Amazing Experience

I'll just go in order of the 5 categories of academics, support, fun, housing, and safety.

Academics - I found this study abroad because I was interested in the program for health professionals. As it turns out, you can only choose session 1 or session 2 if you do that specific program, but if you want to do both sessions, apply to the double session program and then just choose health-related classes. I thought the academics were too easy. For some people, that sounds perfect, for some people, that sounds boring. It just depends on what type of person you are.

Support - The program staff were wonderful. All of our questions were answered, they learned everyone's names, and really wanted to provide us with the best experience possible.

Fun - I'm not a party person, so when I rate the social scene as a 5, I'm not including that. (Although I have friends that had lots of fun going to bars and parties while there.) What I am including is the people on the trip, the local places to go, and the offerings on campus. I absolutely loved the weekly dance classes that are offered at no additional price. For fun local places, I explored book stores, weekend markets, and cafes. I definitely recommend Feria Verde that's open every weekend. You can find good food, gifts/souvenirs, and art.

Housing - Genuinely the best part of my trip. I love my Tico family so much. I had a wonderful room and support system, and ate some amazing food. I know that other people in the program didn't have as much of a great experience as I did with my family, but you can also always talk with the program staff if you ever have any concerns/needs.

Safety - If you follow the recommendations of the program staff, you will be safe and comfortable. Avoid walking around at night at all, but if you have to, do it in a group. It's pretty basic things like that to be aware of, and everything will be good. I just put a 4 because unsafe situations did occur with other people in the group, so it is important to be aware.