Exchange at ITAM, Mexico
The third year of my undergraduate program I spent at the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM) in Mexico City. Being excepted to the universities in both Italy and Mexico, it was not an easy choice between these two programs. Though I had some concerns about going so far and to the country, I knew nothing about, it turned out to be the best experience of my university life.
I am a student of the Joint Undergraduate Program in Economics NRU HSE and NES. Students from my program quite often choose ITAM and give it great reviews. My friend went there two years before me and was very excited about Mexico when she came back. After I made some research about professors and courses offered there, I was pleasantly surprised by the level of education the university offers. All the professors of the department of Economics have PhDs from the top American schools like Harvard, Stanford, and NYU. In addition, there are quite a lot of courses about specific fields of economics and finance. For example, some of the courses I took were a seminar in Decision Theory, Dynamic Macroeconomics, Consumer and Producer Theory, Political Economy, and Game Theory. Unlike European universities, ITAM gives an opportunity to take Master courses, which offer wider range of topics and more interesting material. Even if you are not interested in taking only math or economics, you will find any specialty you like, including 4-level courses of Spanish language.
The university is located in the south of Mexico City. The territory of the campus is very green with several areas where you can rest and have a lunch. It has a gym and several fields to play volleyball, football, basketball, American football, badminton, or take dancing classes. The weather is warm all year long, which helps you enjoy all the activities.
People of South and Central Americas are well known for being open and cheerful. It is even truer about Mexicans. They are very nice and always ready to put their own things aside to help you. They definitely know how to party, dance, have fun and be proud of their culture. All the trips and parties that were held by different student organizations were nights to remember.
Mexico is a beautiful country to travel. It has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. You can go to Tulum or Cancun to enjoy the cleanest Caribbean Sea. You can go for a weekend to famous Acapulco to swim in the big waves of the Pacific Ocean, which is only 4-hour drive from Mexico City. You can go to Puerto Escondido, which is a perfect place for surfing. Finally, you can visit Baja California on the Gulf of California coast where one of the most popular destinations among American college students for spring break Los Cabos is located.
Apart from beaches, it is very interesting to see Maya heritage. I was lucky to see one of the New Seven Wonders of the World – Chichén Itzá. It was a Mayan city, which now looks like a complex of several pyramids and other constructions. Though Chichén Itzá is the most famous pre-Columbian city, there are lots of lost pyramids and whole cities hidden in the forests, where you can actually climb all those ‘buildings’.
Not only there are many places to see around the country, but you can also visit the countries around Mexico: the USA, Guatemala, Cuba, or go to South America. I went to the USA several times during my year abroad. One of the trips was a long beautiful road trip, which is a very American experience.
Overall, I believe that the best asset of Mexico is Mexican people, who are happy to share their culture with all the tourists, who come there. I got a great experience, met many people from all over the world and made close friends. Probably, a semester (or a year) in Mexico is the most unique semester abroad you can imagine. Adding there very high quality of education, opportunity of close communication with all the professors and one of the most interesting and
deep courses I have taken during my undergraduate studies, I would say that my choice could not be better.