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Academic Credits in Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a stable democratic society that has long benefited from a great climate and peaceful governance. It has a low level of crime, a high literacy rate and the best socialized medical system in Latin America. It is justifiably famous for being the Switzerland of Central America and has no standing army.

It is situated to the south on the Central American land bridge between Nicaragua and Panama. It is roughly the size of the state of West Virginia, or twice the size of Los Angeles County. At its widest point it is not quite 170 miles and at its narrowest just under 80 miles.

The country contains a mountain range that stretches from the northwest border of Nicaragua all the way down the center and on into Panama. At its highest point, Mount Chirripo, it reaches up to nearly 13,000 feet. The Central Plateau sits right in the middle of the country at a height of about 3,200 feet. On the Pacific side there are two prominent peninsulas. The larger and northern of the two is Nicoya with a large gulf of the same name. The Osa Peninsula is south, almost on the border of Panama, and also has a gulf but it’s name is Dulce. On the Carribean side, the northern area of Tortuguero is basically a big, lowland jungle with canals and waterways snaking their way throughout

School

CSI is a private language school that partners with Brookfield College to offer academic credits. A small school it typically has about 20-40 students on site, and is therefore able to offer very personalized attention. Our undergraduate Spanish credit program is from Brookhaven College in Dallas, Texas. This institution is accredited by SACS, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. These are undergraduate, degree seeking Spanish credits for college and university students wanting to fulfil their home institution Spanish requirements. Obtaining advance approval from your institution is necessary, as each district, college, or state has its own policies regarding the types of credit it will accept.

Accreditation:

Brookhaven College Credit Information

As a participant in an CSI/Brookhaven Spanish Immersion program in Costa Rica you have the opportunity to earn undergraduate Spanish credit from Brookhaven College in Dallas, Texas. This institution is accredited by SACS, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. These are undergraduate, degree seeking Spanish credits for college and university students wanting to fulfil their home institution Spanish requirements. Obtaining advance approval from your institution is necessary, as each district, college, or state has its own policies regarding the types of credit it will accept.

Below is a list of the different courses offered including their names, course numbers and the amount of credit each is worth. If you or your institution would like to receive a complete course description for one or more of the courses below, please contact us and we will send it out.


 

Course Name Course Number Amount of Credit Beginning Spanish I (1st semester, 1st year) SPAN1411 4 Beginning Spanish II (2nd semester, 1st year) SPAN1412 4 Intermediate Spanish I (1st semester, 2nd year) SPAN2311 3 Intermediate Spanish II (2nd semester, 2nd year) SPAN2312 3 Advanced Spanish Conversation SPAN2306 3 Business Spanish I SPAN2316 3 Business Spanish II SPAN2317 3 Spanish Literature I SPAN2321 3 Spanish Literature II SPAN2322 3

Each course has a minimum class time of 48 contact hours. For example, a student wanting to receive 4 credit hours for Beginning Spanish I, must attend classes for 48 hours or the equivalent number of weeks. If that same student also wants to receive the credit for Beginning Spanish II, they must attend classes for an additional 48 hours for a total of 96 hours for both courses.
 

Best time to come:
All year round!

Spanish Courses

Services Summary

Language taught: Spanish

Class Times:  Normally morning

Average Class Size: 4 

Maximum Class Size: 8

Nearest Airport: Tamarindo (Local) and Liberia International Airport (LIR)

Airport transfer  Not Included $35 one way.

Location Type  Beach, small resort Village. Coastal beach community of 4000.  

Public Transport  Buses and taxis

Buildings New. The campus has three main buildings, two school buildings with offices and classrooms and one apartment building with four, two bedroom apartments. The campus over an acre and has tropical foliage.

Garden / Terrace  Yes

Message Service Yes

Computers  Yes

Internet Access  Yes - Free wireless connection for students with laptops.

Course Materials included in the course price

Student Nationalities  The majority of students come from the United States and Canada, but over 35% come from Europe and 5% come from Asia and elsewhere

Internet Access Yes,

Nearest Cybercafé 2 blocks.

Multimedia Facilities There are video machines available to each classroom.

Course Materials Provided as a part of the program cost.

