Student Report
Name of the University: Technologico de Monterrey
Exchange semester: Fall 2015, Bachelor
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
Before I left Norway I received a lot of information from Techonoligco 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)
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 an ESTA-visa.
The application is available online and it costs around 50 dollars.
Travel
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
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 defiantly recommend you to live here
as it is a safe area with a lot of students living.
Costs
Rent: NOK 2500
Books: NOK 0
Food: NOK 1000
Transport: NOK 200
Other: NOK 1000
Culture and language
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 won’t be a problem. I did not meet any
difficulties with the language in the faculty.
The possibilities of experience 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
The school is located 10 minutes from down town and San Pedro where the clubs and malls
are located. The campus is huge and consist of several attractions including many different
restaurants, canteens and cafes, swimming pool, gym, library, study halls and a lot of
beautiful green areas. In general, the classes consist of approximately 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
I registered for courses approximately 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. Make sure that you take 30 ECTS as a bachelor student.
The add period ended in September, and the drop period ended in October. The international
office at 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: 01.08.2015
First day of the semester: 03.08.2015
Last day of classes: 03.12.2015
Examination period: 23.11.2015-03.12.2015
Any special events/holidays: Independence day
Arrival
The introduction week consisted of several events, but every event was optional. The
mandatory 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 won’t be a problem as it is possible to fix these things during the first month.
The International Office
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 on what to do whether we were in Monterrey or on
travel.
Promoting BI and Norway
We did not promote exchange to Norway during the semester. Neither the school nor the
student organization arranged activities like this.
Social activities
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.
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
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.
The workload is heavy in comparison to BI, because you have assignments and partials
frequently throughout the whole semester. On the other hand, you won’t 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 too 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
We only used PowerPoint from class, articles and one e-book. The level of the course
materials was varied, but everything was manageable.
Exams
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
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. Nevertheless,
I know that the library is huge and has a lot of great books, both academically and literally.
Description of courses
Sum up the exchange experience
My exchange semester in Monterrey, Mexico was 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 an extraordinary administration.
If you go to TEC, good luck and enjoy the semester!