Student Report
Name of the University: Technologico de Monterrey
Exchange semester: Fall, 2015
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- When and how did you receive information from the exchange university, and did you
encounter any difficulties?
Before I left Norway I received a lot of information from Technoligco de Monterrey. They
sent out all the information one needed during the process and answered the e-mails I sent
immediately. All the information was sent by email, except from the original acceptance
letter, which I received per mail a few weeks after they confirmed that it was sent. I did not
encounter any difficulties during this process as the application process was easy and short.
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
- How did you apply for your visa, what did it cost and did you have difficulties?
We did not apply for any kind of visa before our departure from Norway. When one arrive the
airport in Mexico, they will give you a “student visa” that you have to keep until you leave the
country. This Visa give you the permission to be a student in Mexico. Remember to bring all
your documents regarding your exchange (school acceptance letter, address and housing
contract, insurance).
OBS: If you have connecting flight in the US, you are required to search for a ESTA-visa.
The application is available online and it costs around 50 dollars.
Travel
- How did you travel to your destination?
To get to Monterrey I went from Oslo, transferred through Amsterdam and Dallas before my
arrival to Monterrey. At the airport I was met by the student organization (ISE) and taken to
my apartment.
Housing
- Was housing provided by the university? If not, did you receive support from the
school?
I did not live in apartments provided by the university. In Monterrey, there are one big student
organization called ISE that provides housing for all students, both local and international
students. After I contacted ISE, the process of getting an apartment was super easy. They gave
you a list of the available apartments and then you just had to pick one. If you are travelling
with friends, you can hire one whole apartment, and if you are travelling alone you can just
give your personal info and they will find an apartment that suits your wants.
The area I lived in is called Villas Tec, and is located 10 minutes walk from the school and 10
minutes taxi drive to the city center and the clubs. I will definitely recommend you to live
here as it is a safe area with a lot of students living.
Costs
- Approximately how much per month did you spend on rent, books, food,
transportation, and other personal expenses?
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
NOK 2500
NOK 0
NOK 1000
NOK 200
NOK 1000
Culture and language
- Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
- How were the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
The languages on campus are both Spanish and English. Most of the students know both
languages. In the information office, there are both English and Spanish speaking staff. As I
only took English speaking classes (except from my Spanish class), all my teachers and
fellow students spoke English. The remaining staff on campus do not speak English, but when
you learn some “survival phrases” this wont be a problem. I did not meet any difficulties with
the language in the faculty.
The possibilities of experiencing the country and the culture were many as we got to know a
lot of Mexicans who wanted to take us everywhere in Mexico. The student organization ISE
also arranged a lot of trips around Mexico, which are cheap and easy to join.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please describe:
- The school (location, size, study structure, special academic areas etc.)
The school is located 10 minutes from down town and San Pedro where the clubs and malls
are located. The campus is huge and consistent of several attractions including many different
restaurants, cantines and cafes, swimmingpool, gym, library, study halls and a lot of beautiful
green areas. In general, the classes consist of aprooximatly 30 students, both international and
local. The structure reminds me of the normal high school structure in Norway, where the
classes are smaller and include more practical work. It is also normal to have homework for
every class, so the workload is heavy. One can only skip 3 or 6 classes (depends on how many
times a week one have the course) during the semester, so be careful.
Course registration
- When and how did you register for courses?
I registered for courses aproximalty two weeks before the school started. This was an easy
process, although one have to make sure that you get enough classes. We had to have six
courses during the semester.
- When did the add/drop period end?
The add period ended in September, and the drop period ended in October. The international
office in TEC are very helpful, and they even opened space for us in the courses we wanted to
take, although it was actually full. TEC gives you information and reminds you of these
important dates frequently.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
Other:
01.08.2015
03.08.2015
03.12.2015
23.11.201503.12.2015
Independence day
One do not have any
holiday during the
semester
Arrival
- Describe the introduction week
The introduction week consisted of several events, but every event was optional. The
mendatory part was to go register, give a copy of your passport and immigration paper, and to
take picture for the student card. If you are not able to be at school during the introduction
week, this wont be a problem as it is possible to fix these things during the first month.
