Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

A ton of work is one way to learn Spanish, another way is making Mexican friends and actually spending time with native spanish-speakers, seeing how people actually talk instead of guessing how you should write something in an essay. I feel like the university expected us to spend far too much time in front of a computer with a dictionary and far too little time actually getting to know Mexico.

On-site administration of your program

Program was disorganized and haphazard while simultaneously expecting a very high level of organization and commitment from the student.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived with a couple of great-grandparents with no other students in the house. <br /><br /> The location was a 2 minute walk from school, and the housing itself was great and my family was very nice, even if we weren't of the same age.

Food was always available in my home, the family was very receptive to any requests I made, and the food at the school and in the surrounding areas was tasty and not expensive.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I had a great time outside of school meeting people. Mexico is a great country.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Many students got digestive illnesses, and the program basically just handed out antibiotics, even though some illnesses weren't bacterial. I was robbed, and practically everyone I knew was robbed on the trip. None of us experienced violence. Only one girl (who was robbed twice) let the experience ruin her trip and leave her scared. The rest kept enjoying themselves, while being more careful about where they went at night.

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

They're better now.

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• Host Family

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• Americans