Program Reviews

This is a superior study abroad program. I signed up for SOL with little to no knowledge of Spanish and, now, have an appreciation and passion for the language. This program is an excellent option for students with prior knowledge of Spanish as well as those with none. Furthermore, the program includes many fun excursions, employs the best and brighest Spanish teachers, and provides students with opportunities to meet other motivated students from across the US. You will grow as a person while studying abroad in Costa Rica and living with a new family! I now have friends that I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life and a family in Costa Rica who took care of me like I was their own. I highly recommend this program to all college students--do it!

This is my 3rd time studying with Sol Education (Granada, Spain; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Heredia Costa Rica). If I study abroad again it will be with Sol.
While I am a person who likes variety, I value superior performance above all else. From my first experience with Sol in Granada I felt that any other program would not measure up. My experiences in Buenos Aires and now, Costa Rica have only confirmed that belief.
I am a 69 year old retired dentist and a non-traditional student, which is a redundant sentence. I have traveled the world and experienced many locales. The enjoyment I get from spending an extended period of time in a country far outweighs the usual tourist experience. It is fulfilling.
Without Sol Education my time in country would not be so enjoyable.
The advantage of learning with Sol is having someone readily available as a resource. It is like having a personal assistant who is there when you want, who gives you as much personal space as you desire. In Costa Rica that person is Janiva. As a non-traditional student my desires and needs are unique. What I admire most about Janiva and her team (Angie & Leydi) is their ability to attend to my individual desires. For example: My travel itinerary was totally different than the other students, my dietary needs are unique and there are some activities that I prefered not to attend. None were a problem. My airport transportation was seemless, my host mother prepared delicious meals and s I was offered a tour of a coffee plantation rather than going white water rafting.
The education schedule that Sol has arranged with Universidad Latina is great as were my instructors. The time off was filled with activities that were interesting, fun and cultural. The physical layout of the school is great and the classrooms comfortable. The cafeteria offers multiple options and there is a large modern mall just across the street from the Universidad. The gym at the mall is one of the best I have been in. Housing is immaculate and close by.
If I were the parent of a tradition student I would have total confidence if my son or daughter told me they were interested in participating with Sol. In fact I would be envious!

It was really fun and there were many neat things to do. Everyday there was something new and exciting. We tried different food, experienced different markets and interacted with many different people. It was amazing me be introduced to a different culture and way of life compared to what I was used to back at home. It was quite an experience to see that you can find in a market. There were many different things you could purchase, with many of them being made by artisans. The parks were all lively with children playing and people selling ice cream. Our host parents were very kind and shared every single meal with us. There were several different places that we went where we experienced different things from chocolate tours to white water rafting to going to rainforests.

My host home was absolutely amazing. The food was great and I had valuable conversations with my family and it helped to grow my Spanish speaking skills. The classes and material we learned in ‘class’ was very interesting and useful in certain settings, but the highlight of my trip was living with my host family. About 95% of the material/vocab we learned was new to me and it was very applicable in a medical setting. I really really thought the 2 professors were great, caring, and very helpful. Also, Angie is the best. All of the SOL team members were friendly and everything went very smoothly. The structured time vs unstructured(free time) was evenly split and i felt that i was able to do everything I wanted and more. I really enjoyed this trip, and I only wish I could stay here longer

I loved this program! I experienced the perfect blend of experiencing the culture and being a tourist/exploring the beautiful country. I speak very little Spanish but felt supported and learned so much while in Costa Rica. The Spanish instructors did not speak English so it was hard for me to ask questions, but others in the program were kind and helped me out when I was lost. I love Costa Rica and the program did a fabulous job putting together a fun and educational experience :) The food was amazing and we had very authentic meals that I loved, we did many things through the program but were also able to use free time to explore the country further. All the cultural experiences were educational and exciting. I was able to experience things that I could not do anywhere else. I love this program and would 10/10 recommend.

Traveling with Sol was by far the best decision I made when deciding to study abroad! Immediately as I came home, I was looking into the possibility of doing it again. My host family was perfectly suited to me, which Sol made sure of with their host family matchmaking questionnaire. For example, I asked to live in a house with pets. My host family had 8 (sweetheart) dogs. The most surprising thing about this experience for me, was making so many close friends so quickly. I went on the shortest study abroad Sol offers, and still walked away with life-long friends all over the country. I also expected pretty hardcore culture shock coming into Costa Rica, and there is definitely a little when you first enter and you're on the bus to your host family. However, I was completely settled in and comfortable within the first few hours of entering Heredia. Traveling abroad alone was a brand new experience for me, and I was extremely nervous. Ultimately, Sol made me feel completely comfortable, safe and excited for the new experiences waiting to come. The academics, the excursions, and the cultural activities were nothing short of incredible. I was excited to go to class every day, and there wasn't a sing cultural activity or excursion that I didn't absolutely love. In the end, I would travel with Sol again tomorrow.

I had a wonderful time in Costa Rica! I believe it had everything to do with the people involved. My host mother, Janiva, and Leydi were welcoming and made sure that we were comfortable. They were kind, flexible, considerate, and patient. They worked very hard to make sure we would have an enjoyable time.

Before coming to Costa Rica, I was worried about what to eat because I have to eat gluten free. While in Costa Rica Janiva, Leydi, and my host mother made sure that my food was gluten free.

My Spanish knowledge was very limited, but everyone I interacted with was patient with me. By the end of the trip I was able to learn a lot! I was very grateful to have a host mother that knew English because I barely knew Spanish coming into the trip. My host mother was able to communicate with me while helping me learn Spanish. She also was loving which made it so I did not feel homesick at any point! I had a wonderful experience and I am grateful to the people that made it possible!

My program was helping as a counselor at a camp for kids called Kidtopia. It was the first year for the camp and it was to help the kids get to explore nature and science and even learn some English through immersion. Not only did we teach them English but they also taught me a lot of Spanish and different cultural differences between the U.S and Costa Rica. The staff that worked with us were very genuine and kind and made our safety their number one priority. They also planned many excursions for us that were another great way to learn the culture. I really learned a lot from this experience about the culture and myself and I tried new things that normally I would never do. It got me out of my comfort zone and I’m so grateful I got the opportunity to experience it.

This experience was truly amazing and one of a kind. I felt like we were completely immersed in the culture of Costa Rica and got to experience fun things. Working with the children was also an amazing time and it was neat to see how differently they do things compared to other children I know. This experience provided opportunities to eat Costa Rican food, stay in a house with a Costa Rican family, meet and teach children, and go on touristy adventures around the country that were truly amazing. We experienced and amazing water rafting experience, zip lining, food tasting and cooking. We even got surprised with a beach trip. This experience was truly on of a kind! Costa Rica is beautiful and even with a mediocre knowledge of the Spanish language communication was possible.

STUDY ABROAD! It is an experience that you will look back on with fond memories. Sol gave me this ability and I am so thankful for that. I would say that Sol has a much more relaxed feel to it and it reflects that in the price. I would have enjoyed having more options to go on excursions but I think traveling by yourself is much more fun. My favorite part of studying abroad was learning about the people. Whether it was other students I was studying with or the local people of Argentina, I was constantly blown away by how nice that people are. Going abroad helped me to realize that no matter where you are, you are not alone and people want to help you/get to know you. Also if you are taking a foreign language go to a country that speaks that language. I had taken two classes of Spanish before I left and this helped my Spanish but I did not have any confidence to speak. Push yourself.