There are three modules that will be recurring themes, projects, and topics throughout your entire experience. These three recurring modules include: Organic Farming & Culinary Arts, Spanish Language & Latin American Culture, and Health & Wellbeing. For example, you will be included and part of the cooking experience each day of the program, so you will be consistently learning how to make new Costa Rican dishes and how to formulate a menu.

The other modules are concrete to a single dedicated 1-2 weeks. For example, the Scuba/Snorkel, Tropical Marine Ecology & Biology module will be a 1-week module with a few days out on the Caribbean Coast learning about coral reefs and marine life.

When you are not out in the field, your home will be in one of our rustic dorm rooms (1 roommate and shared bathroom with max 3 other participants) at the spectacular Outward Bound Costa Rica rainforest base. You will have access to hiking/running trails as well as a nearby health club for working out or swimming laps. About 1/3 of the time you will be out on explorations which will include overnight accommodation at a private cabin only for your cohort or similar location. For many, this will be the first time living away from home, which provides you with the perfect opportunity to develop independent living skills in preparation for college and beyond. 

This Residential program is for someone who is quite independent, eager to learn, but would like to grow through guidance, support, and an incredible experiential learning-focused curriculum. You will have at least 1 day off a week from scheduled field experiences, teachings, or programming. During this freetime, you can explore the surrounding rainforest, go for a relaxing hike, swim in nearby waterfalls, hop on a Facetime call with friends and family, grab a to-go coffee at an artisan shop in San José, sleep in, read a book in a hammock, and more! This program also differs as there is no camping, so accommodation will always be on a comfy mattress—whether that be in one of our rustic rainforest base dorm rooms, at an eco lodge, or private hostel while out on your field experiences. Additionally, you are permitted to have electronics on course.

Phones, laptops & electronics welcome! We encourage you to bring a laptop to help support research and notetaking during formal class sessions. Our rainforest base dorm rooms do not have wifi, but in the morning/afternoon/evening during your free time you can walk up to our office balcony to enjoy a view while working on your laptop or giving a call to family and friends back home.

On our programs we use an engaging alternative approach to learning called mind mapping. This teaching model works both halves of the brain by harnessing visualization and association—improving both memory and creative thinking. It is essentially a series of branches, images, and links flowing backwards and forwards to and from a central idea. On this residential program we use mind mapping as it is an excellent aid to understanding complex and intertwined issues, which are supported by the Residential Gap Semester field experiences.

This course is for high school graduates aged 17 and older. We see a variety of participants on course—those who just graduated high school looking to do a gap year, students in college enrolling on a semester abroad, participants well past their student years looking to make a change in their life, and more.

After submitting an Enrollment Form, the best way to find out is to download our Academic Credit Packet, email us a request for a Course Syllabus, and schedule a meeting with your study abroad or academic advisor to discuss your plan to either obtain transferable credit from Western Colorado State University or creating an Independent Study with your university. See our Academic Credit Packet for details.

Your Residential Coach will help you as your weave your way through engaging experiences and your own personal discovery of a particular module. Their role is to help you and your group as you explore each topic through a combination of presentations from area experts, coordinated field experiences, formal teachings, and personal research. They are a mentor, friend, example, and leader but most importantly, they help you connect your field experiences to your STEAM-based learning modules.