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Costa Rica: Language, Society, & the Environment

San José, Costa Rica

Direct enrollment option

Students with advanced levels of Spanish language proficiency now have the opportunity to enroll directly in classes at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR).   Students may choose two to three courses from the broad range of offerings available to Costa Rican students at UCR.  In addition, students will enroll in two courses taught at the ACM center – the Introduction to Costa Rica course and a Spanish language course designed specifically for direct enrollment students, which emphasizes reading and writing skills.

The direct enrollment option follows the calendar of the Costa Rican academic year, with students arriving in mid-July, in time to begin the second semester at UCR.  Students will be placed with host families in the San Pedro neighborhood of San José, convenient to both UCR and the ACM program center.  The program concludes in early December.

To be considered for the direct enrollment option, students must have completed at least five semesters of college-level Spanish (or the equivalent).  The direct enrollment option is only offered during the fall semester.

Costa Rica: Language, Society, & the Environment

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Karen Skadow After my study abroad experience, Costa Rica is no longer a small foreign country on the world map. Instead it is a place that I experienced firsthand. I had the privilege of being a part of Costa Rican culture and society and learned from it every step of the way. Every day I learned new words through experiences (as opposed to vocabulary lists), observed natural and cultural beauty, and had a chance to apply what I was learning in Spanish class through natural conversations with native speakers. Studying abroad for me was more than just traveling or living in a foreign country. It was a highly valuable learning experience acquired from day-by-day adventures of experiencing Costa Rica, that encouraged me to test my limits and connect to the world that surrounds me.

—Karen Skadow, Costa Rica, Fall 2007

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