johnnybaseball
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2018
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 3
Just wanted to post this thread in the hopes that it might help someone out in the future. If you're looking to study Spanish abroad somewhere, I highly recommend the classes offered by the University of Guadalajara at their College of Spanish and Mexican Culture (CECM Colegio de Español y Cultura Mexicana | Universidad de Guadalajara). During my gap year I was interested in taking Spanish courses in Mexico but there were no threads on here about past experiences...So here's my story:
I went down to Guadalajara and looked at three different schools. I ended up choosing this school because it had its own remote campus in a very safe neighborhood and I liked that it was associated with the university for CV/application purposes. The facilities were really nice. Classrooms had glass doors, projectors, and smartboard technology. I went during their off-season (October-December) so, although I paid for the group class, I was the only student in my class so I was essentially receiving 1 on 1 tutoring. All of the teachers and staff were EXTREMELY friendly and really want you to grow as much as possible. I personally had Profesora Luz who I would highly recommend. She cares for her students A TON and will tailor the course to whatever you're interested in learning. We still communicate regularly through WhatsApp to this day, thats how much she cares for her students. This is the vibe I got from all of the professors so you really can't go wrong, but I highly recommend Profesora Luz.
In terms of the living situation, the school provided me with the contact information for a woman who was renting rooms in her home the next block over. It was somewhat of a "homestay" but she ran it more like a Bed and Breakfast. Again, HIGHLY recommend. There were multiple rooms so the price depended on how big of a room you wanted. I felt extremely safe staying there. The home was gated and had a nice backyard patio if you wanted to work outside.
While I was down there I wanted to do some volunteering so the professors helped me find a volunteer opportunity at a place called FM4. Its a location that provides food, water, shelter, and medical services to migrants fleeing Central America and traveling through Mexico. I'm not sure if they are still doing it, but while I was there I was able to shadow the doctor who worked the clinic at this location. Worth it to ask if you're interested.
In the end, I think it's important to do things you are genuinely passionate about because it will make it easier to talk about on your applications and interviews. Don't just do it for the sake of doing it to add to your application because it will show. If you're like me, and being able to communicate with Spanish speaking patients is important to you, then I think this is something to consider if you have the means. It's not necessary, and I'm sure there are more affordable ways to pick up Spanish elsewhere. But if being completely immersed and studying Spanish in Mexico is something you want to make part of your story, I think this school is a great place to do so. The entire experience was something that came up over and over again in my interviews and I'm extremely glad I did it.
I went down to Guadalajara and looked at three different schools. I ended up choosing this school because it had its own remote campus in a very safe neighborhood and I liked that it was associated with the university for CV/application purposes. The facilities were really nice. Classrooms had glass doors, projectors, and smartboard technology. I went during their off-season (October-December) so, although I paid for the group class, I was the only student in my class so I was essentially receiving 1 on 1 tutoring. All of the teachers and staff were EXTREMELY friendly and really want you to grow as much as possible. I personally had Profesora Luz who I would highly recommend. She cares for her students A TON and will tailor the course to whatever you're interested in learning. We still communicate regularly through WhatsApp to this day, thats how much she cares for her students. This is the vibe I got from all of the professors so you really can't go wrong, but I highly recommend Profesora Luz.
In terms of the living situation, the school provided me with the contact information for a woman who was renting rooms in her home the next block over. It was somewhat of a "homestay" but she ran it more like a Bed and Breakfast. Again, HIGHLY recommend. There were multiple rooms so the price depended on how big of a room you wanted. I felt extremely safe staying there. The home was gated and had a nice backyard patio if you wanted to work outside.
While I was down there I wanted to do some volunteering so the professors helped me find a volunteer opportunity at a place called FM4. Its a location that provides food, water, shelter, and medical services to migrants fleeing Central America and traveling through Mexico. I'm not sure if they are still doing it, but while I was there I was able to shadow the doctor who worked the clinic at this location. Worth it to ask if you're interested.
In the end, I think it's important to do things you are genuinely passionate about because it will make it easier to talk about on your applications and interviews. Don't just do it for the sake of doing it to add to your application because it will show. If you're like me, and being able to communicate with Spanish speaking patients is important to you, then I think this is something to consider if you have the means. It's not necessary, and I'm sure there are more affordable ways to pick up Spanish elsewhere. But if being completely immersed and studying Spanish in Mexico is something you want to make part of your story, I think this school is a great place to do so. The entire experience was something that came up over and over again in my interviews and I'm extremely glad I did it.
