97 reviews
4.50 / 5 based on 97 reviews
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fisharrock
Housing
Type of housing:
Arranged by: Independently - My choice
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
Living outside the somewhat sheltered university campus enabled me to experience the Mexican way of life to a much fuller extent.
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Personal comments
I didn't live on campus, but the accommodation there seemed very impressive - extremely modern, clean and attractive. There was plenty of cheap, reasonable accomodation available to rent in the town for those, like myself, who preferred to live off campus.
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fisharrock
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Nightlife: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Rosendo's on a Wednesday night is a real student tradition not to be missed out on; for food and mariachi, head to Cantina de los Remedios in Puebla. Travel-wise, pretty much most of Mexico is amazing and worth seeing, but Puerto Escondido is a must for fun at the seaside! Also, try to make it to the cayes of Belize.
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fisharrock
Languages
Language of instruction: Spanish
Was learning Spanish a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my Spanish
How much did you improve your Spanish?
My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
At first I was concerned about taking classes taught in Spanish, but the tutors were used to teaching international students and I experienced no real problems. Socially, I gained confidence with time and by the end of the semester, I felt much more at ease. The fact that there were lots of international students from all over the world helped enormously, as Spanish bcame our common language.
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3
fisharrock
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Other
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
The cost of living in Mexico is obviously much lower than in the UK, so food, accomodation and nightlife were significantly cheaper. I spent very little on the telephone as I stayed in contact with people at home by free email at the university. My major expense was travel, as I went away most weekends and travelled for a few months after my classes had finished. Overall, I think I probably spent more or less the same as I would in a semester at Nottingham.
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Travel:
was more expensive than at home.
Overall:
was the same price as at home.
Food, Housing, Nightlife, Telephone:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
Don't be afraid to spend some time looking for accommodation, as the money you spend on a cheap hotel for a few weeks can often be saved back just on your first month's rent if you take your time to find somewhere that's good value. Always take your student card with you when you travel, as you can sometimes get discounts on long journeys.
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fisharrock
Overall
I wish I had known...
That it isn't always hot in Mexico!
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In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
It's a fantastic campus with amazing facilities. The catering is excellent and the landscaped gardens are very impressive. However, it is definitely a uni for Mexican rich kids, and doesn't really show the true Mexico. I think living off-campus is a much better idea as you experience Mexco much more and can also have more fun, as the rules on campus are very strict!
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
Allow yourself at least a few months after your courses end to travel further afield in Mexico as it's a massive country. Try to make it to Guatemala if you can as it's like Mexico in a lot of ways, but cheaper and less touristy.
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fisharrock
Academic
Course recommendations
The Mexican Civilisation course is very interesting, covering everything from the Aztec beginnings to the contradictions of contemporary Mexican society. It's not too taxing, but you learn a lot and I'd even go so far as to say it was fun! The language classes were largely grammar-based and could be a bit dry.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Registering for courses was extremely confusing. Trying to work out what we were entitled to do as international students was a nightmare, and the sheafs of paper listing the courses were littered with indecipherable codes. International students should be given more guidance with this process!
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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