Profile Page – Tec de Monterrey (ITESM)

“There were many events and trips to engage with that easily facilitated the meeting of other students, both international and domestic. A non-TEC-affiliated organization called Goodlife Monterrey ran most of these events, which ranged from student bar nights to casual football matches on university pitches, and from weekend trips to Mexico City and Mexican beach towns, to light after-class hikes in the Monterrey mountains. A regular weekly event was held at an outdoor venue called Mercado Revolucion, which was within walking distance of TEC’s campus, and which featured live music, food trucks and bars. It was always well-attended and was the best place to meet local and international students alike outside the classroom.” – Winter 2022, Bachelor of Global and International Studies

“There was an organization called GoodLife that helps orientate international students and they were a great help during my time there. It was through them I met many of my friends and they hosted weekly get togethers at the “Mercado” and also many trips during the semester to different Mexican cities if you would like to travel. They also offer to help find you housing so you can reach out to them if you need help with that.” – Winter 2022, Bachelor of Architecture

“The university’s status attracts interesting international professors, who were high quality and well-motivated. Class sizes are small at 30 students, and an interactive and collaborative seminar-style approach is common. The relaxed openness of the professors allowed for lots of feedback and high levels of engagement with the students. “ – Winter 2022, Bachelor of Global and International Studies

“The grading system is in percentages and minimum passing grade is 70%. If you work hard, do your assignments and tests on time, you will have no issues. Classes are generally no more than 15-20 students which is great as you get to know your classmates and professors better.” – Winter 2022, Bachelor of Architecture

“I lived in university-provided accommodation, in Residencias 3. It was great for meeting other international students as most live in this building. Residencias 3 configurations either reflect a traditional single or double dorm room design, and every room has its own bathroom and shower. Residencias 3 also has food storage and preparation areas located in lockable entranceways shared between two rooms, two well equipped large industrial kitchens per floor, and multiple study rooms throughout every floor. There is also a semi-maintained swimming pool accessible to all Residencias students and a variety of well-equipped and maintained exercise facilities located around the campus that are available for all TEC students.” – Winter 2022, Bachelor of Global and International Studies

“I lived in Residencias Tec – Edificio 3. You can live alone or with a roommate. Residencias Tec is the university’s own housing but there are many off campus options as well. One popular alternative is Torres Tec which is about 1km from the campus. This is student housing and consists of a few apartment buildings. This option tends to be slightly cheaper than Residencias Tec and has a more international crowd – so its great to make friends with other exchange students. Overall, there are many housing options to choose from but if none of these work reach out to Tec’s international office. They are the ones who will help you out during this process. ” – Winter 2022, Bachelor of Architecture

“Telcel is Mexico’s main telecommunications company. To activate a plan, one needs to physically go to a Telcel location to buy a sim and then return every month to any Telcel location to reload this sim with the desired plan.” – Winter 2022, Bachelor of Global and International Studies

“I personally didn’t have to set up any bank account. The banks I used were Scotiabank and HSBC, both which have ATM withdrawal centers very near to campus. They also have BBVA Santander which is a Spanish bank along with many local banks. Always keep cash on hand, as in general this will be the most accepted, as sometimes cards may not be accepted. For phone, I used TelCel. They are by far the most popular all over Mexico. I always used the 200 pesos plan which covered a month. It also allows you to call USA and Canada, with no extra charge using your new Mexican cell phone number. Also, the amazing part about their plans is that Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram Messenger and Snapchat are excluded from the data coverage, so its unlimited to use it!” – Winter 2022, Bachelor of Architecture

“Naturally, a trip to Mexico City is highly recommended, however, much of my personal travel comprised of visits to Monterrey’s surrounding countryside and road-trips to the neighbouring US state of Texas. Some of my favourite places to visit were: Chipinque Ecological Park, where you can hike on a number of trails elevated above the city; the dramatic famous mountain of Cerro de la Silla, where you can hike up to the telecommunications antenna; Presa Rompepicos, a dam that you can climb up located at the end of an incredibly scenic valley drive; the quaint town of Santiago next to Rodrigo Gomez Lake; and the remote mountain towns of Rayones and Laguna de Sanchez, again following fabulous drives – this time up into the mountains.” – Winter 2022, Bachelor of Global and International Studies

“These are some of the best places that I personally visited in my time in Mexico and that I would visit again. In Monterrey: Cerro de la Silla, Chipinque, Huasteca, Santiago Pueblo, Magico, Barrio Antiguo, San Pedro, Estadio Universitario, Estadio BBVA, Tacos Orinoco (the best taqueria near Tec). In Mexico: Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita, Mexico City, Puebla.” – Winter 2022, Bachelor of Architecture