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<h3>What inspired you to go abroad?</h3><p>My parents really pushed me to go abroad because they knew it would make me a well-rounded individual and they regretted not doing it themselves. I also really wanted to go and have had an adventurous spirit since I was really little. When a relatively open spot came in my schedule one fall semester, I knew I had to take advantage of it.</p><h3>Why did you choose USAC?</h3><p>I had visited Costa Rica before with my family and I wanted to go back, get more out of it by not being just a tourist, improve my Spanish, and study ecology in a place that is known for having incredible amounts of biodiversity. USAC offered me all of these, and more. They were very cost-effective and it was cheaper to go abroad than spend the quarter at my own school. And, I could get ahead on credits and use that momentum to graduate early.</p><figure class="awesome-image centered" style=""><img style="" src="https://www.goabroad.com/images/interviews/interviewphoto1-rubenstein-1500618898.png" alt="Girl sitting in an oxcart in Sarch&iacute;, Alajuela, Costa Rica"><figcaption class="caption">Chillin' in the oxcarts of Sarch&iacute;</figcaption></figure><h3>What was your favorite part about San Ramon, Costa Rica?</h3><p>San Ram&oacute;n has the coolest wall art. I don't say graffiti because it is all so beautiful. I loved walking around town with my camera, talking to people, and chatting with my friends in Spanish. Everyone is so welcoming and inviting and willing to talk to you. They were patient, understanding, and always up for an adventure.</p><p>I can't really pick one thing I love about San Ram&oacute;n, but family and friends definitely top the list. As for the country as a whole, I love the diversity of activities you can do because of the diversity of the climate.</p><h3>What made your experience abroad unique?</h3><p>I made a lot of amazing connections with my host family and some local ticos. They were taking an English class the same time I was taking a Spanish class and we always met up to share conversations. They would show us around, take us hiking, swimming at secret waterfalls, show us amazing lookout points, and travel with us to fun places. They really were the bridge between just being a study abroad student and becoming invested in the community. These students became my best friends and made my experience unique.</p><figure class="awesome-image right-aligned" style="width: 380px;"><img style="" src="https://www.goabroad.com/images/interviews/interviewphoto2-rubenstein-1500618954.png" alt="Birthday celebration in Costa Rica"><figcaption class="caption">Celebrating a birthday, tico style - with eggs, cake, and flour!</figcaption></figure><h3>How did local staff support you throughout your program?</h3><p>The staff were amazing! Lucy, Gerardo, and Jose were always around to answer our questions and really pushed us to speak Spanish which was incredibly helpful. They were fun to work with and became our friends as well as our advisors. They were so accommodating, especially during Thanksgiving when they cooked us enormous turkeys and shared a Thanksgiving meal with us. They travelled with us, practiced Spanish with us, and listened to any concern that we had.</p><h3>What's one thing you wish you would have done differently?</h3><p>I honestly wish I would have spent less time with the other program students and more time with the locals. Being with other Americans, it was easy to fall back into English and to forget that the time abroad is precious and shouldn't be wasted reminiscing about things back home.</p><h3>Describe a typical day in the life of your program.</h3><p>Wake up, eat breakfast (usually <i>gallo pinto</i>, eggs, fruit, and coffee), go for a short run or walk around town with the camera to take pictures, go to class, eat lunch, meet up with friends in the central park and talk for an hour or so, go for a walk to a look out near town and play games or eat snacks. Then return to homestay to do some homework, eat dinner, watch a movie or sing songs in Spanish, journal, and go to bed. Some nights were also spent out at lookouts, in the park, or at a sports bar to watch a soccer match.</p><figure class="awesome-image left-aligned" style="width: 330px;"><img style="" src="https://www.goabroad.com/images/interviews/interviewphoto3-rubenstein-1500619134.png" alt="Hiking to Volc&aacute;n Concepci&oacute;n on Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua"><figcaption class="caption">The view from Volc&aacute;n Concepci&oacute;n during a trip to Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua</figcaption></figure><h3>What did you enjoy doing in your free time?</h3><p>Taking photos, hiking, hanging out in the central park with my friends, and playing games with my host siblings. Being a tico...</p><h3>What was your accommodation like? What did you like best about it?</h3><p>I had a mom, dad, little brother, little sister, and a family dog. I loved that the family was loud and kind of crazy. It took some getting used to but there was always something going on, always a song playing, someone singing, someone visiting, someone cooking. It was rich with a culture of being close and connected, and I loved helping out around the house with cooking.</p><h3>What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?</h3><p>I have more than one thing so just take your pick:</p><p>Get to know the locals! They will be your best friends and will show you all the hidden gems of San Ram&oacute;n. They will also appreciate the time and effort you put in to speak Spanish with them and they will remember you.</p><p>Don't go out drinking all the time. I know it's fun, it's legal, and your parents aren't watching, but it's honestly more trouble than it's worth. American students get a bad rap for being crazy partiers and if you perpetuate this stereotype, it can ruin your time here and cause drama. Plus, it will take away from time you could have spent interacting with your host family, traveling, or exploring.</p><p>Take the cultural classes - dancing and cooking are awesome! They won't fulfill credit requirements but they will make your time richer and more fun!</p><figure class="awesome-image centered" style=""><img style="" src="https://www.goabroad.com/images/interviews/interviewphoto4-rubenstein-1500619215.png" alt="Caldera of Costa Ricas Volc&aacute;n Po&aacute;s."><figcaption class="caption">Visiting one of Costa Rica's many volcanoes - Volc&aacute;n Po&aacute;s</figcaption></figure><h3>Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?</h3><p>At first it made me mad to be home. I hated every conversation that wasn't in Spanish, I hated having everything so familiar and predictable, and I hated any food that wasn't empanadas or gallo pinto. After a while, I settled back in, and I dedicated time to attending Spanish conversation tables to continue practicing and improving my Spanish. I cooked my food differently. I viewed my relationships differently (friendships in Costa Rica are so much richer and more rewarding than they are here in the states).</p><p>The most important and most prevalent impact in my mind is that I went back the following year to visit my family. Knowing I had connections all over the world was an incredibly powerful feeling. While I was back visiting I discovered an internship program that I applied for and got! Now I am back in Costa Rica again, this time as a naturalist guide in the cloud forest. It's a dream come true!</p><h3>Would you recommend your program to others? Why?</h3><p>Absolutely, no hesitation. This is an incredible experience. If you do it right, this study abroad program will change you from college student (baby) into adult. It will make you appreciative of every moment shared with others and will give you an insatiable sense of adventure. It will make you laugh, cry, and dream. Also...when it comes to studying abroad...why not? Honestly, there's not a single reason not to.</p>


