Student Report
Name of the University: EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey
Exchange semester: Fall, 2015
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
Before we left for Mexico we received all the information we needed during the
summer. Information about the electives arrived quite late (in mid August).
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
As we were only going to stay in Mexico for one semester (less than 6 months), it was
sufficient with a regular tourist visa, which we received upon arrival. It is important to
inform the amount of days you will be staying in Mexico, the maximum amount being
180 days, it might be wise to write down too many days rather than too few if you
want to travel after exams.
It is also important to remember to apply for the ESTA if you are traveling through
the United States. This costs about $14 and can be applied for 72 hours before
departure.
Travel
As we travelled via the US, we decided to stay one week in Miami before traveling
directly to Monterrey. The tickets can get quite expensive and you should therefore
book the tickets as soon as possible.
When we arrived in Monterrey, the student organization ISE organized a free airport
pick-up as one of their many offerings, driving us directly to our apartment.
Housing
The housing was arranged in collaboration with our contact person from ISE. The
most common housing options were “Villas Tec” and “Torres Tec”. We lived in the
latter one. Villas and Torres were located about a ten minutes walk from the main
campus (Tec de Monterrey) and about 20 minutes drive from Egade. These
apartments contained 3-4 bedrooms, some included also your private bathroom. There
are also swimming pools, in addition to security 24/7 by the gate with safe taxies right
outside. Most of the international students and Mexican students are living here so it
is very social, but the apartments do get taken quite fast, so you have to book them
early on. The 3-bedroom apartment in Torres Tec consists of two bathrooms, a
kitchen, a living room, and a washing room, in addition to a balcony.
Costs
Rent
Books
4500 NOK
Did not buy any books
during the semester
Food
Food is quite cheap in
Monterrey, one big taco
Transport
Other
meal could cost about 30
NOK
Taxi to Egade from
Torres Tec is in total
about 20 NOK, it is also
recommended to use Uber
as a way of safe
transportation
NOK
Culture and language
Besides at Egade and students in general, people in Monterrey have a tendency to not
speak English. The professors speak mostly quite well English, but in your everyday
life in Monterrey you need to learn a few basic Spanish words in order to get by, such
as ordering a meal, telling a taxi driver the direction etc. No major difficulties but
rather a good way to learn a new language. It is also possible to take a Spanish course
with different levels of difficulties during the semester at the main campus, Tec de
Monterrey.
During the semester we were able to experience the Mexican country and culture. It is
not very expensive to fly domestic (especially with Aerobus Airlines), so we took
every chance available to travel to new places in Mexico. Additionally did ISE
organize various trips around the country for the international students to experience
the very best Mexico had to offer.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Business students study at Egade Business School (only master students), which is
located in San Pedro. Egade is considered the best Business School in Latin America.
The school has a library, copy center and a cafeteria offering hot meals, sandwiches
and snacks.
Course registration
During the information meeting the first day we chose four courses. For students that
do not speak Spanish, the amount of courses to chose from is limited (We had to
chose four out of six courses taught in English, but the amount of courses may vary
from semester to semester). Spanish speaking students have a larger amount of
courses to choose from.
We could change courses during the first two-three weeks. It is possible to cancel
courses within the first month of studying.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
Other:
06.09.15
14.09.15
25.11.15
30.11.15-04.12.15
16.09 and 16.11
Arrival
For master students, no introduction week is arranged. We had an information
meeting one week before semester start, in which all information about the school,
courses and practical information about Monterrey and Mexico were provided. At the
information meeting, you will meet all your classmates, so you can organize activities
and parties to get to know each other.
The International Office
We received sufficient information from the international office. Our contact person,
Rodrigo, was very helpful and replied to e-mails quickly if we had any questions. We
could also visit his office at Egade if we needed help, for example to apply for visa
(for students staying more than six months)
Promoting BI and Norway
We were not involved in any special activities to promote BI, but the different
universities and countries were often used at examples in class discussions.
