Mexico: Our lovely neighbor Past Review
By Sarah V (Writing and Spanish, Wartburg College) for
Universidad de las Americas - Puebla / UDLAP : Puebla - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
My experiences abroad were incredible. If I could do it all over again, I would. My language skills improved exponentially, which is what I hoped would happen.
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. |
Honestly, I didn't have a lot of homework to do while I studied abroad. However, I took advantage of my free time to explore the city and travel frequently with my friends. I'm glad I wasn't cooped up in a library all day studying instead of enjoying my host country. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The person who I worked with in Cholula was nice but took a while to answer emails. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved living on campus because I was close to all of my classes and my roommates were wonderful people. |
| * Food: |
I could eat Mexican food all day every day, obviously Mexico was a good place for me to study! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I tried to travel as much as I could. I loved traveling to Mexico City and small, remote towns. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I always felt safe on campus and whenever I ventured outside of campus, I was always with a group of people. I did not need any vaccinations before studying abroad. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I probably spent about ten dollars each day on food, maybe a little less than ten dollars. It's difficult to say how much I spent each week, but over the semester I probably spent about three thousand dollars (however, a lot of that went toward plane tickets). |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Hotels are expensive! Try to find good hostels instead. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had taken a couple 300-level courses. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I always spoke in Spanish with my Mexican roommates, that improved my speaking skills tremendously. However, I spoke in English with my international friends, too. |
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?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A student who loves adventure and knows how to learn outside of the classroom. |
