Supportive Gap Community

The Bridge is a unique blend of a gap program - offering cultural immersion, community service, language, adventure travel, and internship opportunities - and a supportive community - providing group and individual coaching as well as a strong sense of safety, support and guidance toward mastering skills for the adult world.

The Experience

The Result

40+ internships to help you find and exercise your passion and develop a professional path.

Study abroad: Participate in transferable college courses from local & US universities taught in English.

Spanish: You will have access to learning Spanish in the most non-threatening and effective way possible.

Culture: Experience a different culture in a supported way to open up your mind, give you the chance to redefine yourself, and give you the adaptability skills required to thrive in 21st society.

Freedom: We help you design your own schedule within a set of healthy & balanced lifestyle expectations that prepare you for the adult world.

Life Skills: Take advantage of the opportunity to practice essential life skills in a hands-on way (budgeting, cooking, public transportation, organization, decision making, leadership) with mentors by your side.

Activities: All kinds of extracurriculars available allow you to maintain or find new interests (sports & hobbies like basketball, swimming, surfing, soccer, sewing, music, gardening, and art, etc.)

Empowerment: We empower students to make program decisions, change guidelines, organize activities, manage budgets and lead community immersion projects throughout Costa Rica.

Impressive resume: An impressive resume that leads students to desirable colleges, job offers and amazing scholarships. This resume can include:

Up to 200 (or even more) hours of internship in your potential desired career
More than 150 hours of community service
Fluency in Spanish
College credit from studying abroad at a university in Costa Rica
Leadership in indigenous and rural community empowerment projects

Cross-cultural competencies to become a true global citizen ready for challenging multi-cultural and international classrooms and jobs.

Confidence to take on new challenges, to meet new people, and to confront life’s curve balls with the confidence that you only get by spending time away from your own cultural bubble.

Life Skills: Well-rounded set of soft skills and hard skills ready to be put into practice in the adult world.

Independence: freedom from the main obstacles toward independence, like insecurities, unhealthy habits, poor decision making, lack of purpose, drive and motivation.

Leadership and social skills with peers, professionals and classmates.

Inquire Now

Campus for Young Men

Campus for Young Women

Gap Stories from The Bridge Costa Rica

A Secret Revealed: Cultural Immersion Is Therapeutic

Cultural immersions have been historically perceived and studied as a negative, kind of shocking experience, but research now tells us quite the opposite: that these experiences can help us grow beyond what we ever imagined! Intercultural encounters can help us shift and restructure our mental structures, allowing us to make significant growth and life changes.
On The Bridge Blog | 2 min read