Christian Erard
Lausanne, Switzerland
When I decided to learn
Spanish, Latin-America was the first choice for me because the prices are
usually lower than in Spain. I selected Costa Rica accidentally. After
this, I have travelled to other countriesin Latin-America. Costa Rica is
for me the most developed country and the best way to enter into
the latin culture. There are a lot of Spanish schools, most of them are
located in the capital San Jose. There are many reasons why one should
choose IPEE: excellent professors (all of them specialized in teaching
Spanish as a foreign language), the cleaness, tranquility and comfort of
the building, small groups in the classrooms, weekend trips organized by
the school and - very important - the atmosphere, you feel like home at
IPEE immediately. Living with a family is a must, you get closer to the
culture and the most important thing, it is the best way to practise your
Spanish.
Kathryn Shea
Apollo Beach, Florida
IPEE was super. I
was very pleased with the instructors and with the school's willingess
to accomodate educational and touring preferences. I think
that the homestay is essential to the language program.
Moneys' worth? Absolutely!
Jamie Wada
Ontario, Oregon
I just returned home from
a four week stay in Costa Rica. I just wanted to drop you a note
and tell you that I had a fantastic time. All my expectations were
by far surpassed. Thank you very much.
Walter Hattinger
Wels, Austria
I learned a lot at IPEE,
not only Spanish but also about the country and the culture. Learning Spanish
and common freetime activities between students and teachers was
for me an ideal combination, IPEE shows that they care about people. Furthermore
has IPEE a Travel Service which offers everything from small trips until
fully organized tours. You are doing a great job!
Michael Spiller
Wels, Austria
I attended your school for
one week. My intention was to learn some basic Spanish in order to be travel.
The teachers were were always endeavored to bring us near the language.
You have a real nice institute. If you need a recommendation, feel free
to ask me.
Tarleton State University
A Part of the Texas A&M
University System
Dear IPEE,
Now we are all back in Texas
and at work or in classes. Costa Rica is becoming history. What a wonderful
time we had! I just had a student dropping in (Kim Pickens), beaming. She
says she dreams in Spanish, she is talking to Hispanics all the time, she
can't wait to get back to practice it in a place were it is spoken. She
said she can't believe all of this, for she always had hated Spanish and
never dared to use it. "It changed my whole life, " she proclaimed.
Well you, Robert, have a
lot to do with this, and I just want to express our thanks and appreciation
and unconditional support for you and your school. You've got good teachers,
well trained, hard-working, totally involved with and knowledgeable in
all aspects of instruction, and above all: very pleasant, nice persons.
To be in a classroom of only 5 students per teacher is a luxury our students
have never had. Your teachers were always available for additional information
and help. I have seen the teaching material, texts, tests, and I could
see that the whole program was laid out carefully and pedagogically sound.
All aspects of grammar were carefully explained and thoroughly practiced
in a multitude of exercises, both oral and in writing. It was "Spanish
only", of course, and there was no end to their resources, it seems. Milagro,
Nuria, Lizzette never got tired, either (or at least, did not show it).
I know the transcripts are on the way (thank you, Juan Pedro!), and with
all that, I have no qualms in transferring your credits to this university.
The housing arrangements
worked well. Students were placed into families near the school. We appreciate
it very much that family members were encouraged to engage and maintain
conversations with students over the dinner table and at other times. These
sort of encounters are invaluable in coming to appreciate the culture.
Thank you, Robert, for taking care of my own housing arrangements. The
Valverde family have become very special friends to me. they treat their
guest with exquisite attention.
Until next time,
Maria Böhm, Ph.D.
Coordinator of Spanish
Dr. Mark Sills
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The Human Services Institute
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Hi Robert, I just returned to
my office after three weeks in your outstanding language school in Costa
Rica. Frankly, I cannot find words that are strong enough to express my
appreciation for IPEE. During my three weeks at IPEE, in the six-hour-a-day
intensive program, it was my good fortune to spend some class time with
all three of your lead teachers. All of them are excellent. Your materials
are excellent. Your facility is excellent. My only regret is that I could
not stay three months instead of just three weeks. In particular, I must
say a word about Lizette. I hold three advanced degrees from world-class
universities. I have been through management training at IBM, and through
leadership development training at what the Wall Street Journal calls the
best training institution in the USA, if not the world (the Center for
Creative Leadership). In all of my education and training, I have never
experienced a better teacher than Lizette! Indeed, I can only think of
two professors in my experience who even come close to being her equal.
Lizette not only knows her material, she has what can only be described
as a divine gift of communication. She is always alert to the unique needs
of each student, and she can adjust her presentation to meet those needs
instantly. If I can be sure of sitting in her classroom again, you can
be sure that I will return to IPEE as soon as I can find the time and money.
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Now, in regard to that, I would
like to propose a possible collaboration between IPEE and my institute.
As you are no doubt aware, there is a fast growing Latino presence in many
small and medium-sized East coast cities. Many of these cities provide
no Spanish language services (health care, social services, etc.), and
have little or no understanding of Latino culture. .................