Michaela Rubenstein

Check out this GoAbroad Interview with Michaela Rubenstein who participated in University Studies Abroad Consortium program.

Michaela Rubenstein | University Studies Abroad Consortium

Michaela Rubenstein - 2015 Program Participant

<p></p>
<div class="awesome-image centered " ><img src="https://www.goabroad.com/section_cloudinary/gaplabs/image/upload/images2/interviews/interviewphoto1-harned-1422602842.jpg" alt="







Girls dressed link ninjas"><div class="caption"><p>Sydney and her friend Sarah dressed up like ninjas before their first turtle trek. They dressed in dark colors and long sleeves so the turtles wouldn’t see us, get scared, and return to the ocean before laying her eggs. </p></div></div>
<h3><strong>Why did you decide to apply for an international program?</strong></h3>
<p>I’d always been interested in traveling abroad, especially to study marine science. I thought it would be a great experience for me to learn more about the ocean while becoming more independent.</p>
<h3><strong>What attracted you to Broadreach's programs? How did you hear about them?</strong></h3>
<p>I actually found out about Broadreach a few years before my first program when I stumbled upon their website on Google, but it wasn’t a realistic option for me until a few years later. After reading through some of the trip descriptions, I immediately knew there was no other program out there quite like these.</p>
<p>It’s not often that an incoming sophomore in high school has the opportunity to work alongside real researchers at a Sea Turtle Conservancy while simultaneously experiencing another culture. I knew immediately that the Broadreach experience didn’t compare to any other high school camps or travel abroad programs, and was completely transfixed on going on a program.</p>
<h3><strong>What type of accommodation did you have while in Costa Rica? What did you like best about it?</strong></h3>
<div class="awesome-image right-aligned " ><img src="https://www.goabroad.com/section_cloudinary/gaplabs/image/upload/images2/interviews/interviewphoto2-harned-1422602981.jpg" alt="







