Franklin College Spring Semester in Costa Rica

  Costa Rica

• San Jose: 
San Jose
• Monteverde: 
Monteverde

Term: Spring 
Dates: January 6- March 25, 2010 Deadline of Application: November 14, 2009

Description: The Franklin Spring & COE Teacher Education Spring semester offers students a chance to fulfill core curriculum requirements while studying in Costa Rica. All levels of students (freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors) and a wide variety of majors are eligible to apply. Students engage in a language and cultural immersion through homestays with Costa Rican families.

UGA Costa Rica Campus
Students are based at UGA's beautiful campus at the head of the San Luis Valley adjacent to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. The campus is high enough in elevation to offer a temperate climate year-round. On-site nature trails can be explored, horse-back rides take students throughout San Luis, a natural pool formed by a 80m waterfall can be found after a short hike through the forest, and classes are taught in open-air classrooms and via "living classroom" excursions.

With wide verandas overlooking the Valley, a dining room with soaring ceilings, library and computer facilities, the student union is a popular place to congregate. Participants enjoy three fresh meals each day (included in the total cost of the program) and are housed in spacious bungalows nested into the landscape, each with its own private bath. All rooms are doubles.

Highlights:
Costa Rica
Throughout the semester, students will explore Costa Rica on group excursions. Activities included on the excursions are an integral part of course material and the overall study abroad experience. Students will hike the slopes of Arenal Volcano, learn about Costa Rica's indigenous pottery, and observe the geology of the Pacuare River via a white-water rafting adventure. Students will be immersed in the marine enviornment at the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Preserve. Other activities include cloud forest hikes, canopy ziplines, and a behind-the-scenes tour of the National Biodiversity Institute's collection rooms.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: 7,000 USD

Airfare is paid separately by the students.

Tuition is paid separately to the UGA Bursar's Office.

***Note: Out-of-state students pay in-state tuition.
The HOPE scholarship applies to study abroad tuition.

Non-UGA (Transient) Student Costs & Application:
An additional application and $50 processing fee is required for non-UGA students to enroll. Contact the UGA Costa Rica Office to confirm when you have started the application process.

Non-UGA students (excluding USG and SEC students) will be charged $250, in addition to their tuition, which is assessed by the UGA Bursar's office.

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Costa Rica Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 6-24

Scholarships are Available. Friends of UGA Costa Rica Scholarship Fund Qualifying students must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 grade point average and be enrolled in UGA as a full-time student. Friends of UGA Costa Rica Scholarships will be distributed primarily on the basis of financial need. STARS (Students Abroad with Regents Support) Stipends, in the amount of $500, are available for 2009 UGA Costa Rica program applicants. Stipends are awarded to students upon the completion of 50 hours of work in the UGA Costa Rica Office and are intended to cover a portion of the study abroad program costs. To be eligible for the stipend, students must be enrolled full-time at UGA and must be accepted by a UGA Costa Rica Study Abroad Program (early acceptance required). Prior to the program start date, students must be able to complete 50 hours of work to earn the total stipend. UGA Foundation Incentive Scholarship The UGA Foundation has established a $500,000 endowment to support study abroad scholarships for UGA students. A portion of this scholarship is dedicated each year to students going on UGA Costa Rica study abroad programs. The UGA Foundation Incentive Scholarships range from $250-$700 each. Scholarships will be awarded competitively on the basis of academic excellence and financial need, with priority being given to freshmen students who have not previously studied abroad. Scholarships are available to full-time UGA undergraduate students only. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA.

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network

University of Georgia's Mission Statement: Our Mission is to provide excellence in academic programs and research opportunities while serving as the best equipped social, cultural, environmental and international facility of the University of Georgia. Our Vision is to work under the principles of environmental, cultural, social and economic stability, as well as to serve as an example of sustainability to the academic and non-academic communities of Costa Rica, Latin America and the World.

Year Founded: 1785