97 reviews
4.50 / 5 based on 97 reviews

Useful |
0
Georgia M
Student life
Describe host city:
Student life dominates the city
Read more >
Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Nightlife, Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
My favourite night spots have since closed. These include Cartujos bar and La Mulada. Activity wise there is so much going on. I really enjoyed my salsa classes and travelling all around Mexico. I would not miss Taxco, San Cristobal de las Casas or Palenque and many other places. Finding out about local concerts and festivals is also worthwhile. The Cervantino Festival should not be missed.
Read more >

Useful |
0
Georgia M
Housing
Type of housing: On campus
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
Living in the on campus dormitories was great for meeting people. However I would choose an shared apartment or house for privacy reasons
Read more >
Personal comments
The dormitories were in a great location and they were quite modern. I was in a 4 bedroom apartment style dormitory sharing with 8 females. There was a full kitchen and lounge room. UDLA makes an effort to place foreign students in rooms with locals. It is a good idea.
Read more >

Useful |
0
Georgia M
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings<br>
Government assistance
Work opportunities:
I didn't want/need to work
Personal spending habits
Most things in Mexico is cheaper than in Australia. However as I tended to do more of everythng I may have spent more or equal to what I do at home.
Read more >
Travel, Telephone:
was more expensive than at home.
Nightlife, Overall:
was the same price as at home.
Food, Housing:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
The suprise for me is that you can do a lot more for a lot less. To save money you would do the obvious things, eat at home rather than out, buy beer instead of pina coladas and say no to buying a sixth silver ring or mexican rug!
Read more >

Useful |
0
Georgia M
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Local language was: Different than language of instruction
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Was learning the local language a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language
How much did you improve your the local language?
My level before: Basic phrases
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
One of my main objectives for going to UDLA was to learn Spanish. I learnt a huge amount while I was there. However as most students speak English and like to practice with you and they are the people you most interact with I did not learn as much as I would have liked.
Read more >

Useful |
2
Georgia M
Overall
I wish I had known...
Get involved from day one as the semester goes very fast.
Read more >
In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
I would recommend UDLA very strongly. It caters well for International students, offers good support for those students who are not ready for Mexico outside the university walls, teaches subjects in English, has a good name and is well located for travel.
Read more >
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
Mexico is a great country full of so many contrasts. Puebla has a large Spanish influence so it is beautiful architecturally and quite conservative. The university is in Cholula, which is close to Puebla. It is a small town dominated by the university. It has a lost of history and culture as well.
Beware of Moctezuma's Revenge, it is not fun (especially when you have to spend a day with a drip in your arm for rehydration)
Cultural differences are huge and the longer your stay the more you realise there is so much more to learn. ie put your loo paper in the bin not the toilet, being a vegetarian is pretty hard- specify every possible type of flesh you do not want in your meal when you order ie I want a meal without pork without beef without chicken without fish, or the juice of any of these..., when you are told manana expect whatever to happen later not nescessarily tomorrow, and 8pm usually means 10pm if you want to meet people.
Most of all ENJOY and do not get to phased by everything, the culture is different but brilliant and colourful.
Read more >

Useful |
0
Georgia M
Academic
Course recommendations
UDLA offers a wide range of subjects. Of course most are in Spanish but teachers are very helpful to non Spanish speakers. I took 2 Spanish classes, Mexican Revolution (great) and Mexican Literature all in English. They were all worthwhile subjects.
Read more >
My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
As I was taking subjects geared towards International students they were not extremely rigorous academically. But that was fine with me.
Read more >
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