Counting turtle eggs in Costa Rica"><div class="caption"><p>One of the researchers at the STC doing a nest excursion, counting the number of eggs that didn’t hatch.</p></div></div>
<p>We changed locations three times in Costa Rica, and each experience was different. We started in the rainforest near the Sarapiqui river, where we stayed in huts at a resort that offered ziplining, rafting, and repelling. Each hut had a queen sized bed, and the resort had a restaurant where we ate each of our meals.<br></p>
<p>When we moved to the Sea Turtle Conservancy in Tortuguero, we were “roughing it” a bit more than we were previously. The girls and boys stayed in separate rooms with bunk beds, and our meals were cooked for us by the friendly cooks working for the research station. I personally loved this experience, because our accommodations were the same as the researchers working at the STC, so it was a very authentic experience.</p>
<p>Our last stop on the trip was Drake Bay. After a week of hard work and late nights on the beach looking for turtles, Drake Bay was the perfect place to rest and recover. We stayed at a resort complete with air conditioning, laundry service (which was a HUGE deal at the time!), and an incredible view of the ocean. I can’t imagine a better place for the group to reflect on our trip and enjoy our last few days together.</p>
<h3><strong>Describe a typical day during your Sea Turtle Studies program.</strong></h3>
<p>At the STC, we would usually wake up around 10 a.m. and have breakfast, which was the traditional Costa Rican black beans, rice, and eggs. The mornings were usually for working on papers or homework that we had due, and the afternoons were lectures. The lectures were always fun and engaging, and usually lasted about an hour or so. We had free time to work on any work we had, read, or practice our Spanish with the researchers until dinner which was usually around 6:30 or 7 p.m.</p>
<p>The real fun started at 8:00 p.m., when the first group of students headed out to the beach to look for turtles. We had four groups: two groups would go out from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. and two groups from 12:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. We rotated the times so everyone got a chance to work each shift. The turtle walks were unlike anything I could have ever imagined.</p>
<p>Tortuguero is not an urban place, so there is almost no light pollution. This meant the stars were incredible bright, unlike anything I’d ever seen since I live in a city. Shooting stars started to become commonplace. The sand was also lit up with bioluminescent plankton; it was like a scene out of a dream. We would walk up and down the beach taking in the scene until we came across a turtle making her way onto shore to nest. This is when the real fun began. We would approach her slowly, as to not scare her back into the water. We would take turns measuring her carapace and counting her eggs, and the researcher we were with would tag her flipper to keep track if she came back the next year.</p>
<p>When turtles lay eggs, they go into a trance, so the turtles weren’t bothered by our presence. On average, we would see anywhere from four to eight turtles a night. On my first night, we saw 10, which was a great start to an amazing week. Turtle walks were, without a doubt, one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced.</p>
<div class="awesome-image left-aligned " ><img src="https://www.goabroad.com/section_cloudinary/gaplabs/image/upload/images2/interviews/interviewphoto3-harned-1422602942.jpg" alt="







Snorkeling in Drake Bay"><div class="caption"><p>Sydney’s trip leader, Phil, and her hanging out in the gorgeous blue waters of Drake Bay after a snorkel.</p></div></div>
<h3><strong>What was the biggest challenge you faced in Costa Rica?</strong></h3>
<p>I think the biggest challenge I faced was getting out of my comfort zone and meeting new people. I went on this trip without knowing anyone, which was a huge step for me during this time in my life. The first week I had a hard time coming out of my shell and getting to know everyone on my trip, but by the end I had made so many valuable friendships. This trip was a huge step for me maturity-wise and the experience helped me grow comfortable in situations I’m not used to.</p>
<h3><strong>What makes Costa Rica such a great location for sea turtle studies?</strong></h3>
<p>Costa Rica has tons of nesting beaches which makes it a great place for sea turtle research, but what made the experience so valuable to me was how intertwined the culture was with the turtles. “Tortuga” means turtle in Spanish; Tortuguero is literally named after the sea turtle. We got to interact with locals and learn about traditions and customs that involve turtles, and see how the culture is shifting since the idea of conservation had been introduced in the town.</p>
<p>People in Tortuguero had grown up eating turtle eggs, but this custom has become less popular since the turtle populations have started to dwindle. Overall, we got to see the impact that the STC and other turtle programs were making in Tortuguero and Costa Rica in general.&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>How did the local Broadreach staff support you throughout your program</strong>?&nbsp;</h3>
<p>The staff was great. The trip had three leaders that were all fun, knowledgeable, and passionate about marine science. The trip leaders wanted us all to have a safe and amazing experience, and that was evident throughout our entire trip. The trip leaders can make or break a travel abroad experience, and my Broadreach trip leaders have always been nothing short of incredible.&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>What was your favorite part of Costa Rica? Anything you wish you would have done but didn't have time for? </strong></h3>
<p>It’s so hard to pick a favorite part of my trip, because everything we did was unique and amazing in it’s own way. I think, for me, my time spent at the Sea Turtle Conservancy was my favorite part, because it reassured me that conservation was what I wanted to do with my life, and gave me the opportunity to experience real research at such a young age. I think that Broadreach does a great job of exposing students to as much of the country as they can in three weeks, so I don’t really have anything I wish we could’ve done…I wish we could’ve stayed longer!</p>


Sydney Harned 2011

Check out this GoAbroad Interview with Sydney Harned 2011 who participated in Broadreach program.

Sydney Harned 2011 | Broadreach Alumni Interview

Broadreach Alumni Interview with Sydney Harned 2011

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