Olivia Marcene Jensik, Spring 2014 Participant
I improved my language skills substantially, through living with a host family but also through taking classes that were completely in Spanish.
Early Start Fall 2018 Participant
The classes are challenging. You enroll in classes alongside native speakers and are expected to put in the same amount of work or more. The first week or so, I didn't understand any of the lecture. But professors are very supportive and they are willing to spend a lot of time working with you. By the end of this program, your Spanish will improve dramatically. Seeing my Spanish grow was the most rewarding thing. By the end of my semester, I was understanding the entire lecture and could participate in class in a way I couldn't even have imagined at the beginning of the semester. You get to see your own growth.
Early Start Fall 2018 Participant
Get involved in clubs. It really helps you make friends with local students. I joined TECHO, a volunteer organization that works to build houses over a weekend for families that do not even have a roof over their heads. We packed up a weekend back and slept on the floor of a church as we built a house across the days we were there. It was an incredible experience and one that helped me make some lasting friendships with local students from San Andrés.