The methodology used is that of "Constant Contact". Students develop a wide range of personal contacts with native Spanish speakers as a result of their daily routine, such as chatting with a staff member on the morning jeep ride out to the Santa Ana campus, asking the gardener about a particular variety of citrus fruit, sharing a recipe with the cooks, or punching out a homework exercise with a member of their Costa Rican host family.

The Language Programs

In Santa Ana, we offer a choice of either 4 hours per day, 20 hours per week, or 5 1/2 hours per day, 28 hours per week.

Students are tested on the first day of classes, right after the orientation session. Small, homogeneous groups are formed, maximum four students per group. Students are exposed to a new instructor for each week of the program. The instruction is entirely in Spanish, and each week a specific grammatical sequence is presented. The instructors are skilled in blending conversation with grammar to meet the individual needs of the group members. A portion of each day is dedicated to the correction of workbook exercises, and about one hour per day of homework is required. Students are frequently moved from one group to another during the program to maintain smooth functioning and to maximize individual progress. Students are frequently moved from one group to another during the program to maintain smooth functioning and to maximize individual progress.