Costa Rica: San Ramón - Life Sciences, Spanish Language, and Culture

This experience gave me so much insight into what I want to do when I graduate college. The love that I felt and experienced during this adventure was incredible. Whether is was my amazing host mom or my amazing friends I met through this program my love for the Spanish language, the Spanish culture, and travel overflowed!!

I always felt supported and knew that everyone in the program wanted me to have an amazing, life-changing experience! When I traveled to other places I always felt safe and knew that I had a support system in San Ramon to help me figure out the issues I had with transportation or just general confusion. Costa Rica is such a small country that it is easy to travel during the weekends and see all the cool attractions it has to offer!

I will be forever grateful for this program!!!

To start off I was placed in the most wonderful host family. They were extremely welcoming and treated me as one of their own. I was able to have my own bedroom and bathroom for privacy and alone time when needed. Other than that outside of the classroom I spent all my time with my host parents and grew extremely close to them and their entire family. The food was amazing and I was fully immersed in both the language and culture on a daily basis. I learned so much about myself as a person here.

My host mother was one of the kindest people I've ever met! She truly was a Grandma-Away-From-Home for me, taking me under her wing as though I were her own kid. I've made some lifelong friendships, both with fellow students and locals, which allowed me to truly assimilate into the Tico lifestyle! The coordinators and teachers were extremely supportive and went out of their way when I expressed interest in graduate school at the UCR, even setting me up with a campus visit!
As the title suggests, I'm totally moving back someday.

I am so beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to study abroad through USAC! This program gave me the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and to fully immerse myself in a different culture and diversity. This brought me to be open minded in learning cross cultural skills and gain intercultural competency early in life. Revealed another part of the world using a lens that is calibrated more discreetly than how it would be seen with my own eyes within the U.S. Costa Rica is an extraordinary tropical country where everyday I was able to learn and explore the huge biodiversity culture. Also I like to mention, that this country has an amazing universal healthcare system therefore I recommend if you or someone close to you is interested in both health science and biodiversity I highly insist on going to study abroad in San ramon, Costa Rica through USAC! Because they were able to prioritize a combination of academic opportunities and the ability to learn culture, langange, and diversity. Pura Vida!

I had the most amazing semester abroad in Costa Rica!!! It's hard to point out one thing that was my favorite because every experience I had, every trip I went on, every meal I ate just kept getting better and better. One of my favorite aspects was staying with a host family, I think that is something everyone who wants to go abroad should look for in a program, as I learned so much about the language and the culture of the country. This location is perfect for all types of people as there is so much to see - you can relax at one of the many beautiful beaches on the coasts of the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, you can hike through rain and cloud forests, and see volcanoes all while seeing many different types of tropical animals and plants right up close.

Studying Abroad wasn't something that I thought I would be able to do in college. Between the Covid-19 pandemic, an intense college course load, and financial constraints, I had given up on studying abroad being a feasible option for me. However, when I received an email about the Summer Session offering in San Ramon it was like the stars aligned. It was the perfect program timeline to fit with my classes, I was able to obtain scholarships and financial aid, and it had everything that I was looking for in a program.
My time in San Ramon was spent immersing myself in the Tico culture, learning a new language, trying new foods, making life-long friendships, and learning every day. One of my favorite parts of my experience was learning about the Costa Rican health care system. One of my professors was an Emergency Room doctor in San Ramon, and through him, I was able to learn about tropical diseases, shadow at the local hospital, and visit a child care clinic in town. It was extremely rewarding to learn from a professional in the field as well as observe for myself.
My time spent with my host family was also one of my favorite parts of the experience. It can be absolutely terrifying to live with strangers, especially when they speak a different language. However, they were so accommodating and welcoming and it truly made me feel like a part of San Ramon to be with them.
I also can't forget about the incredible new experiences I had. I was able to learn how to surf, dance in traditional styles, kayak in bioluminescent waters, see amazing waterfalls and volcanoes, hike through one of the most biodiverse forests in the world, and so so much more. Costa Rica will always have a very special place in my heart, and I can't wait to go back someday!

Costa Rica would be a beautiful destination to visit anytime in your life with the gorgeous wildlife and nature and the carefree, pura vida culture, but this study abroad opportunity gave me a unique lens to see the country through that I would not trade for anything. The USAC staff was welcoming, hardworking, knowledgable, and caring and made sure we took advantage of the best things to do in Costa Rica. The classes were enriching and the professors were very passionate. The host stay was really the icing on the cake as it gives you a look into the Tico culture and allows you to make connections with people that will last a lifetime. I would highly recommend this study abroad experience!

Had a great experience and I would love to travel there again soon! You will meet a lot of new friends and have an amazing time traveling and discovering new things. There are unique views and foods to try while you’re studying. We went on new adventures every weekend because it was inexpensive and easy to get around on the bus or the ferry. I would definitely suggested to learn Spanish since it will benefit you in the long run. Great county and a great and unique experience. Give Costa Rica a try!