Program for Mexican Culture and Society in Puebla is the BEST! Come to Mexico!!!! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The BUAP grades on a 10 point scale that is roughly equivalent to US percentage grades. I took mid to upper level humanities classes, and the workload was equivalent to introductory classes at my university. I would generally have to read around 15-30 pages per class (in Spanish) but many people got by without doing any reading. There are very few graded assignments. I had one midterm exam (one...that's it), and I had to write an 8-10 page final paper in 3 of my classes. I also had an end-of-term presentation in the class I did not write a paper for. I never saw my grades for the papers but in general the American students found themselves very well prepared for the classes. The exams in Mexico (friends confirmed this) are generally very difficult and focused on memorization. However, low exam scores do not seem to impact students' final grades too much. Teaching methods were very much the same as in the states; lectures, discussions etc. I had one small group discussion class (8 people), and all my classes had less than 30 students. The largest difference is that I felt that professors were not as concerned about grading to accurately reflect a student's knowledge or giving feedback in a way that guided students to improve. One more thing: attendance is a big deal. You have to come to 80% of classes or you do not have the right to take the exam (although I think exceptions are made frequently).

On-site administration of your program

I thought that PMCSP was just about as good as an abroad program can get. They really pushed us and gave us the foundation necessary to have an incredible cultural, social, travel, and academic experience.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My program set it up, and this is one of the advantages of PMCSP. They carefully select good host families that aren't just in it for the money. My host family was excellent.

I eat everything, so I don't know.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There were 3 fabulous trips (including orientation) organized by my program 2-4 days in length that were really well done.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Puebla is safe. It has the same problems of any large urban area, but the violence occurring in northern Mexico did not effect Puebla while I was there. I also traveled all over the place in southern and eastern Mexico and felt completely safe.

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

Select all that apply

• Host Family

Select all that apply

• Host Family

• Its attitude towards getting a full experience

• very little