Additionally, Egade arranged a “food festival”, where international students could
cook a meal from their country so that other students and professors could taste.
Social activities
The relationship between exchange students is very good. We were only about 30
international students at Egade, and since there was a limited amount of courses
taught in English, many of the same students had the same courses. Because of this
we all got to know each other very fast. It was not many Mexican students in the
courses we attended (only one or two), because most Mexican students attend the
courses taught in Spanish. However, Egade arranged a networking week during the
semester, where all international students were encouraged to contact and network
with the Mexican students. This was a good experience, as the Mexican students are
very open, extroverted and easy to approach. It was also served food and drinks, and
we got time off from classes to attend the networking week.
Integrate and ISE are two organizations for international students that arrange parties,
trips and other social events. Attending the events organized by these organizations is
a good way to meet other international master and bachelor students as well as
Mexican students. We went on several trips with ISE during the semester and
attended their parties almost every week. The people working in these organizations
are very concerned that the international students feel welcome and that they have a
good time in Mexico.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
All the sessions were in small classrooms, and lasted for 3,5 hours. One class
consisted of about 30 students. The sessions were mostly the professors lecturing and
students interacting, quite like what we are used to at BI. There was a lot of group
work at Egade, which was presented in class. There were a midterm in some of the
courses in addition to final exam, and there was a final presentation in one course.
Compared to the workload at BI, Egade was quite easy.
Course materials
This differed from course to course, but we purchased one book online in one course.
Additionally the professors used PowerPoints in their lectures and we also had to read
some articles and do quite a few cases (Harvard cases etc.).
Exams
The exams were mostly based on lectures and some academic articles. The exams in
most courses only counted for 20-40 %. We were also evaluated on presentations,
papers and participation in discussions during the semester.
-
Courses were evaluated by:
o Final exam (Written and final presentations)
o Mid-term exam
o In-class quizzes throughout semester
o Small assignments and/or papers
o Presentations
o Group work
o Class attendance
o Class participation/debates
Library and technology
Egade has a small library with some study places and a computer room. Students at
Egade can also use the facilities at Tec whenever they want. Tec has a larger library
and several study rooms.
Description of courses
Course code & name
GA 4081
Fundamentals of
Finance
GA 4040 Marketing
Management
Master/
Bachelor
Master
Exam form
Master
Final Exam
(multiple
choice), term
paper and
participation in
discussions.
Prerequisites
Midterm +
none
Hand-in of Final
Paper and Final
case
None
Approved
as
Free
elective
Free
elective
Comments
A lot of
group
work,
learned a
lot from
working
with cases
Discussed
cases every
lecture.
Basic
course in
marketing.
AD 5019 Cross
Cultural Management
Master
Final exam
(written), three
small
presentations,
one project and
a paper.
None
Free
elective
GA 00309 Global
Consulting Practicum
I
Master
Final
presentation and
term-paper,
individual
assignments
during the
semester.
None
Free
elective
GA 4078 Operations
Management
Master
Midterm exam,
Final Exam,
presentation and
homework+
quizzes.
None
Free
elective
A lot of
group work
and
discussions
. This
course had
a heavy
work-load
compared
to other
courses,
but the
topics were
interesting.
Practical
course.
Worked on
a
consulting
project
throughout
the
semester.
Also
focused on
writing
CV,
application
s and future
career
plans.
Had
homework
every week
and a quiz
in the
beginning
of every
lecture.
The
professor is
very
structured
and fair.
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
The semester in Monterrey was an amazing experience. Mexico offers a great variety
of cultural experiences, fantastic landscapes and tasty food (watch out, you might put
on weight!). Mexican people are very friendly and welcoming and will gladly show
you their culture. There are a lot of social events you can attend and the relationship
among international students is very good. The teaching methods at Egade are
different from that of BI, the workload is more or less the same but the academic level
is in general lower. Egade is a good choice for your exchange semester if you want to
study and at the same time experience an exciting country and culture.