Costa Rica: Hannah Melum
Program: UW Team Building in Costa Rica, Summer
Hannah’s Major: Health Promotion and Health Equity
What is your most memorable experience from your program?
It is really hard to pick one most memorable experience from the program. However, if I had to choose one I think that I would choose the white water rafting activity. This was the first time that I had ever been white water rafting. This activity was not only so much fun, but allowed me to put some of the skills I learned in the course to use. One of the things that we worked on was trust, and I definitely had to trust my group when I fell from the raft. This activity showed me how much our relationships with each other had grown, which is why it was my favorite.
How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?
The program academics were much different than a typical class at UW-Madison. A majority of this program was hands on and adventure based. Besides the quizzes, journals, and other assignments that were done in the evenings, every day was filled with some sort of activity that pertained to the course.
This course was a very non traditional course, because we never sat in a traditional classroom. This made the learning experience a lot more intriguing, and I felt a lot more willing to participate in every aspect of the class.
What is your advice for someone considering your program?
My biggest advice for someone considering this program is to do it, and try everything while you are there. This program was my first time out of the country, and I don’t regret one bit of it. Getting the opportunity to participate in something like this was one of the best things I have done in a while, and it allowed me to have so much fun. I met really great people as well, and being a transfer student I recommend this program specifically for others in a similar situation.