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Centro Lingüístico Conversa is Costa Rica’s most prestigious language school. Founded in 1975, Conversa is dedicated to the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language. Conversa offers two ideal locations, our six-acre campus in the mountains of Santa Ana, and our in-town school on the western end of the capital, San Jose.
The director, Dave Kaufman, obtained a B.A. in Spanish from Ithaca College and began his language teaching career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Afterwards, he served as Language Coordinator for Peace Corps training programs in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica before obtaining an M.S. in Applied Linguistics from Georgetown University. Dave’s practical approach to language learning is shared by a staff of experienced Costa Rican instructors.
 Our methodology involves the forming of homogeneous groups where language learning background, age and aptitude are taken into consideration. Our groups are small, with a maximum of four students per instructor. Conversa offers two program models at both locations, Intensive (4 hours per day) and Super-Intensive (5 & ½ hours per day) classes. Our instructors are skilled in blending conversation and grammar to meet the individual needs of the group members.
Our students range from U.S. university and college students to corporate executives, and from high school students to retirees. Regardless of your language and professional background, through our initial testing process, we will place you in a small language group where you will be able to make good progress. We regard Spanish as a tool for facilitating communication with others rather than a dry academic exercise.
College credit is available through our Sponsors, Miami-Dade Community College and Truman State University. Conversa’s Spanish programs are accredited by more than 100 universities and colleges in the United States by the College Consortium for International Studies (C.C.I.S.). Courses offered range from Elementary Spanish to Latin American Literature.
Conversa encourages students to participate in cultural activities like visiting museums and sampling Costa Rican cuisine. Conversa also arranges a Latin Dance class activity during each program. Conversa also provides assistance to its students for traveling on weekends by making reservations and obtaining discounts on selected tours. These areas and others are answered on our Frequently Asked Questions page.
All in all, we believe that Conversa and Costa Rica combine to make an ideal setting for a great study abroad vacation!
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