Summer 2017 in Mexico Past Review

By (The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 06/05/2017 to 07/05/2017 with

Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM): Queretaro - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
The Mexican culture!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes were really tough, but there was a lot of resources.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The program had a thing called "primos" (cousins) where the student workers would help the foreign students adapt to the culture and a new surrounding. However, this program didn't really help because most of them were unreliable. The program was also extremely vague about the charges that all foreign students had to pay.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The lady I stayed with was very friendly but was not very accommodating when it came to meals.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I loved all the trips that the campus planned! I got to visit Guanjuato, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico City, and Teotihuacan! The only problem is that the "primos" were unorganized at times.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The ITESM campus has doctors, and they don't charge the students anything.

* Safety:

I felt safe at all times.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

I think I should have done an internship instead of studying abroad, but the memories are priceless!

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

$1 = $17 pesos so it was relatively easy to have fun while being on a budget!

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Around $40 USD

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

As a native Spanish speaker, all of my classes were in Spanish. However, they were still challenging since I had to use an academic/formal Spanish.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Fluent
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Fluent
How many hours per day did you use the language? 10+

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The Trips
  • The culture
  • The people
* What could be improved?
  • The trips
  • the program in general
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I would've known about the $900 fee that I had to pay!

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Literature and Society

Course Department: Spanish
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: The professor was very neat-picky and unreliable.
Credit Transfer Issues: No