29 reviews
4.37 / 5 based on 29 reviews

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Jeffrey C
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Government assistance
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
I travelled every weekend, at home I usually stay home.
Telephone is cheap and I don't make international calls I use email.
I did't go out to much, but the drinks are much cheaper here.
Rent is much cheaper in general here
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Travel:
was more expensive than at home.
Food, Overall:
was the same price as at home.
Telephone, Housing, Nightlife:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
I had expected CR to be very cheap to live but with food I found it cheaper to eat in small resturants than to go to the supermarket.
Also to travel, I found in some areas it to be very expensive.
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murphy3
Simpson College, Redding, United States
Education, Undergraduate, Independent
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
none
Work opportunities:
I didn't want/need to work
Personal spending habits
The few trips I took outside of the city were very inexpensive. Everything else was pretty comparable in price.
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Food, Overall, Telephone, Housing, Nightlife:
was the same price as at home.
Travel:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
The best way to access your money is through the ATM machine. A family member sent me a check, and I had a very difficult time trying to cash it. I would tell family members if they want to help you out financially, to deposit money directly into your checking account.
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Jeffrey C
Academic
My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Organize a meeting with local students who are studing english very early in the course....This was done very late in the course.
Also the texts arrived late and were the wrong books....so we had to photocopy the text and use them through out the semester....very bad quality.Thankfully my teacher was excellent and we worked around the problems
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course

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murphy3
Simpson College, Redding, United States
Education, Undergraduate, Independent
Overall
I wish I had known...
In my opinion:
Most people loved it.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
Don't just take the literature courses. Be brave and check out some of the regular classes like science, math, and fine arts. You might be the only international student in the class, but you'll get a better appreciation for university life.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
Definitely check it out!
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lvmac
Languages
Language of instruction: Spanish
Was learning Spanish a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my Spanish
How much did you improve your Spanish?
My level before: Did not speak it
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
I found that even though I knew little Spanish the locals were usually patient and I did not have too many troubles. At times, neither I nor the local had any idea what each was saying and we left it at that. It helped very much to travel with other students who were more fluent.
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0
Jeffrey C
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Local language was: Different than language of instruction
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Was learning the local language a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language
How much did you improve your the local language?
My level before: Did not speak it
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
I found it quite difficult to meet Ticos
(costa ricans) They especially at the Uni were very uninterested in talking to a gringo. Even the students studing English!!!!!They seem to be worried about being emmbarrased.....I have made a few good friends but it has taken a long time and has not been easy....
I have travelled to more than 20 countries and have never had to try so hard. My spanish has suffered because Ticos tend not to ask more than is nessasary. I was living in a small town and I found that the people who talked to me were Ticos who had recently moved there....They were outsiders too.
Nicaraguans were almost always ready to chat (They are outsiders too)
I like the Ticos but they were not very interested in me, or many of the other students.
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