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Maryse Plante
Montreal, Canada
Nuria is an excellent teacher.
I have learned a lot with her. She is very patient and has a lot of ability
to explain things. She knows how to mix school and fun. I really enjoyed
being in her class. I couldn't expect a better teacher. I have learned
a lot of Spanish and also a lot about Costa Rican culture. I enjoyed the
School a lot. Everybody is very friendly and the teachers help the students
with their Spanish. There is a good environment in the School. I will recommend
your school and professors to everybody I know.
Fred Greer
Mansfield, GA
I have attended one other
school in San José and have visited others. IPEE is the best I've
seen in materials, methods and instruction. I found a selection of schools
to choose from through publications in libraries in the US. Wanting the
best, I contacted the consulate of Costa Rica in Atlanta, which gave me
a brief list of eight or so schools with contact information. I hope IPEE
will find a way to get on that list for future potential students. It deserves
to be there.
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Teddy Roe
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Alexandria, VA
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"This report is being submitted
in lieu of the standard "exit" questionnaire in order to describe better
my experience at IPEE. For starters, my experience was excellent.
My three instructors excelled in all of the points covered in the questionnaire:
punctuality, sense of humor, patience, self-assuredness, order, ability
to explain items needing explanation, personal comportment, body language,
use of the white-board, etc., etc. In truth, I don't think I could
have asked for more. As an advanced student, I had a good idea of what
I needed from my professors. And they delivered. But had my demands been
out of the ordinary, I have no doubt that they would have made the necessary
adjustment and delivered equally well. Considering the long-dormant
nature of my existing Spanish, I feel I made great progress at IPEE. That
progress was made so much easier by the friendliness and professionalism
of my professors. Their detailed knowledge of Spanish was matched by their
ability to explain it. If I failed to advance in any area, the fault was
mine. The classes were fun and stimulating. The professors were top-notch.
I would not hesitate to recommend the IPEE experience to anyone wishing
to improve his or her Spanish."
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Mary Anne Havriluk
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Tallahassee, FL
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"The school is terrific! I learned
more in two weeks than I did in 2 years of high school Spanish. The instructors
are excellent and provided many opportunities to have fun while learning
difficult (for me!) material. My only complaint is that I can't stay here
for two more weeks."
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Emilio Desideri
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Marco Island, FL
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"The instructors fulfilled much
more than my expectations. The instruction was very professionally done,
it was very knowledgeable and helpful in every way possible. "Being
a professional business person - the entire staff is superb!"
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Mark Collins
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San Diego, CA
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"This School more than surpassed
my expectation. Now I will have a very high standard for language schools
in the future and hope also to return to San José to study at IPEE.
I like the friendliness of all the people working at IPEE, access to Email
and extra activities inside and outside of the school. But more importantly
I think the teachers do an effective job teaching that can be quite fun
as well."
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Michael Garbe
-
Monterey, CA
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"Since I am a Spanish instructor
myself and did not undergo formal instruction, this evaluation is mostly
based on my observation of classroom instruction by the lady professors
Nuria, Milagro, and Lizzette. Above all I observed in all three of them
that they are very good at eliminating the fear of speaking the target
language (Spanish) and in generally lowering the level of pressure in the
classroom. Additionally, the use of English is kept to an absolute minimum,
it is restricted to a word here and there, so that it is actually justified
to speak of a total immersion approach. Highly commendable is the integration
of the various blocks of instruction and that a lot of emphasis is actually
placed on speaking the language although structure is not neglected. There
seems to be a good balance between both. Furthermore, there is excellent
coordination among the faculty members and material introduced previously
is constantly reinforced. It is noteworthy that practically all the classroom
materials were created and/or written by the faculty, including the text.
Thus they follow the same methodology which is conducive to achieving the
best results in the shortest possible time. I am firmly convinced that
a student at IPEE who applies himself, will achieve a great deal more in
a much shorter period of time when compared to a typical university or
college environment, particularly when it comes to speaking. It is simply
astonishing what is accomplished with respect to speaking at IPEE."
Clarence Robichaud
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New Brunswick, Canada
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"I am quite impressed by the
relaxed but yet professional manner by which each teacher taught. Both
of them (Milagro and Nuria) indeed filled my expectations. I learned a
tremendous amount in the short time I was here. "There is definitely a
sense of friendship amongst the students and everyone seems to find a few
people to socialize with outside of the school. IPEE is a very friendly
and professional place to learn Spanish." "My house is very clean
and in a nice area. I have no complaints whatsoever. Everything was much
to my liking. A great family to live with."
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Tomas
St. Angelo
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"Just
a little note of thanx. I just finished my 2 weeks of classes &
enjoyed every frustrating moment! laughing to tearz & infinite confusion
everyday...what else can you ask for? Everyone at IPEE & my host
family was 100% wonderful ...everyone! I hope to return someday
& wouldnt think of anywhere else but ipee. Thanx for your
work & understanding with my changes."
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