Students and parents need to adjust their expectations accordingly. Every attempt is made to give US quality health care to each student, but it cannot happen within the time frame of living in a US city. This is not always what students present, however, which may cause cultural problems in the homestay. Women can become ostracized from the family for poor appearance. Women are told this and are sometimes moved if they fail to meet the family's standard of cleanliness.
Male students are somehow exempt.
Double standards are a way of life in Costa Rica. This can be frustrating for female students. Before the homestay, such issues are discussed at length. This was attributed to mistaken identity, but the details of the attack remain obscure. More recently, one student was approached and felt threatened while walking home alone late at night.