Holidays: National holidays. These are: Jan. 1, Thurs & Fri. of Easter, April 11, May 1, July 25, Aug. 2 & 15, Sept. 15, Oct. 12 & Dec. 25. No refund is given for classes missed on account of holidays except for Holy Thursday.

Activities Available

Coastal Spanish Institute offers or helps to arrange a variety of cultural activities, afternoon trips and weekend excursions. We feel these types of activities constitute an important part of any Spanish language immersion program.

Each week depending on student interest and depending what is going on in the surrounding area, we will offer or help to arrange these activities.

The following are examples of activities that are typically offered or that can be arranged.

Dance Classes: Very Popular! The purpose of this class is to help you learn some of the more common dance styles found in Costa Rica. Learn Meringue, salsa, marcado and cumbia.

Interesting Lectures: Topics cover a range of topics. Topics include: ecology of Costa Rica, Costa Rican history, culture and politics, etc.

Cooking Class: Learn how to cook some of the favorite local Costa Rican dishes.

Intercambios: Meet with locals who are learning English. You will help them practice their English and they will help you learn Spanish! Besides brushing up on your Spanish it is a great way to meet some Ticos!

Visits To National Parks: Costa Rica is famous for its beauty. The best place to experience this is to go to one of the country's many national parks. Many of these parks are close to Playa Tamarindo.

Canopy Tours: A canopy tour is one of the more popular things to do in Costa Rica. High up in the rainforest one gets an opportunity to see the unique ecosystem found high up in the trees.

Arenal Volcano: If you have never seen an active volcano then take advantage of your time in Costa Rica and visit one. Arenal is considered to be one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

River Rafting: Despite the small size of the country, Costa Rica is home to some of the best white water rafting in the world. Coastal Spanish has contacts with good organizations that run these types of trips.

Deep Sea Fishing: There are a number of charter boats working on the Pacific Coast area. Coastal Spanish can help you find the right charter outfit.

There are many more activities and excursions available. The staff at Coastal Spanish will help to make sure that you have a chance to discover the best the Costa Rica has to offer!

Accommodation

Option 1: Homestay with a local Family

The Coastal Spanish Homestay Option

Living with a Costa Rican host family is a great way to learn more about the culture while also having another place where you can practice your Spanish. Coastal Spanish has carefully selected a number of families to help make your stay enjoyable.

Typical families will host one to two students at a time. Each student will receive his/her own room and will get two meals per day (breakfast and dinner). Additionally each student will get a key to allow them to come and go as they please. The homestays can be considered relatively small and basic. However do not let this deter you. Costa Rican are well known for their hospitality!

The vast majority of our host families are located in the towns of Santa Rose and Villa Real. These towns are approximately 3-5 miles from Playa Tamarindo. There is regular and cheap public transportation between these towns and Playa Tamarindo, so getting back and forth will not present any difficulty. Buses run from early in the morning to early evening. Taxis are available at virtually any hour.

Option 2: Residence stay at an on campus apartment.

We have a nice residence located right at the school. Overall this is probably the most popular accommodation choice for our students.

The Residence at Coastal Spanish consists of 4 large apartments. Each apartment has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, a kitchen, small eating area and a large living room. Our students at the residence will share a bedroom with other students and also the common areas.

Each residence has: Air conditioning, Cable TV and High Speed Wireless Internet (bring your laptop)

Coastal Spanish feels that our residence is the perfect accommodation option for students who: do not want to stay with a host family, enjoy sharing an apartment with other Spanish students, and want the accommodation option that is closest to everything of interest in Playa Tamarindo.

The amenities of each of the apartments can best be described as basic but nice. We would classify the apartments as having the feel of a nice hostel or college dorm.

Each apartment is completely furnished and each kitchen is fully stocked so that you can cook your own meals. From a comfort standpoint you will enjoy the fact that each apartment has air conditioning.

The Coastal Spanish residence is only 5-10 minutes walking from the main center of Playa Tamarindo AND the beach areas. You could not ask for a more central location!

Prices

The cost of the credit depends on where you live. Students from the Dallas county area pay $30 a unit. Those from the state of Texas pay $50 a unit. All other students pay $80 a unit for the out of state price. The credit fee is in addition to the tuition fee for whatever program you choose to attend. The credit fee is paid directly to Brookhaven College when you apply for the course.

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