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Exchange to El Tecnológico de Monterrey,
Campus Monterrey
Name: Alex Magdanz
Date: August 21, 2007
Exchange Dates: January-May 2006 and August-December 2006
Coordinator: Giovanni Cascante
Table of Contents Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ 1
Academic Program.............................................................................................................. 2
Residences........................................................................................................................... 4
Costs .................................................................................................................................... 6
Assistance ........................................................................................................................... 8
Health and Insurance ......................................................................................................... 10
Evaluation ......................................................................................................................... 11
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Academic Program
My exchange to El Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus
Monterrey took place from January to May and from August to December, 2006. During
that time I studied a variety of courses from both International Programs and regular
departments. I didn’t take any specific Spanish language courses. However, all but one
of the courses that I took were taught in Spanish. The following is a list of courses that I
took while on exchange along with the courses for which they were considered
equivalent.
January – May, 2007
Transformadores y Motores Eléctricos - ME 269 Electromechanical Devices and Power Processing
Termodinámica I - SYDE 381 Thermodynamics
Cultura de México - No Credit Sought
Modelación Dinámica - General Technical Elective
Proyectos en Mecatrónica II - SYDE 361 Introduction to Design **
August – December, 2007
Alemán Intermedio II - No Credit Sought
Sociedad y Desarrollo en México - No Credit Sought
Ingeniería de Control - SYDE 352 Introduction to Control Systems
Evaluación de Proyectos - SYDE 331 Engineering Economics
Economía - GENE 22C Macroeconomy
Microcontroladores - ECE 324 Microprocessor Systems and Interfacing *
* Credit transfer still in progress
** Additional report required for credit transfer
I was unable to find courses which would be considered equivalent to SYDE 311
Engineering Optimization, and SYDE 351 Systems Models I. However, upon return to
Waterloo I was able to enroll in courses considered to be anti-requisites and was thus able
to fulfill the curriculum requirements. There were few difficulties in regards to enrolling
in courses at Tec de Monterrey. One frustration was the time spent waiting in line to
enroll in courses. Expect to spend one or two hours waiting to speak to a counselor about
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enrolling in courses. Another frustration was the brief course descriptions given on the
website. Do the best that you can to find the courses you need based on those
descriptions, knowing that you have the entire first week of classes to find alternate
courses if one does not turn out as expected. Once you are on campus and know the
professor that will be teaching the course, it is possible to find much more detailed
information about the course including a full breakdown of how many hours are spent on
each topic by asking the professor for the course plan.
The instruction methods at Tec de Monterrey differ significantly from those at
Waterloo. Class attendance is mandatory, and missing six total class hours results in
failing the course. Courses run for 16 weeks, and the passing grade is 70%. Fortunately
the exam schedule is known right at the beginning of the semester based upon the block
of time that the class is in, so travel plans can be arranged well ahead of time. I found the
technical content of the classes to be somewhat less challenging than that of Waterloo,
but the teaching was amazing. All of the classes that I was in had less than 30 students.
Regular assignments ensure you don’t fall behind in a course and also comprise most of
your final mark. Most of all, the professors are extremely helpful. All of my professors
were very approachable and insisted that I come see them if I was having any problems
with the language or did not understand something.
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Residences
Tec de Monterrey offers two types of accommodations: residences and host families.
In addition you are able to find your own housing if you wish.
For both of my semesters at Monterrey I lived in university residences. In my first
semester I lived in a residence just off the main campus. Rooms were shared by two
people and included a desk, bed,
and closet. Air conditioning is
available depending on the
building you live in. All of the
residences have daily maid service
including making the bed for you.
They also have a program where
you can drop off your dirty
laundry, and then pick it up the
next day, clean and folded. However, it is much cheaper to do your own laundry at the
laundromats near campus. Each floor on residence has a shared kitchen, bathroom, TV
room, and study room. There is also a sink in each room for washing up.
In my second semester in Monterrey I lived in the residence for varsity athletes called
Centrales. As the name implies it is located right in the middle of campus. It was not as
modern as the other residence, but being within a five minute walk of anywhere on
campus definitely made up for it. All students living in university residences have access
to an outdoor pool, and there are regularly scheduled events to help you meet other
people. The only real downsides to living in residence at Tec de Monterrey are the noise
and the price. All of the buildings are made out of concrete and stone, and thus sound
tends to carry well through them. Residence is also a bit pricy, costing over $500 CDN
per month. Having said that, I would not hesitate to live in the university residences
again, and think that it is the best way to meet Mexican students.
One recommendation I would make to potential exchange students is to not live with
a host family. The cost is even more expensive than living in residence and I heard a
shocking number of horror stories about living with host families during my time in
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Monterrey. Generally people found that interaction with the family was infrequent and at
worst cold. Some families also set strict curfews for their exchange student(s). Many
students living with host families found they had trouble connecting to their host family
and also had trouble connecting with other students.