The International Office
- As an exchange student, did you receive sufficient and relevant information?
We received a lot of information both before and during our exchange. We also got emails
every time there were an event or to just give practical information. During the hurricane
Patricia, they gave us a lot of information is what to do whether we were in Monterrey or on
travel.
Promoting BI and Norway
- What kind of activities were you involved in to promote exchange to Norway at your
exchange university?
We did not promote exhanche to Norway during the semester. Neither the school nor the
student organization arranged activities like this.
Social activities
- How was the relationship with native students and that among exchange students?
The relationship between the native students and exchange students became relatively good as
we had a lot of group assignments and work where we were encouraged to work with students
from different countries than ours. This was a very good experience.
-
Are there any special activities, student organisations, and gatherings for exchange
students?
There are a lot of student activities during the year. Both the school and the student
organization ISE arranged many trips, activities and gatherings for both the native and the
foreign students. This was a great way to get to know Mexico and other students. These trips
are also relatively cheap, so it is possible to join more than one trip during the semester.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- Describe the teaching style (practical, theoretical, cases/lectures, formal/informal etc.)
The classes consist of approximately 30 students and one teacher. The lectures are informal
and class participation is required. Also, there are a lot of practical work during the semester,
as well as assignments individually and in groups, regular paper tests and also presentations.
- How is the level and workload compared to that at BI?
The workload is heavy in comparison to BI, because you have assigments and partials
frequently throughout the whole semester. On the other hand, you wont get the typical “exam
period” as you have in BI, because the workload is spread throughout the semester. Although
the workload is heavy, the single assignments are not to difficult. The main problem we had
was that every assignment took a lot of time, although it was not, as mentioned, very hard.
Course materials
- Describe the course materials used (books/literature, online articles, Powerpoint, level
of course material etc).
We only used ppt from class, articles and one e-book. The level of the course materials was
varied, but everything was manageable.
Exams
- How was the course evaluated?
During the semester we had final exams (both written and oral, most oral), mid-term exam
(both written and oral), in-class quizzes, small assignments, presentations, group work, class
attendance and class debates. Everything one do during the semester counts for the final
grade.
Library and technology
- Describe the facilities
To be honest, we did not use the library once since all the information we needed was posted
on BlackBoard (the software you use at school) and in other internet resources. Neverthless, I
know that the library is huge and has a lot of great books, both academically and literaly.
Description of courses
Course code & name
Example:FIN123
Finance
Administración e
innovación en
modelos de negocios
Administración
estratégica
international
Espanol lengua
extranjera, A
Master/
Bachelor
Bachelor
Bachelor
Bachelor
Bachelor
Evalución de
proyectos y Fuentes
de financiemiento
Bachelor
Haciendo negocios en
Latinoamérica
Bachelor
Exam form
(final)
4-hour written
exam
1,5 hour written
exam
Prerequisites
Comments
None
Approved
as
Elective
None
Elective
Easy level,
average
work-load
Average
level, low
workload
Average
level,
Low
workload
Average
level,
average
workload
Average
level,
Presentation and
written report
(project)
1 hour written
exam
3 minute oral
exam
Presentation and
written report
(Project)
None
Presentation and
written report
(Project)
None
None
Elective
None
Elective
Introducicón a la
cultura Mexicana
Bachelor
Written report
None
Elective
heavy
workload
High level,
heavy
workload
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
My exchange semester in Monterrey, Mexico was all in all a great experience
and I would definitely recommend you to go to TEC on your exchange. I have
learned a lot from living in a completely different culture from what I am used
to, and also from going to a school where the system is very different from the
academic system at BI. TEC is a really good school, with great teachers, good
environment and with a extraordinary administracion.
If you go to TEC, good luck and enjoy the semester!