Costa Rica: Summer 2024

• BIOLOGY FIELD STUDIES: EXTENDED ISLAND ECOSYSTEMS 
  • (Bio 234; 2 units)
     
• BIOLOGY FIELD STUDIES: COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS  
  • (BIO 230; 1 unit)

• There are no pre-requisites to take these courses - students of all majors and academic backgrounds are welcome!

• These courses will be fulfilled through your participation during our two-week field studies in Costa Rica. We will have one mandatory pre-trip meeting on campus with the whole group of students (date to be announced in mid-April), but no meetings after the trip.

• All students participating in the field studies must be enrolled in both courses.

• You must be a Saddleback College or Irvine Valley College student during summer to be eligible to take these courses. If you have never been a college student or are a returning student, you must apply to Saddleback College (see here).

• In all cases, course registration requires you to contact one of the faculty leaders.

• During the trip, you will complete worksheets, species identification assignments, and a field journal. 

This 14-day trip will be full of activities: while hiking, zip-lining, whitewater rafting, doing "sky walk" canopy tours, going on boat tours, or visiting different national parks, we will see and learn about the biodiversity and ecosystems of Costa Rica. The natural environment will be our classroom as we explore the natural history, ecology, and evolutionary history of the fauna and flora of this amazing country. Transportation to all locations will be done in a private bus and we will stay in hotels every night. All logistics, payments, and trip details are under the coordination of AIFS, a leading provider in study abroad services since 1964. 

• Departure date: Monday, July 01, 2024
• Return date: Sunday, July 14, 2024

 San José

• City tour 
• Coffe plantation visit

Tortuguero National Park

• Canal tour 
• Beach walk

La Selva Biological Station

• Nature hike
• Tour of the research station

Sarapiquí River

• Whitewater rafting
• River ecosystem exploration

La Marina Wildlife Rescue Center

• Hike in the property
• Wildlife management lesson

La Fortuna

• Nature hike
• Thermal waters

Guanacaste

• Palo Verde National Park
  • Deciduous lowland forest, evergreen forest
• Rincón de la Vieja National Park
  • Montane ecosystem
• Chorreras waterfall
  • Thermal pools

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

• Canopy bridge walk
• Ziplining

Carara National Park

• Nature hike
• Transition forest

Manuel Antonio National Park

• Nature hike
• Pacific coast hike

Program Fee

Based on an enrollment of 15-19 participants, the fee per person is $3,475 ($3325 for 20+ students)

The fee includes:

• Accommodations in twin or triple bedded en-suite rooms at tourist-class hotels along itinerary
• Breakfast daily, 2 lunches, 4 dinners
• Airport transfer upon arrival and departure at a designated time
• Transportation in air-conditioned bus throughout program itinerary
• Activities as described in San José, Tortuguero, Sarapiquí, Arenal, Guanacaste, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio  (subject to change according to local conditions)
• Medical insurance
• Pre-departure services and orientation
• Orientation with local staff upon arrival

Group Flight

• The air flight is not included in the program fee; however, AIFS will suggest one or two flights for all students and instructors. Ideally, we all arrive in Costa Rica on the same flight or at least around the same time.
• We estimate the air flight to cost less than $600.

Course Registration, Meals, Souvenirs, Passport

• We estimate the total cost of meals not included in the program fee and souvenirs to not exceed $500.
• Summer course registration for three units (if not covered by financial aid) is estimated to be $160.
• If you don't have a valid passport until 2025, you'll need to renew or apply to a new passport (approximately $160 for a US passport).

Funding Your Study Abroad Experience

Besides Financial Aid, scholarships, and savings, students today have to think out of the box for ways to help fund their study abroad experience. In this video, Paula Messina (Regional Directors, AIFS) offers ideas and real-life stories with emphasis on in-person and virtual fundraisers.

View the AIFS Funding Video

Scholarship and Other Funding Opportunities

Lifestyle changes

• Cut down on expenses, ask for gifts of money
• Buy a coffee maker for home instead of going to coffee shop several times a day
• Avoid the temptation of buying unnecessarily online 
• Set up a “Keep the Change” savings account with your bank
• Stop an unhealthy habit (smoking, eating sweets) and put money toward studying abroad in a “Travel Fund” jar/bank account

Back to basics ideas

• Side jobs, sales, garage sales, etc.

Ask Your Network for Support

• Donations, help with projects, ideas, spreading the word, etc.

Crowd Funding 

• Go Fund Me, Zelle, Venmo campaigns, etc. 
• Everyone you know should be aware that you re going abroad and how they can help to fund you
• Use your profile on social media to include your funding information
• Include fun facts about the country and city you will be heading to, along with your funding website information
• Let them know how the funds will be used and why their donation makes a difference
• GoFundMe has a lot of examples of study abroad students to see and copy!

Scholarships

• Benjamin A Gilman International Scholarship https://www.gilmanscholarship.org/ Open to US citizens or nationals; Pell Grant recipients
• Fund for Education Abroad (Open to US citizens and permanent residents): http://fundforeducationabroad.org/apply/ 
• Diverse International Women of Color (DIWC): https://diwcfund.org
• Tortuga Backpacks: https://www.tortugabackpacks.com/pages/study-abroad-scholarship
• The largest scholarship search database on the internet: http://www.studentscholarships.org/ 
• A search database for scholarships for study abroad & international students: http://www.internationalscholarships.com/ 
• A student guide to financial aid and scholarships: http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/ 
• A student guide to financial aid and scholarships: http://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships 
• US Dept of Labor scholarship finder: https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/training/find-scholarships.aspx?s…;
• Blog post with links to several study abroad scholarships: https://www.gooverseas.com/blog/study-abroad-scholarships-grants 

Community scholarships:

• Check with your local civic clubs/organizations to see if they offer any scholarships
• Some scholarships might require winners to present to the club and/or complete service hours
• Rotary Club
• Kiwanis International
• Veterans of Foreign Wars
• Elks Club
• Moose Lodge
• Masons
• 4-H Club
• American Association of University Women
• Golden Key
• Fraternity and sorority organizations
• Religious organizations

Step 1

Contact Dr. Passarelli or Dr. Pires to:

• Be added to our mailing list for updates
• Attend an informational meeting to meet us (if you haven't already) 

Step 2

• Enroll in the program and creat your student account with AIFS tto pay the deposit to secure your spot 
  • Your instructors will provide you with the enrollement link
• DEADLINE TO APPLY & PAY $450 DEPOSIT:  April 5, 2024
• FINAL PAYMENT DEADLINE: May 3, 2024

Step 3

• Start planning the trip!
• We'll stay in touch to let you know about our pre-trip meeting on campus before our departure (a date in April or May TBD)