfires, saw a massive leatherback turtle at Pacuare National Park, and swam in beautiful waterfalls.

The housing in this program includes two longer stays at the Monteverde Biological Station, a month long stay with a Costa Rican host family, a few short stays in hotels and hostels, and some time camping. The Biological Station gives you a space to hang out with friends, and be a few steps away from a beautiful cloud forest that you can hike at your leisure. The food there is very tasty and eating meals with the other students and the staff is enjoyable. The month with a Tico family is also incredible. I got to practice my Spanish and spend time with locals. My mamatica even invited me to a family party, where I had a blast! Students in this program will get to know the places and people in rural Monteverde well.

Because this program allows a good amount of independence, you will also have multitudes of opportunities to do what you want in Costa Rica and Monteverde. I spent much of my time birding, went to local restaurants and bars, went zip-lining, bungee jumping, and even participated in a 10k in the cloud forest! The other students I met on this program were tirelessly interesting and wonderfully motivated. I have truly made fifteen new friends for life. It must be emphasized, however, that this program is A LOT of work, and you will have to spend a lot of time studying and writing, but it is certainly worth it. Be prepared to work hard, but play hard too.

Highlights:
-field experience: being able to travel all over the country and learn about the different ecosystems and species first hand was incredible
-homestay: immersing fully by living with a Costa Rican family both allowed me to finally be comfortable speaking Spanish and build a strong connection with my Mama Tica
-independent research: being able to fully choose and implement my own research project with full support from staff (thanks Moncho and Alan) was instrumental in deciding what I want to do with my future... I will be continuing my research in Oregon this fall
-location: Costa Rica is absolutely gorgeous and we got to experience places that very few others get to - Corcovado National Park (saw a puma!), Eladio's Refuge (10 mile backpacking hike to get there), Pocosol (another 10 mi hike through the Children's Eternal Rainforest)

I have neither seen nor heard of any program that gets to experience all of these: homestay, language immersion, field experience, independent research, travel, challenging academics (science) and more!! The program has everything, and while it was a physical, academic and emotional challenge, I would highly recommend to people who are looking for that. Know however, that it is very academically rigorous and science-based so be prepared for that.

This program fulfilled and exceeded all of my expectations. I extensively researched programs before going abroad and this program showed potential to cover a variety of interests, and it delivered. There were parts of the program I was worried about, such as the month-long homestay, but every aspect of this program ended up being extremely valuable to me. The way this program implements academics in nature's true elements is impressive. I have never had such a valuable academic and cultural experience. If you have a love for the environment, want to go on the adventure of a lifetime, and want to change the way you view the world in a positive way, this is the program for you. It is unlike any other in a beautifully unique way. You will go on hikes in the middle of no where, sleep in the heart of Costa Rica's nature, and experience a truly hands on learning environment.

I cannot say enough about this program. Amazing experiences, amazing staff. This program feels like the most stress free traveling I have ever done. The academics are exciting and fun. With this program you get to see almost all of the beautiful country. My favorite memory is of a backpacking trip we took during the second field trip. The hike we took was so breath taking, I think I will remember it for the rest of my life. Truly a fantastic semester. Again, it is hard to describe in words- the experience was awesome.

Just like every student that studies abroad says.. It changes you. I feel this so strongly and I really thank CIEE for making such a life-changing, fulfilling, and perfect program for students interested in a first hand look at the tropical ecology of such a beautiful landscape. Not only was this the most changing semester of my life, but it was the best. From night hikes, snorkeling, interesting lectures, camping, and home stays this program has it all. For any student of the sciences I would recommend this program if you are down to get dirty, have a different adventure every day, and learn from the most amazing professors there are around.

This was an amazing experience and it's hard to pick any one story to share. Corcovado was one of the first places we explored, and definitely a great example of what the program was about! We got to adventure, see and interact with wildlife (turtles, whales, monkeys, frogs, coral, so much!). The passion of the professors and my peers was contagious from the very beginning! We witnessed to Olive Ridley sea turtles mating between Corcovado and Isla del Cano. It was amazing, but seeing my professors in such awe told me how spectacular what we were witnessing truly was. And connecting that experience to the experience of seeing green sea turtles laying eggs and hatching in Tortuguero brought the experience full circle. I fell even more in love with biology, ecology and all of its' complexities.

My favorite part of the program was the field trips. I learned so much by hiking with the the professors and talking about ecology as we encountered different species. Its incredible how much information you can absorb when you experience nature up-close like that. My favorite memory from the trip was a night hike where we found ourselves waist deep in a swamp tracking snakes and frogs. So extreme, so fun, and so exciting!