Unbelievable eye opening experience that I wouldn't change for the world Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I studied courses I have never studied before including Mexican Politics. The courses were very enlightening and contained interesting material. Alongside courses in England (my native language), I also studied an intensive Spanish course which was great. The teacher was probably one of the best Spanish teachers I've ever had and gave extra help where needed - Absolutely amazing.

On-site administration of your program

The office staff were very welcoming and replied to emails prior to my arrival very quickly, containing all the information I required.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in Condesa (a very student area within Mexico). The area and location of my accommodation was fantastic, with easy access to everything. However, when I left, the landlord scammed me of £60 for a situation she didn't inform me on prior to moving in (my friend had visited from England and she charged me for the days she was here at a rate per day). As a result of this, I would recommend finding a house through contacts of the University so if any problems were to arise they could try and do their best to resolve the situation.

Mexican food is great (but spicy!). We were warned to not eat street food for the first few days as your stomach isn't used to it.. However, as soon as we arrived, within the first hour we were eating food from the street and never experienced any problems! Infact, prior to Mexico, I studied in Madrid and got food poisoning from what was meant to be the best Tapas restaurant in the whole city.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Mexican people are VERY welcoming and will always jump to any opportunity to make you feel part or their family. The culture was so fascinating and continued to amuse me up until my departure date.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

To have a consultation with the nurse/doctor at University was free which was an extremely helpful privilege. I went into the doctor with a swollen ankle as a result of an ant bite and she prescribed me a prescription within 5 minutes. The pharmacy was very close to my house (they are everywhere!) and the medication cost a small fee of around £8.

Prior to arriving in Mexico City, I had numerous people comment on how it was so unsafe and they couldn't believe I was taking the risk. I never once experienced one problem within Mexico City and that's coming from a female student who took the metro and local buses alone. The only problem I encountered was getting robbed in Playa del Carmen (close to Cancun), which is a very tourist area so thieves thrive from those holiday destinations.

The host university was amazing. The staff were all so welcoming and ensured all international students were integrated from the get go.

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

Mexico City is ridiculously cheap. You can eat amazing street food (a full meal) for as little as £1.50. The supermarkets were relatively cheap and even eating out can be as little as £3 with a drink included too. Housing costs can be very cheap but I lived in Condesa which is the new, hip, student place-to-be. However, this was still cheap in comparison to living costs in England and I really recommend living in Condesa/Roma as you are in the centre of life and will find something/somewhere to explore every hour of the day.

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

The Intensive Spanish Course consisted of 2 hours of Spanish per day Monday-Friday.

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• Apartment

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• Americans
• International Students

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• International Students

• The staff at the host institution
• The Intensive Spanish Course
• The high number of international students (we all became great friends from the first day!)

• More business courses in English

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