BCA allowed me the freedom and contextual understanding for a rich experience. Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/07/2016 to 06/06/2016 with
Universidad Veracruzana: Xalapa - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Spanish fluency, good friends, contextualizing systematic oppression of Mexican immigrants in the U.S., life-long memories and friendships.
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. |
Some classes weren't quite as reading-intensive as my Middlebury courses, but that's probably good because I wouldn't have been able to keep up in Spanish. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Thankfully, I didn't have any real issues. |
| * Safety: |
You quickly learn how to take precautions and protect yourself with basic common sense. Mexico in general is not a particularly safe place per se, but that should not prevent people from going on this program. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
This program served as a very effective vehicle to allow me to study abroad in a context that should be important to people from the U.S. |
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) |
Of course this is totally dependent on each student's background, but generally for U.S. students, Mexico is a cheap place to live. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Maybe $30 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Use public transportation as much as possible. |
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 |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I had taken a senior seminar in the Spanish department the semester before studying abroad. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Our group was really good about only speaking Spanish. I made friends with other exchange students and because most were either from Colombia or other parts of Mexico, I basically only spoke Spanish amongst friends. |
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? |
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? | Nothing, the month at the beginning of the program is incredibly informative and gives you the historical and cultural background to understand and navigate important aspects of Mexican society |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Planeación geográfica para el desarrollo y participación comunitaria |
| Course Department: | Geography |
| Instructor: | Elsa Almeida |
| Instruction Language: | Spanish |
| Comments: | Elsa is an incredible professor. She has a very effective way of explaining concepts spatially through diagrams. Our field trips were interesting and made us employ our classroom learning in a hands-on way. Seamless integration of feminist and post-colonial theory. |
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