Scottie Gilg is a Junior majoring in Environmental Studies at Christopher Newport University who is currently studying abroad in Costa Rica. She’s taking classes through American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS), an external program that allows her to take classes revolving around environmental sustainability as well as upper level Spanish. When asked about reservations in leaving the CNU community, Gilg expressed her feeling of missing out on various activities at CNU as well as not being able to see her friends.
“A lot of my friends are a year above me and I was worried about missing their last semester here,” she said.
Gilg also reflected on the different experience in classes abroad than in the states, most notably how different the types of learning styles are. She went on to discuss how the United States is much more reliant on tests than Costa Rica is, where they are more focused on presentations and group projects with no tests at all. Cramming for tests and forgetting all the material after is something she doesn’t miss.
“I know everyone has a different learning style, but here I feel like I am genuinely grasping the overall concepts rather than memorizing facts for a test,” she said.
Gilg is enrolled in Universidad Veritas, a private university in San Jose, which has limited her interactions with locals in Costa Rica. She has experienced the majority of her interaction through her living accommodations.
“I have been living [with] a host family while I am here which has allowed me to understand more of the culture. I get to try different foods specific to Costa Rica, learn about my host family’s lives and it allows me to practice my Spanish,” she said.
