Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY)

It depends which faculty you are in- I was in Economics, and the only foreigner, so i had a total immersion. The majority of foreign students go to Anthropology, where they make up about 20 percent of the faculty, and they have little interaction with Mexican students. I would suggest going to any faculty other than Anthropology if you want immersion. The quality of the courses is not very good; i did about the same amount of work at the UADY as I did in middle school.

The Mexican education system is very different from the American system in its philosophy. Professors with doctorates see themselves as deities, and tend to throw an incredibly hard exam at the end of the semester, without any warning as to what will be on the exam. Several of them seemed to enjoy failing the entire class and giving a second, or even third exam before anyone passed it.

Nothing, I was sufficiently informed.

The UADY is a unique environment that promotes individualistic student empowerment and freedom.

The host family is good at first, but I ended up moving out of two host families' houses, and switching to an apartment, as Mexican men (including my host fathers and host brothers) tend to have a certain idea of American and European women. On the other hand, other students had great host family experiences. I'd say to start out with a host family to get settled, but later move to an apartment once you have become more adept and independent at living in Merida.

Take as language course aswell as a regular course.

A little bit more choice on courses and guidance from teachers, more assesment.