Past Review

By (Spanish Language and Literature., Universidad de las Americas - Puebla / UDLAP) for

Universidad de las Americas - Puebla / UDLAP : Puebla - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My study abroad experience was definitely worthwhile. It helped me not only with my Spanish speaking abilities, but also opened my eyes to many different cultural things of Mexico. I loved my experience in Mexico!

Personal Information

The term and year this program took place: Fall 2008

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I took the classes for students who were learning Spanish as a second language. The instructors still speak in Spanish the whole time, but they start out speaking slower then speed up their speaking throughout the semester as the students become more adjusted to the language. Grading system transferred over to OSU as A, B, C. But, I know that anything below a 75% was considered failing there. It depends on the program as to whether or not the grades will transfer over differently.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The on-site administration at UDLA seemed a little chaotic at first when I arrived in Mexico, but throughout the semester, they were very helpful and I appreciated all the help they provided.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I went through the homestay program at the UDLA. I really enjoyed my experience and became very close to the family that I stayed with there. We still keep in touch and I hope to go back and visit them soon. They helped my Spanish speaking skills tremendously. If I said something wrong, they would correct me in a nice way and help me to say it the write way. They taught me vocabulary that I didn't know and helped me learn the proper ways to say things to people. I enjoyed just learning their form of speech, too, through listening to their conversations. I LOVED my homestay experience!!

* Food:

I have always loved Mexican food, so it wasn't unusual that I LOVED the food in Mexico. Be careful, though, not all families keep all of their dairy products refrigerated at all times. Make sure to drink purified water/bottled water. The strip right across from campus has rows of places to eat.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I felt safe when I wasn't alone. I made sure that I always had someone to walk home with if it was dark outside. My homestay family let me use one of their bikes to get to and from campus. It was about a 10-15 minute ride. The people in the neighborhood were pretty friendly and never bothered me. Watch for the dogs in the streets. Sometimes they get irritated. Make sure you just keep walking or act like you are going to through something at them if they try to chase you. I had to go to the hospital once. I broke out in hives and they had to put an IV in and run some antihistamine fluids through me to make it go away. I went to a private hospital in Puebla and ended up paying $112 total. My student insurance I received through OSU never sent me a claim after contacting them twice. But at the same time, it was a lot less than I would have had to spend in the U.S. I would recommend waiting to get health insurance until you arrive at the university. They have insurance you can get through them. I think it is a lot easier than going through the OSU offices.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Language

Language acquisition improvement?

My language skills improved dramatically from the time I arrive in August to the time I was leaving in December. I had already taken several Spanish classes in high school and college, but I improved being in Mexico, taking classes, and living with a Mexican family more in that 4-5 month period than I had in several years of taking Spanish classes. I would encourage any student who thinks about going to Mexico to stay with a Mexican family. My experience was incredible and I learned a lot more living with the family than some students did living in the dorms...when you wake up to a family that only speaks Spanish, you automatically start improving your Spanish. When you wake up every morning to other international students who speak English, you may not learn the Spanish language as quickly as you would living with a family.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

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  • Other

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? This is a great place to study if you are wanting to study Spanish but not fly across the Atlantic to do so. I really enjoyed my time in Cholula/Puebla, and I actually was sad to leave to come back home because of the relationships I had made with my host family. If you want to experience Mexico, you should definitely live with a host family, or make sure you are one of the only English speakers in your dorm room. There are a lot of English speakers on campus from the U.S., Canada, and Europe. I made friends with other international students and we went on a few weekend trips together. Yet, I also enjoyed spending some of the weekends with my host family because I ended up going to 2 quinceaneras, two weddings, one baptism party, several family dinners and festivals that I may have not been able to experience if I would not have lived with a host family.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Mexican Culture

Course Department: Language Department
Instructor: Catalina Barrientos
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: This course would be great for those students who already know Spanish and are wanting to improve on reading, comprehension and learn about the Mexican culture ALL in Spanish. I really enjoyed this course and the instructor.
Credit Transfer Issues: I had no credit transfer issues. I went through reciprocal exchange program.
Course Name/Rating:

Mexican Civilization

Course Department: Language Department
Instructor: Catalina Barrientos
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: This course would be great for those students who already know Spanish and are wanting to improve on reading, comprehension and learn about the Mexican civilization ALL in Spanish. I really enjoyed this course and the instructor.
Credit Transfer Issues: I had no credit transfer issues. I went through reciprocal exchange program.
Course Name/Rating:

Mexican Literature

Course Department: Language Department
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: This course is for those students who already speak some Spanish. You need to be ready to read a lot of literature in Spanish. This also requires several papers and oral presentations throughout the semester. This was a challenging course, but worthwhile. It helped me with my reading and writing skills.
Credit Transfer Issues: I had no credit transfer issues. I went through reciprocal exchange program.
Course Name/Rating:

Pronunciation

Course Department: Language
Instructor: Iris
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: This course helped with my pronunciation of Spanish words. The instructor taught about the difference between dialects between parts of Mexico and we would practice our Mexican dialects aloud in class. She even had us practice singing in Spanish to better understand the way words are pronounced. You can't be shy if you take this class. It was work it, though, because we all improved by the end of the semester. I did not like that there was only ONE test the whole semester...that was a lot of material to study for the final. Overall it was a pretty good class, though.
Credit Transfer Issues: I had no credit transfer issues. I went through reciprocal exchange program.