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University of Costa Rica

Costa Rica 2024/2025 Partner universities

Personal data
Mobility type:
Study

Faculty at MU:
Faculty of Social Studies

Field of study:
International Relations / European Studies

Level of study during period of placement:
Bachelor

Language used:
Spanish

Summer/winter school?:
no

Period of studies:
autumn 2024

Period of placement (from-to):
2024-08-08 - 2024-12-14

Number of months:
4

Activities before my departure abroad
Where can information be found about courses taught at the foreign school?:
I found all the information about the courses on the official university website. Additionally, the coordinators sent me the list of courses during the application process.

Which documents were needed for acceptance at the foreign university?:
I needed to write a motivational letter and prove my Spanish level (B2). I took Spanish at the university, and my teacher approved my level.

How far ahead did you have to organise your acceptance?:
I knew that I had been accepted by my university in early February, but I received my final result from the foreign university only in April, so it was quite hard to organize my trip beforehand.

Did you need a visa?:
no

Documents and materials needed for a visa:

Length of wait for visa:

Fee for the visa:

Studies
Did you have a Learning Agreement signed before your departure?:
no

If not, why not?:
It took some time from the coordinators from Costa Rica to sign it.

Before your departure did you know how your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Yes, I talked to my coordinator.

During your stay did you change your Learning Agreement?:
No.

When and how did course registration take place? Are there any restrictions? Possibilities of making changes?:
I registered my subjects virtually before my departure, approximately a month before my arrival. There are possibilities for changes the first week when UNI starts. The only restriction is that you cannot take courses that take place at the same time (quite logical), they need to be at least 15 minutes apart so you have time to move to another subject.

Did you take any examinations at the foreign school?:
Yes, I wrote all my final exams in Costa Rica before coming back home.

Does the school use the ECTS system?:
no

If not then explain how the credits there were recalculated into ECTS:
My school recognize it as 1 UCR to 2,5 ECTS.

Describe the teaching methods (theory, practical and projects) and assessment of students:
I really liked that in the university, teachers often combine theory with practical excursions called "gira". For example, in one of my courses called "pensamiento político verde" (ecological political thinking), we had three obligatory giras, one of them was in the environmental park, and another one was in the legislative building in San José.
In my Chinese course, we made a theatre for other students regarding Chinese culture.

Quality of teaching in comparison with home school:
The teaching mechanism is a lot different from my home university, teachers have more contact with their students, classrooms have a maximum of 25 students and there is more homework and presentations that students need to do very often. In general, I would say that studying in Costa Rica is easier, but there is more focus on individual and group work which can be more time-consuming.

How did you receive study materials?:
Most of the study materials were accessible virtually, so there was no need to buy any psychical books.

Can you recommend an interesting course/subject/teacher?:
I really enjoyed course called "Política Internacional" for those who are interested in current political situation in the world.

How well is the school library equipped?:
Quite well with lots of books.

Availability of computers, internet access, level of software needed, requirements on notebook:
Internet was available through all campus, however, sometimes it was very slow and didn´t work properly. I recommend to always have your own internet (data).

Options from printing and copying:
I printed and copied my papers in the kiosks next to the university. It was very cheap.

Does the foreign school/student organisation arrange special events for exchange students?:
yes

If yes then what?:
In the beginning, we had an integration event only for the exchange students to get to know each other. The second time, during the semester, we went to a coffee farm and had a coffee tour for free.

How would you assess your integration with the local students (evaluation like in school from 1 to 5 with 1 as highest):
1

or describe in your own words:
Costa Rican students are very generous and welcoming towards exchange students, they tried to help me as much as possible and were always kind to me.

Practical questions on your placement
Where did you live?:
I stayed in Casa Banana, which was super close to the university campus (only a 10-minute walk). I really recommend this place because it's quite cheap and you live with other international students, so you can share your experiences.

Cost of accommodation - monthly:
300 USD

Additional comments to the price of accommodation (as to what the price includes):
It included everything, this price was for a single room with a private bathroom, and with shared kitchen which was well equipped. There are also cheaper rooms without private bathrooms.

Describe the equipment. Tips for future students – what should they bring with them?:
You don´t have to bring anything, there is everything needed in the room and in the kitchen. I only recommend bringing shampoo and cosmetics since those things are very expensive in Costa Rica.

