FAQ

What scholarships did you apply for?
Gilman and CUNY BA scholarships

Were you able to receive financial aid?
I only received federal aid, but not any state aid or Hunter Honors Program aid.

What was your housing situation?
I found my own housing, and I lived with roommates. I paid around $200 for rent.

What classes did you take?
The university offered all the classes for my major, but all the classes were in Spanish. I take half major classes and half electives. I was in normal classes with Mexican students.

Was the process hard?
No. It was mostly a lot of paperwork and keeping track of deadlines.

What did you gain from the experience?
I became more independent. I had to cook, do laundry, and pay bills on my own.

Did your Spanish improve from studying abroad?
Yes. I learned more slang and casual usage of Spanish. I also had to speak Spanish with everyone because most didn’t speak English well. I became more familiar with different accents because there were people from all over Latin America in the exchange program.

Where did you study?
I studied in the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla in Puebla, Mexico.

How did you apply?
My program was a direct-enroll program, so I directly applied instead of through an intermediary. The university didn’t have a agreement with Hunter College. I submitted a letter of recommendation, personal statement, and other personal information.

Did you apply to other universities?
I also applied to UDLAP, UNAM, and Tec de Monterrey. I decided on BUAP because it offered the classes I needed and it was cheapest. You can also look for SUNY and other CUNY school programs.

What was your biggest culture shock?
The scarcity of water in Mexico. There were multiple times when there wasn’t water when I had to brush my teeth both in the place I rented and in hotels.

What was different about studying abroad vs being a tourist?
You are more closely acquainted with the local culture, and you experience more of how it is to live there. As a tourist, you don’t have much opportunity to connect with locals and you’re mostly going to places frequented by non-locals.

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Financial

     I highly recommend applying for the Gilman scholarship if you receive Pell grants. I received $3000 from it. I doubted I would get it because of its competitiveness but don’t let that discourage you. You can ask the Education Abroad office for more information. I also looked for CUNY or Hunter College-specific scholarships. The Education Abroad office offers a few scholarships. I received the Pell grant while I was abroad, but I didn’t receive TAP or Hunter College honors program specific scholarships. I’m in the Daedalus Honors Program at Hunter, but I didn’t get the scholarship from it while I was abroad. I’m in CUNY BA and was able to apply for the Barbara Price Opportunity Fund.      What helped was that cost of living wasn’t high in Puebla. Rent was the biggest living cost. However, I spent a lot of money on travel, especially flights. That can be reduced by traveling by other forms of transport. I traveled to other parts of the world, which cost ...
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Living

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