Study Abroad in San José...

Four thousand feet above sea level, high atop a plateau in the very center of Costa Rica lies the tropical city of San José. Famous for its sunny weather and proximity to the coast and rain forests, San José makes an ideal study abroad destination.

San José began as a small village surrounded by green. In 1824, Costa Rica's first elected head of state placed the government there, causing huge population growth and development. This fast-paced expansion continues as the city's population grew from 309,600 people in 2000 to more than 2.5 million today.

San José has long-valued higher education and is home to Costa Rica's oldest university. Founded in 1843, forty years before San José became the first city in all of Latin America to use electric energy to light its buildings and streets, the University of Costa Rica continues to thrive today, educating approximately 40,000 students each year.

San José's skyline is a combination of the past and present. Doing homework in lush Morazán park, you will find both the dome-roofed, stone Templo de Música and towering glass Banco Nacional skyscraper in your line of vision. Metropolitianites and nature-lovers alike can take advantage of this combination, embracing city lifestyle, enjoying the warm outdoors, or finding some combination of the two.

Near one of the largest remaining rain forests on the planet, San José offers unparalleled opportunities for environmentalists and science students. San José also provides students access to 132 miles of Caribbean coast and 635 miles of Pacific coast, as well as to a series of volcanic chains that run from the Nicaragua border to the Panama border.

All students can take advantage of the country's healthy diet, which includes hardy doses of fruits, vegetables, rice, corn and beans. Gallo pintos, a mixture of rice and black beans, often accompanied by eggs, corn tortillas and sour cream, is typical for breakfast. Casados are popular for lunch and consist of large helpings of white rice, beans, fried plantains, salad, cheese, diced vegetables and either meat, chicken or fish. Of course, Costa Rica's world-renown coffee is a staple after every meal.

Analyzing the coffee industry itself and its impact on the country's economy provides an interesting subject for business and economics majors. Production is only one facet of the study of sustainable development that has become popular in Costa Rica in recent years. The International Center for Sustainable Human Development (CIDH) is a non-profit, multidisciplinary, educational and applied research organization based in San José which partners with various U.S. institutions to offer programs such as sustainable development studies in San José. These students explore the country's multifaceted development and examine how growth can be accomplished in healthy, maintainable ways that protect the environment and promote human rights.

Spanish majors will thrive in San José and substantially improve their language skills immersed in Costa Rican culture. Not to mention, students have the opportunity to take classes at the nine Spanish language colleges within the city limits. In addition to Spanish, English, French, Italian and German are widely spoken due to the large number of international tourists.

San José is also a terrific study abroad location for theater and dance majors. The San José National Theater and the Melico Salazar offer a full schedule of plays, musicals and orchestra performances, which is also great for any study abroad student simply in search of a fun evening. Students in search of downtime in-between classes and beach visits will find plenty of entertainment, including sidewalk cafés and museums, including the Gold Museum that displays gold artifacts uncovered from ancient Latin American civilizations.

Americans can stay in Costa Rica for 90 days without needing a consular visa, making it extremely easy for U.S. students find their way to San José. With exotic scenery, a top-notch theater system, delicious food and a tradition of higher education dating back almost 200 years, how can one not consider studying abroad in San José?

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ONLINE RESOURCES
Universidad de Costa Rica: http://www.ucr.ac.cr/
Centro Internacional para el Desarrollo Humano (CIDH) (International Center for Sustainable Human Development): http://www.cidh.ac.cr/
Municipalidad de San José: http://www.msj.co.cr/
Costa Rica Tourism: http://www.visitcostarica.com/
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program: http://www.iie.org/gilman
National Security Education Program: http://www.iie.org/NSEP

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