How and how far ahead should accommodation be organised?:
It depends, but I would recommend at least two months so it´s not taken by other students. However, I reserved my accommodation only one month earlier and there was no problem with the availability.

What are the catering options?:
At the university campus, there are a lot of "sodas", where you can have lunch or even breakfast for a really good price - I paid for my lunch 3 euros, including the main dish and something to drink, and with fruits and vegetables.

What are the rough costs of groceries (compare with Czech prices):
It might be surprising but Costa Rica is more expensive than Czechia, especially in terms of groceries. You can compare it to German prices, f.e. butter costs 4 euros, cheese 5 euros etc. Only fruits and vegetables are quite cheap.

Transport to location of placement:
I flew from Budapest to Zurich, and from there directly to San José (it took 12 hours). From the airport, I paid 30 dollars for a taxi that transported me to my arranged accommodation.

Rough prices for transportation:
Transportation in Costa Rica is quite cheap if you take public transport. On the weekends, I travelled to various destinations throughout Costa Rica, and the prices were very affordable. For example, the bus from San José to La Fortuna was around 5 dollars.

Tips for purchasing cheap tickets and other recommendations:
I recommend to shop at the local stores, and to purchase only public transportation because the UBER and other services are quite expensive.

What are the local transport options (public transport, cycling, on foot, rough prices):
There are lot of buses throughout the city and also one train going quite regularly. I preffered walking or taking an uber for the close destinations.

What kind of formalities have to be arranged before arrival, for example residence permit?:
From 2023, there is no need to have any type of visa (they give it to you at the airport for 180 days). If you know that you want to stay longer than that, you can just leave the country for a few days (like Nicaragua or Panama), and they will give you another 180 days. Therefore, before my arrival, I only needed to buy insurance and buy plane tickets.

What health insurance did you use? (rough price, advantages, disadvantages, is it necessary to arrange insurance at the university other than your home (Czech) insurance?):
I did my insurance at Všeobecná pojišťovna, and it costed around 7500 CZK (300euros) for 5 months, and there were included all countries in Latin America. This was enough for my stay.

Did you have any experience with medical treatment abroad?:
Yes, I was ill for a few days so I went to the hospital that is located at the university campus, it was insured so I didn´t have to pay anything. It was really nice, they were willing to help me and did everything to make me feel better.

Did you work during your studies?:
No.

What are the conditions for working for MU students?:
I am not sure.

Tips for free-time activities:
San José is a city full of parks, but I highly recommend visiting the surrounding mountains that provide beautiful views. If you have free time on the weekends, I recommend visiting National Parks (there are A LOT of them), beaches that are only 2-4 hours ride, or simply riding a bike.

Financial support and expenses
Total grant from Centre for International Cooperation:
20000 CZK

Monthly grant in CZK:
20000 CZK

Number of supported months:
4

Total number of months:
4,5

What other sources did you make use of to finance your placement?:
Monthly grant + my own finances.

If you received another grant, state which and how much in CZK:

 
Total fees associated with enrolment at the university:
600 CZK

a/ amount of enrolment fee:
100 CZK

b/ amount of tuition fees:
500 CZK

c/ amount of other fees (which):
0 CZK

 
What was your average monthly expenditure?:
22000 CZK

a/ of which for accommodation:
300 USD

b/ of which for catering:
7000 CZK

c/ travel and recreation:
7000 CZK

Any comments to the average monthly expenditure:

Recognition of foreign studies at the home faculty
How many credits did you gain during your studies (in the system of the foreign school)?:
13

How many ECTS credits were recognised at MU?:
33

Did you know in advance which of your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Yes.

What problems did you have with recognition?:
None

Overall assessment
Assessment of personal benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Assessment of academic benefit (1 = excellent):
2

Evaluate the information and support provided by the foreign school (1 = excellent):
2

Did you encounter any serious problems during your stay:
Luckily no.

What would you recommend to take with you:
I would recommend taking with you lots of rainy clothes especially if you go there during the rainy season, also sweaters and coats because it can get really cold if you go hiking.

What most surprised you at the partner university in a positive way:
The university itself and the campus are really beautiful, I truly fell in love with it. There are sloths on campus, so every day I had a chance to see those cute animals on the way to my class. The area is very safe, with cafés at every corner and areas for studying.

What most surprised you at the partner university in a negative way:
The only thing I would change was the organization from the side of the partner university, everything took a lot of time and even after my stay, it took so much time to receive the necessary documents.

Further comments: