Think of Costa Rica and you might conjure up images of sandy white beaches—but this country is more than just stunning shorelines. With more than 25% of the country protected by the national park system, Costa Rica’s lush tropical forests are home to 5% of the world’s biodiversity. Plus the country’s friendly people and easy-to-understand accent make it the ideal place to study Spanish.
Based in Heredia, a suburb of San José, this program offers you the chance to rapidly improve your Spanish skills while living in one of the world’s most beautiful destinations. If you are a beginning or intermediate language student, you will develop your language skills through an intensive 4-credit Spanish class and spend several hours each day studying grammar and practicing conversation skills. If you are advanced, you will enroll in a 4-credit Spanish language course or in a Spanishtaught area studies course.
All courses include cultural events and activities organized by IES Abroad that give you real-world experience speaking the language and learning about Costa Rican culture.
These dates are preliminary and are subject to change. Students should not book flights according to these dates.
Our mission is simple: to provide you with the best study abroad experience possible—which includes the highest quality academic and cultural experiences.
We offer unique courses that explore Spanish language learning through an in-depth and hands-on approach. Our world-class professors enhance your academic experience and provide you with new skills and perspectives each day in class.
Beginning and intermediate Spanish students enroll in 4-credit intensive Spanish language course. Advanced students enroll in a 4-credit Spanish course or a Spanish-taught area studies course on the social history of Central America.
IES Abroad San José organizes field study trips that complement what you’re learning in the classroom, and contribute to your general knowledge of Costa Rican culture and society.
Our job is to make sure that your greatest challenge is deciding what landmarks to see first or discovering the best café—not finding a place to live where you feel comfortable. We do our best to locate housing that is reflective of how the local students are living. Our goal is that when you leave Costa Rica, it will feel like home.
You will live in a private home in Heredia with a family or sometimes with a single woman. Homestay hosts provide three meals daily.
Part of making you feel at home in Heredia is doing our best to help you feel safe and cared for. Whether it’s the orientation program that prepares you for what’s ahead, your housing that is well-located and comfortable, or the field trips that take you to places off the beaten path—we’re all about our student services. This is just one of the things we’re known for.
During the first few days in Costa Rica, sessions with IES Abroad staff address intercultural understanding, personal safety, and practical aspects of life in San José. Cultural, political, and economic issues in Costa Rica are also discussed.
Field trips bring you to sites such as Cartago, Irazú Volcano, a local coffee plantation, and the Manuel Antonio National Park, which is famous for its diverse wildlife and beaches. IES Abroad also sponsors course-related field study and cultural events in and around the city.
The IES Abroad Center is located is located within the beautiful botanic garden at the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio), a biological park in Heredia designed to educate the public on the rich biodiversity of Costa Rica and issues of sustainability.
Features of the Center include:
Sarah Cordero PinchanskyCenter Director Sarah Cordero Pichansky holds a Bachelors degree from the University of Costa Rica and a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard. She is currently completing her doctorate at MIT with a focus on economic development and sustainability. She served previously as Profesora Asesora of Management Consulting practice at INCAE, one of the leading business schools in Latin America, where she also directed an INCAE - Carlson School of Management joint workshop on business and sustainability for eight years. She also served as Dean of the faculty of the Business School at the Latin American University of Science and Technology (ULACIT) in San José. Sarah's academic interests parallel two of the primary themes of our San José Center: Sustainability and development, and environmental protection.
Faculty
Sharon SpringerEnvironmental Studies Ed.D., Master’s in Teaching English as a Second Language
Mildred LinkimerEnvironmental Studies & Biology Master's in Tropical Agroforestry
Alvaro HerreraEnvironmental Studies & Biology Master's in Biology
Rodolfo Meoño SotoLatin American Studies Ph.D. in Human Rights and Development, Master's in Educational Sciences, Licenciatura in Philosophy
Francisco Robles RiveraLatin American Studies Master's in Latin American Studies
Jane YeomansEnvironmental Studies & Biology Ph.D. in Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry
Ramón LeónEnvironmental Studies & Biology M.Sc. & Ph.D. in Crop Production & Physiology, PhD. in Genetics
Links:[1] http://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/san-jos%C3%A9 [2] http://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/costa-rica [3] http://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/ies-abroad-san-jos%C3%A9
San José Summer - Language Intensive
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