Details

• Mexico
• BBE-18
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

Always plan ahead and work with the schedule they give you (do not book your flight home for the 30th if you can get a final exam date on the 31st). Consider your luggage needs ahead - prices for most items such as clothes are the same or higher in MX - getting a single 20kg suitcase may not cut it. I flew with Turkish and got 2x23kg so I'd recommend doing something similar. Contact the landlords as soon as you get a chance because housing can be gone in days.

2. Accommodation

I stayed at the Hidalgo 26 house during my exchange - overall the house was great and arguably the best one on offer. Try to book Hidalgo (email the landlord as soon as you get your confirmation letter from WU to pre-book it). Do not save on the rooms as a 20EUR per month extra can get you a much better room - try to go for the 2nd floor - if not available go for the 3rd - the 1st one is pretty bad. The other dorms were rather bad with Yucatan being the only exception although people had shared bathrooms there (Colima, Ubidorms and Alpina did not get a good rep). Once again, be quick - housing can be gone in days / hours (at least the best spots). The house is 5 mins by walking from the university, so the commute is easy. The whole neighborhood is made up of smaller houses or large colonial mansions, which made it pretty nice to walk around. San Angel is pretty safe and not once have I encountered any danger - you can walk at night without having to worry - always practice common sense though and just be aware of your surroundings.

3. Academic life at host university

The whole ITAM campus is much smaller than WU and is centered around student life. Overall, it feels less like an institution and provides for a much more enjoyable "uni experience". There are ample spaces where students hangout and there is always something happening. The facilities are great especially the library, Bloomberg terminals and the football pitch (the gym is quite old). The classrooms are pretty small and can facilitate ~20-30 students each so the teaching is much more personalized. The academic culture is arguably much more rigorous than at WU. ITAM is generally seen as the best school in the country alongside Tec and it can guarantee a good life for its students post-graduation. It was originally a tech school, so the engineering spirit is still somewhat present (even the law program has calculus, and the school overall is much more quantitative / STEM like, etc.). Local students tend to be pretty busy as they handle 6-8 courses each semester so the workloads can be intense - many take more courses in the summer. The faculty is also of a high standard as you will often see industry veterans (not uncommon to be taught by top lawyers / former justices, etc.). Professors also tended to have a better command of English in my experience which made it feel more like a US school. The school produces top talent within MX with graduates being recruited by top firms while also being a solid Ivy / Top grad school feeder. I chose to avoid most exchange-student aimed courses and was more than satisfied. If you pick some of the more challenging courses, you can genuinely learn and develop in those areas - Politica y Gobierno + Finanzas Corporativas were especially nice (both in English / Finanzas taught by prof. Barrero). If you are a complete beginner in Spanish, I'd also suggest taking the Spanish II course and avoid the beginner one - you can easily get an A and you will learn more.

5. Every day life in the host country

The public transport in CDMX is pretty good but also out of reach given ITAM's location. The school bus can take you to the nearest metro station however and the fare is quite affordable ~0.2EUR per trip. Unlike popular belief Mexico is a safe country - especially CDMX and the neighbourhood where you will be staying. At many times it felt much safer than many parts of Europe, so it was quite a contrast to what most expected before their exchange. That being said there are many risks - there are areas which you should avoid, however this holds true for many large cities even in Europe (CDMX metro has ~22m people after all). There is police and the National Guard everywhere so the situation is under control - also given the Mundial. Just be careful if you go to the North which has more crime presence - eg. Tamaulipas, Coahuila, etc. Given the fact that you are a foreigner most risks will be minimized outside of potential phone snatchings, etc. Mexicans have been very hospitable people that have gone out of their way to be hospitable to every foreigner they have welcomed in their country - just be respectable, open minded and practice general safety precautions. The school offers many extracurriculars, and the exchange community is pretty active in general as well. Many of us played football, padel, went hiking, etc.

6. Testimonial

For me experiencing the "raw Mexico" outside of the ITAM shell was a pleasant surprise that allowed me to see the beauty of the country. I have made many friends both within the local and exchange community. Travelling Mexico was rather affordable and given the natural / cultural diversity of the country it was always something new.