Hello everybody,

In the following I would like to tell you about my experiences at Universidad Regiomontana and hope to be able to offer at least a little help with the difficult choice of the right university abroad. With this in mind, I will focus my report on studying at the university mentioned above and on living in Monterrey as a result. You will therefore not find a detailed experience report that vividly describes Mexico and the possible travel destinations. The present text is structured as follows: First, I will present my general assessment of the university. Then I will go into key points about the courses I have taken and other requirements for studying (e. g. language).

General assessment of the university / college

According to toppharmacyschools, The Universidad Regiomontana is very small compared to the well-known and not far away “Tec” (tecnologico de monterrey). The campus is centrally located in the city center and consists of 3 larger buildings, which are arranged across three streets. For me as a DHBW student, it was a nice experience to have something like a campus where you could walk around and meet friends. I particularly liked the interaction with people from other fields of study and that there was a university life with events. After a while you get to know a lot of people – especially as “international” people – and the canteen is excellent value for money. Given the location, of course, one cannot expect extensive green areas or sports facilities. The course size for lectures was limited to a maximum of 30 people, but as a rule there were between 15 and 25 students.

The course itself does not differ fundamentally from the situation in Germany. Ultimately, every student has it in their own hands how much and how well he / she learns. The load is basically made up of the choice of courses and their number. Of course there are courses that do not require a lot of time. On the other hand, there are lectures for which 5 hours of homework (graded) have to be done every week. While some exchange students went to partying almost every Wednesday and Thursday – which is not a problem with three courses – that was a problem for me with a total of five courses, including one from the engineering sector and additional involvement in “DIFUSIÓN CULTURAL” (Salsa course followed by a performance), a bit more difficult. Basically, however, one can say that compared to Germany, the demands on exams are lower and the focus is on quantity rather than quality.

I see another big advantage of the university in the more relaxed handling of attendance lists. Even if attendance is generally compulsory (!), There were also professors who were satisfied when they delivered homework on time and then approved an extended weekend trip.

Course choice

Entrepreneurship

Lecturer: Moisés Aguirre Mar

• Short description: Treatment of different business models; Basic answer to the question “What makes successful companies and entrepreneurs?”; lots of case studies and emphasis on group work.
• Personal assessment: In contrast to my German fellow students, I find the course useful if you are thinking of starting your own business or later aiming for a position in the corporate strategy area. Requirements and applicability of the facts differ. The professor ensures that assignments and assignments are handed in on time.

International Relations Theory

Lecturer: Alejandra Huerta

• Short description: Treatment of different theories to illustrate international relations and investigation of the different forces in a global context. Many intersections with globalization and topics that have already been dealt with in a subject such as foreign trade.
• Personal assessment: Generally to be recommended, unfortunately, many topics were already known, standards rather low, interesting discussions about current topics, sometimes very good examples, potential for the presentation of the lecture material.

Negotiations and Sales

Lecturer: Ario

• Short description: Description of the procedure for selling products, very sales-oriented, clear overlaps with our marketing lecture of the previous semester, project: “Selling a product at the university”, lecture half in English and half in Spanish.
• Personal assessment: experienced lecturer, but superficial lectures; Rather low demand; Units about communication interesting (e. g. AIDA model); However, content could also be dealt with in a two-day workshop.

Sistemas Digitales Secuenciales

Lecturer: Hiram Cabrera

• Short description: Analysis and design of sequential circuits; Laboratory units, which consist of buying a circuit board and all the necessary components and then trying to assemble the circuit; builds on the course Sistemas Digitales Combinacionales or Logica Electronica 1.
• Personal assessment: Very competent lecturer, who, however, has a lively disposition at times.

Spanish 3

• Short description: Taken through almost all times.
• Personal assessment: The problem was that there was a beginner course (Spanish 1) and an advanced course (Spanish 3). My level would actually have been Spanish 2. Learning a language depends on everyone. Very nice lecturer.

Requirements for studying

Language:

Spanish is definitely an asset for Mexico. At least elementary basics should be mastered. For comparison, even if Monterrey is the most industrialized city in Mexico, I was sometimes surprised how few people speak English. If you only study subjects in English at the university, Spanish is actually not required. I would like to note, however, that some courses are advertised in English, but afterwards only the materials are in English and the lecturer or fellow students would like to have the lecture in Spanish. But you can still get through with these subjects.

Accommodation:

I booked my accommodation via Airbnb before arriving in Mexico. However, if you have time to look for an apartment on site, I would strongly advise you to take this opportunity to save money.