cositas – education pt. 2

1. There are three main types of universities in Mexico – private, public autonomous, and public government run. Private universities are like private universities in the US (more expensive too). Public autonomous universities are public, but have the autonomy to make their own decisions. Public government run (my university) are public and controlled by the government.
2. I work at a universidad tecnológica.  These universities are public, run by the government, and primarily exist in more isolated, less urban areas. They were implemented by the Mexican government to give educational opportunities for students in rural areas. We run on a trimester schedule, with 1-2 weeks of breaks between each trimester. Students have the option of doing two years to earn their TSU (kind of like an associate’s degree) and then staying for two more years to earn their licenciatura (bachelor’s). Carreras (majors) here are much more industry-focused, with many students training later entering the workforce in companies that surround the area.  Example majors include physical therapy, maintenance engineering, electrical engineering, business, and accounting.
3. Tuition at my university very, very cheap – around 1,500 pesos (75 dollars) a semester. A lot of students also get scholarships and aid to make that cost even lower!!!  As I’m preparing to take out loans for medical school, I’ve had a lot of conversations of people at my school at the difference in price between American and Mexican upper education.  Although Mexican upper education isn’t flawless, the price of American education, in many ways, is absolutely insane.
4. Technology is another big difference between American schools and Mexican schools.  At UTSOE (my college), there’s a lot less technology than what I’m used to. There’s no WiFi, projectors, and not many printers. I do a lot more writing on my board, and since students aren’t allowed to use computers in class, a lot of time is spent copying what’s on the board into your notebook.
5. A big cultural difference I’ve noticed between my UTSOE students and US college students is the level of independence in a college student’s life. In the US, I’d say we try to establish as much independence as possible once we move out to college, doing our best to avoid coming home even if we live in the same state. Here, many college students live at home if they’re from Valle. If they’re not from Valle, they rent apartments but still go home every weekend to spend time with their families. In general, the close-knit nature of Mexican families means children aren’t expected to move out quickly the way American children are – it’s completely normal if you don’t move out until you’re married, and it’s completely normal if you don’t move out after you’re married too! Of course, bigger universities in bigger cities may be different, but this is what I’ve noticed here.  This is also definitely influenced by the fact that we don’t have dorms on campus (which again, is a very American concept).