Volunteer Abroad & Spanish Immersion

I LOVED my stay at Maximo Nivel language school. I had the private apartment, which was the right choice for me. The school was excellent. The teachers have a lot of experience. They are talking nice and slowly, so it's easy to understand them and they are also very good at explained words that are unfamiliar in Spanish, so that in the end you understand them. I had at first 4 hours with another student and then 2 more private lessons. The classes are with as little students as possible and they really focus on the talking. You are going to talk a lot and therefore learn also a lot. Usually we would do some grammar and then practice the newly learned grammar while talking. It is very interactive. I am excited about how much I learned in 4 weeks and can not wait to use Spanish and talk to people.

The campus is also really nice. There is a microwave to heat up food or there are also other restaurants nearby to go and eat lunch. From most of the classrooms you have a view over the jungle at the sea.

On my first day, Noily welcomed me and I felt good immediately. She is great and takes care of the campus but also the students.

A big "Thank You" to Francis, Marianela, Noily, Wendy, Valeria and Karen for taking such great care of me. If I ever need another Spanish course to brush up my knowledge, I will definitely return.

Only thing that could be improved are the social activities. They offer salsa lessons and also a cooking class at school. Also in the evenings they offer to go to bars and have reduced entrance fees for example. However, the school's campus has a really nice outside terrace, which in my opinion has so much potential. There could be more activities offered for instance movie night or BBQ on the beautiful outside terrace, board games evenings or a Spanish book club. But this is truly the only remark I can find.

We had a private class because of our level so the teacher had the chance to concentrate on our needs. We really improved our language skills from typical holiday sentences to understanding the most of what is said to us. We are able to communicate- of course it is just a basic talk at the moment - but it feels like it will become better by practicing. The location and the view of the school is more than awesome!
The housing was typical and it was cool to live in a real tico family. The only thing what was not the best was the location of the host family because you really had to take a bus or taxi to get to school from there. There was no opportunity to walk from your house to school.
All in all we had a really great time at COSI! :)

My experience at COSI-Maximo Nivel was incredibly positive. I cannot find one negative thing to say. The teacher was the best I've ever had in four years of studying spanish. The location in Manual Antonio, Costa Rica is fabulous with friendly, helpful, truly wonderful people and then, there is the beauty. The rainforest is glorious, the ocean magical and the rain is divine. It is the only place I've ever traveled that I drank tap water. The school is located on a mountain with fabulous views of the forest and the ocean, and just minutes away from the most amazing beaches. The extra, adventurous activities like zip-lining, snorkeling, white water river rafting, and hiking were all offered by professional companies with the best guides and sanctioned by the school. The host families were accommodating and gracious. It can't get any better than that!