My Favorite Form of Study

The ICADS field camp program was definitely my favorite time period spent studying in my life. It combined my passion for adventure and individual exploration with practical skills and education that one might achieve in a traditional educational setting. During the first month of study we spent a good amount of time in classrooms receiving lectures and engaging in discussion about the history of Costa Rica to give context to the new world we were living in. These along with the Spanish classes were much appreciated as they were applicable in my life outside of school and it a mostly if not completely relevant to my experience in San Jose and throughout Costa Rica. You will take a few field trips with class to demonstrate specific examples of your learning and it is fun to take some weekend excursions with your classmates to experience more of Costa Rica. I found the work load to be less than that which I usually have at my university. During the second portion of the course your class gets a bit smaller but you embark on longer field trips to study different parts of Costa Rica and their development as well as environmental regulations. You get many opportunities to do outdoor environmental activities for class and outside of class as well as bond with your field program classmates. Finally the last portion of the class is great for personal growth. As you embark on an individual journey to live with a host family in a much more rural area and work on your individual project. This tests your self-reliance, communication skills, and patience to achieve your project goals. It also allows you to organize your life how you want in order to finish your project and do more learning and adventuring just for fun. I loved this program and it was definitely the highlight of my college career.