Summer 2017 in Mexico Past Review
By Ivan Savinon (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
The Mexican culture!
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. |
The classes were really tough, but there was a lot of resources. |
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* 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. |
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* 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. |
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* 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. |
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* 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
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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) |
$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 |
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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 |
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
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? |
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? | 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 AdventurerThe 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 |
