Study Abroad - Costa Rica

Travel and Study Abroad in Costa Rica

Fall Information Session Dates:
Thurs 9/25 @ 11am in WHI 375
Wed 10/1 @ 1:30pm in GWH 286

The fastest way to learn about another culture is by immersing yourself in its life and language.

Join us on our affordable study abroad program to visit a rich landscape of volcanoes, cloud forests, and tropical beaches. Earn college credits while conversing in Spanish, participating in community-based service projects, and recording and sketching your impressions with EvCC instructors Linda Berkley, Studio Art and Phebe Shen, English/Global Studies.

Learning the Language and Culture

After flying into the capital, San Jose, we soon meet our host families for our first week’s stay in San Joaquín, suburb of Heredia. San Joaquín offers a typical “Tico” or local Costa Rican life style surrounded by countryside of coffee and sugar plantations while only 30 minutes away from Costa Rica's capital. Each day we attend semi-private Spanish language classes held at the prestigious Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (CPI), Heredia campus External Site Link complimented with art studies, community-based service learning, and tours or cultural activities. Tours and cultural activities might include learning to cook a traditional lunch, touring a coffee plantation or a traditional ox cart workshop in Sarchi, sketching nature and wildlife on site at the Poas Volcano and the La Paz Waterfall gardens, or taking a Latin dance class.

Learning about Nature and Sustainability

For the second half of our travels, we head over to the cloud forests of Monteverde where we will stay at the University of Georgia's ecolodge External Site Link . Guided nature hikes take us through national reserves, encountering tropical wonders of plant and wildlife: hummingbirds, orchids, monkeys, quetzals, wild cats--5% of the world’s biological diversity. Visits and conversations with local owners of nearby coffee plantations, farms, and arts and craft cooperatives reveal the high value of sustainability in Costa Rica. We also participate in service projects with the local community like working with the local soccer team to repaint and prepare their clubhouse for the new season or planting coffee trees at a neighboring plantation. And of course, no visit to the cloud forest is complete without a chance to soar over the rainforest canopy on ziplines.

Experience Pura Vida

Our last weekend is spent on the southern coast of Costa Rica at Manuel Antonio National Park with time to relax at the beach or hotel pool and viewing more wildlife. En route from the cloud forest, we take a river tour of Rio Tarcoles, a crucial habitat for the American crocodile. Our travels conclude in San Jose with some final souvenir shopping and the flight home.

Our Two-Week Program includes:

Spanish culture and language immersion class
Homestay and hotel accommodations
Most meals
Private guides
Private ground transportation
Health Insurance
All administrative, entrance and activity fees

2014 Program Dates:
December 7 - 21, 2014

Program Cost:
$2,000
Not included: Airfare, EvCC tuition, passport and personal expenses.

Students earn EvCC credits by enrolling Fall Term 2014 for GLOBAL STUDIES 299 Seminar (1-5 credits), ART 123 Intro to Studio Art (5 credits), and SPAN 111/112/113 Conversational Spanish (2-5 credits) as part of their regular class schedule. Regular tuition policies apply for all EvCC credits and are not included in the quoted program costs. Please note that all study abroad participants should register for a minimum of 1 credit of GS 299 during fall quarter.

Students who already meet EvCC’s requirements for financial aid and who are interested in participating in the study abroad program should speak with an EvCC Financial Aid advisor for further information on available funding. There are also scholarships available via the International Education office. If cost is the only thing stopping you, come talk to us about fundraising ideas and projects.

For more information or for an application, contact Linda Berkley, Studio Art Faculty, (425) 388-9318 or Phebe Shen, English Faculty, (425) 388-9410 at Everett Community College.

I'm interested! What Next?

Attend an informational meeting on campus.
Fall Information Session Dates:
Thurs 9/25 @ 11am in WHI 375
Wed 10/1 @ 1:30 pm in GWH 286

2014 Brochure
Complete and submit the following forms:

Application/Payment Info/CPI Enrollment
Trip Contract

EvCC Participation Agreement and Liability Waiver

Scholarship - Study Abroad (optional)
Hand-deliver or mail all forms to:
Linda Berkley, Studio Art Faculty
RE: Costa Rica Study Abroad
Office: Whitehorse #308
Everett Community College
2000 Tower Street, MS#167
Everett, WA 98205
Review Program Fees and reserve your spot by October 3, 2014.
Note: 8 student minimum required 60 days prior to trip start date.