Finding your own place to live is a good option for residence while at Tec de
Monterrey. There are many places for rent available near campus and during the
orientation week while there are only international students there, it is very easy to find a
group of people that are looking for an extra roommate. If you are unable to find a place
right away, nearby hotel accommodation is relatively cheap for one or two nights and
there is also a hostel in another part of the city. Renting a house or an apartment is
definitely the cheapest form of accommodation while studying at Tec de Monterrey.
Most of the rentals that I heard of were in the range of $300-350 CDN per month.
The cafeterias on campus serve excellent, healthy food during working hours, and
compare in price to on-campus cafeterias at UW. Food in grocery stores is also
comparable in price to that in Canada, with some items such as fruit and corn tortillas
being cheaper. Unfortunately you will probably need to take a bus in order to get to the
closest grocery store. Restaurants greatly vary in price, but the vendors near the
university are relatively cheap. A typical Mexican dish will cost between $30-40 pesos.
Do not miss a chance to try horchata – a milky rice drink with cinnamon, and Jamaica – a
juice made from the hibiscus flower.
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Costs
The costs of studying in Mexico are in general equivalent to or less than the costs of
studying in Canada. Waterloo students studying on exchange at ITESM pay Waterloo
tuition. As discussed above, the price of living in residence at Tec de Monterrey is
comparable to the price of living in residence at Waterloo, while the price of living in
your own apartment in Monterrey is generally less than in Waterloo. The price of food is
also generally comparable to the price in Canada with a few exceptions.
Travel in Monterrey costs much less than in Waterloo. Public transit costs from 4-6
pesos (about $0.45-0.65 CDN), but there are no transfer passes. Cab fare is also
significantly less in Mexico than in Canada. There are a plethora of taxis in Monterrey
and taking a cab is usually the most convenient way to get to where you need to go within
the city. In fact, the ITESM administration recommends that students use taxis only, and
not the public transit system. However, I used the public transit system during the full
time of my exchange without problems.
Thanks to subsidization by the Mexican government, textbooks and other school
supplies are very cheap. In Mexico textbooks cost less than half of the price that they
would in Canada. For the very frugal there are even used textbook sales where you can
find previous editions for even cheaper during the
first two weeks of classes.
Students of ITESM get excellent deals at
many places by displaying their student card, so
be sure to get your permanent card. During the
first weeks you will be given a temporary paper
card that gets you access to the campus. You will
receive an e-mail telling you when the permanent
cards are being distributed. Make sure you go
during this time frame and have your picture
taken and return for your permanent student card.
Most bus lines offer students a 50% discount.
There are also excellent deals from some airlines for being a student of Tec. Within
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Mexico, the student discount makes bus travel extremely economical. For example I
took a bus from Ciudad de Oaxaca, Oaxaca to San Cristobal, Chiapas, a twelve hour bus
ride, for the equivalent of $12 CDN.
I was unable to find any deals on airfare to and from Mexico as the semester dates
essentially meant I was traveling during peak season. It cost me around $800 CDN for a
return ticket from Edmonton to Monterrey both times I went.
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Assistance
The assistance given to international students by Tec de Monterrey staff is second to
none. All international students arrive one week before the regular students for
orientation. If you are arriving on the official arrival day to Monterrey airport, there will
be students from Tec to welcome you and guide you to a bus that will take you to
campus. Orientation week is an excellent opportunity to
meet other exchange students and explore the campus and
city together. Since everyone on the campus during that
week is in a very similar situation, it is easy to find people
who are looking for an extra roommate or who want to work
together on obtaining a Student Visa. Orientation week consists of a few seminars each
day on Mexican culture, studies at Tec, practical issues such as how to obtain your
Student Visa, and of course events or parties each night. All seminars and events are
offered in both Spanish and English. One downside of orientation is that it is so easy to
make friends that are international students during this time, that looking back after the
exchange, many students regretted not interacting more with the Mexican students once
they arrived. Joining a club or team on campus is an easy way to also meet Mexican
students.
An interesting feature of the Tec de Monterrey campus is that it is a closed campus,
meaning that you need an ID to enter. The security guards are, for the most part, a little
more flexible with exchange students. They can also help you find any facilities that you
are looking for.
The international programs staff is amazing. Despite the relative insanity of
orientation week for them, they are incredibly friendly. One bit of frustration you might
experience is a little bit of a wait time in order to sign up for
classes and get your schedule. Do not worry if you think there
might be problems with your documentation when you arrive.
