
Enjoy Costa Rica
Studying abroad is always a challenging experience. You will find yourself examining your own assumptions and your own way of life frequently as you immerse yourself in a new and different culture and way of living.
To make the transition easier, remember not to wait for people around you to make the first move, but give yourself also the opportunity to reach out: buy a map of the city and become familiar with your own neighborhood, find out where the closest bank, post office, telephone, and grocery store are located. Your next step might be to familiarize yourself with some of the basic names and phrases which appear on signs, menus, etc. Once you become familiar with your surroundings and begin making friends, feelings of culture shock will subside.
Listen carefully to people and remember that they most likely are not making the same assumptions as you are. If you are not sure of what they mean: ASK.Talk to (new) friends or your program directors if you feel that you have problems coping with lifestyles and habits; try to look at your problems one at a time, and set out to solve them, one at a time.



Discover Costa Rica
Coming to our country must be a well-rounded experience. Therefore, we encourage you to live and experience the following cultural and socioeconomic aspects we feel proud of sharing with the world:
- Sustainability
Tiquicia, as it is commonly known and referred to by Ticos and Ticas (slang terms for Costa Ricans), is widely known for its efforts on environmental sustainability and ecotourism. Generally speaking, we have been proudly recognized as one of the most sustainable countries in the world, and we’re honored to say that these recognitions are possible due to the combination of several strategies and characteristics we want to mention below:
- Nearly 93% of our electricity comes from renewable resources
- Around 30% of the national territory is protected
- Nearly 6% of the planet’s total biodiversity concentrated in just 51.100 square km
- Culture of Peace
Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948 and since then the economic support that was once given to military forces has been dedicated to public education and health. A symbolic but quite impacting act of handing out the keys of the barracks to the ministry of education was just the beginning of a sealed future towards the lives of Costa Ricans and peace. December 1st, 1986 was declared Costa Rica’s Military Abolition Day, and
References:
World Bank (2029). Retrieved from: https://data.worldbank.org/country/CR
World In Data (2015). Retrieved from: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/healthcare-access-and-quality-index?tab=chart&country=~CRI
OECD, Education at a Glance (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/eag-2017-77-en.pdf?expires=1596056704&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=A82DD52605C4DA28127A224D2ED6F963
OECD, Education in Costa Rica (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.oecd.org/education/school/Education-in-Costa-Rica-Highlights.pdf
CIA World Factbook (2020). Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cs.html
Marco Normativo Ambiental (2011). Retrieved from: https://sites.google.com/site/marconormativoambiental/costa-rica