Queretaro: Yo no se manana! Past Review
By Robert K G (The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 05/27/2013 to 07/10/2013 with
Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM): Queretaro - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned so much Spanish, I made so many amazing Mexican friends, I had so much fun, and I literally had the time of my life.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were very easy for the most part. I took 2 classes and got an A & a B without to much of an effort. Though they were easy, I did feel that I gained a lot of valuable information from them and really enjoyed them. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Fantastic. Kept us updated. Offered us plenty of trips. Any concern was quickly resolved. 5 stars! Keep it up! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in the residences on campus which was good and bad. The food options were absolutely terrible but the social aspect and having the opportunity to befriend so many Mexicans was AWESOME! |
| * Food: |
Montezuma's revenge is a very real thing. Prepare your stomach because it will happen. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I lived on campus so I hung out with the natives and they treated me as their own. Loved my social experience! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
this is mexico, what do you expect |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
Mexico is super cheap! |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Using taxis, eating out, and bar hopping all add up. Watch your spending habits or you can easily blow through your money! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I took classes in Spanish so I was forced to use it. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 611D |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | MEET MEXICANS. If you're in a class that is entirely in Spanish, MEET THEM AND WORK WITH THEM. There were a couple of Americans in some of my classes and I made the mistake of working with them on my homeworks/projects. Not that the Americans were dumb or bad workers, they were awesome. It's just that Mexicans are generally going to do better because it is in their native language! |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 10+ |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | To do all my class work with mexicans. Seriously, work with them. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Ciudadania Y Democracia |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Mario Armando Vázquez Soriano |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Very interesting insight to the Mexican political process. Grading was very easy but his final project (40% of final grade) was graded very strictly and thus I received a B in the class. Pretty disappointing but whatever. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Mexican Literature |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Imelda Ortiz |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Class involved a ton of reading but her expectations from us were very low considering the whole class was extranjeros. We did end up surprising her with our quality of work. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