They make arrangements for people who were unable to write
the Spanish fluency exam to write it during orientation week,
and will do everything in their power to help you into your exchange. One girl showed
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up to orientation week without them having any documentation about her application
whatsoever. Despite this, they were still able to accommodate her.
The professors are also very approachable. One reason for this is the small class
sizes. They will be more than glad to help you out with any material you do not
understand. They can also help you to get the documentation you need to validate the
courses once you return to Waterloo.
The ITESM exchange application process at Waterloo is quite lengthy. Be sure you
start early so that you have enough time to complete all of the components. Some people
at UW who were helpful during the application process are Giovanni Cascante (UW
Coordinator), Cindy Howe (Administrative Coordinator), and Professor Roe (Director of
Exchange Programs). Be sure to get your application in before the deadline as it can take
over a week to get all the signatures that you need. If your application is late or there is a
problem with it, do not worry too much as the ITESM staff will do everything they can to
help you.
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Health and Insurance
Tec de Monterrey requires that you have international health insurance. If you do not
already have health insurance upon arrival, they will charge you $2846.25 pesos (about
$300 CDN) to insure you on their own plan. Fortunately the health coverage through the
University of Waterloo includes international health insurance, so you will not need to
worry about this fee, provided that you give them adequate documentation. If you do not
have the information card that came with your University of Waterloo health insurance
card, then information can be found through the University of Waterloo website. This
will not be a great concern for you as they are very familiar with international students
having coverage through their home university.
I did not have any health problems while I was in Mexico, so I do not know much
about the medical facilities available. I do know that all students living in residence have
access to a doctor on campus, much like Health Services at Waterloo. Furthermore,
varsity athletes have access to their own doctor and physical therapists, and all care is
provided free of charge, much like at UW.
Security in Mexico is very dependent on the neighbourhood that you are in.
Monterrey is one of the safest cities in Mexico, however, there are some places that you
just shouldn’t go. Some neighbourhoods are heavily involved in drug trafficking and you
are definitely at risk by going there. Speaking to the locals is the best way to find out
where not to go. I also heard a few stories about the river markets, but personally I never
had any problems there. If in doubt, travel with friends and you shouldn’t have any
problems at all. The campus itself is incredibly safe. To enter you must present ID that
proves you are a student or staff member. As well, to take a bike off campus, the owner
must present the card that corresponds to the sticker on the bike to prove ownership. To
get your bike sticker and card go to the Tec security office. All residence rooms have
locks of course, and they also have closets with latches for padlocks if you feel the need
to lock your closet as well.
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Evaluation
There is no question in my mind that going on exchange to Tec de Monterrey was a
positive experience. It did require a little more work, but the friends made and the
experiences gained certainly outweighed the trouble.
The main times when the exchange caused me more work for my academic program
included the application process and credit validation process upon return from the
exchange. The application process is somewhat lengthy, and having more deadlines in an
already busy schedule did not help with stress level. Finding courses that will count
towards your academic program is perhaps the most difficult part of application. The
International Programs staff is not
really able to help you with your
course selection unless the courses
you are choosing are within the
International Programs department.
I suggest that you find the closest
matches you can to the Waterloo
courses you need to take by using
the ITESM course calendar, then in
your first week there be sure to get
a course syllabus and check that your courses do indeed match up. If they don’t you can
always switch courses in the first week, and the professors will have a much better idea
of what courses are available that will suit your academic program. Of course, the course
descriptions on the Waterloo course calendar are brief and not very good, so to be
proactive you could find out which Waterloo professors will be teaching the courses you
would have taken and get a course syllabus for those courses before you leave. This will
help you to better find matches for those courses.
The credit validation process upon return from exchange was probably the most extra
work caused by going on exchange. Be sure you bring back as much material from the
course as possible including the course syllabus, notes, labs, quizzes, and exams. Getting
the ITESM course hour plan from the professor also helps smooth out the credit
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validation process. Although the professors at Waterloo are very generous with trying to
validate your credits, be prepared that not all the courses you took there will be worth the
credit that you wanted and that you may have to write a report or two to make up for
course material that was not covered.
There are too many positive aspects of going on exchange to discuss them all,
however, a respectable shortlist would include learning a new language and culture,
making new friends, traveling, and experiencing a totally different way of learning.
When I arrived in Mexico I could not understand spoken Spanish, nor could I speak well.
However, when I left I was able to speak and understand near fluently, and had
experienced a culture very different to that of Canada. I am also still in contact with
many friends from my exchange. There are numerous opportunities to travel with
International Programs groups, or just with friends and bus fare is cheap! Finally, the
method of teaching and learning at ITESM is very different than at Waterloo and I found
that it was a refreshing way to study engineering.
I would not hesitate for one moment to recommend others to go on exchange to El
Tecnológico de Monterrey.
E-mail: [email protected]
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