Student Experiences in University Exchange Programs

Every semester, I receive students in my office who are seeking an international exchange experience and requesting orientation. They arrive with all kinds of dreams: to get to know the world, to enrich their profession, to travel with friends, to strengthen their second or third language, to gain a global perspective on their field of study, etc. In addition to the appeal of academic exchange itself, many students will find it is their first experience of living “independently” away from their family, and all that implies. Knowing this is very relevant because we have had students who return deeply disappointed with the opportunity they chose, or, even worse, they return before the end of the academic period.

Although an international exchange decision can provide positive experiences, it can also lead to disenchantment, frustration, and academic and economic losses. My purpose as a student mentor in the Accompaniment Model (MDA) for Student Leadership and Training (LiFE) at Tecnológico de Monterrey is to guide students through this process and, above all, to lead them to a reflection that helps them make the best possible conscious choice. Our goal at LiFE is for the university exchange experience to be enriching and to produce positive academic, professional, and personal outcomes.

Tec de Monterrey Student Accompaniment Model

Tecnológico de Monterrey’s Accompaniment Model (MDA) is part of the Tec21 Educational Model, which allows for greater flexibility and customization of the curriculum. Therefore, the MDA is highly relevant, as it provides guidance and advice to help students make more informed decisions that enable them to maintain balance across all dimensions of their well-being. Key activities that mentors perform include:

1. My plan and purpose in life. Through reflection, the mentor guides the student in establishing their life plan and purpose by defining objectives and goals throughout their student journey. Having a life purpose leads to the highest level of satisfaction and an increase in the student’s physical and emotional health, allowing the student’s trajectory to bring happiness.
2. Student exchanges. Tec undergraduate students have the opportunity to participate in an international academic exchange starting in the sixth semester, for up to one semester or one year. In this process, the mentor advises the students in assessing their life plan, the options of interest, and the considerations for living an exchange. In turn, the program director provides students with academic advice to help them make informed decisions.
3. Tec semester. The Tec Semester is part of the student’s specialization stage and is a semester during which, in addition to the international exchange, the student considers course options for that period. These options can include their concentration, professional, research, or entrepreneurship stay, or elective training units. After students learn about the university’s specialization options, the mentor advises them based on their life plans and interests to help them identify the specialization path they want to pursue.
4. LiFE Portfolio. The LiFE portfolio includes activities, programs, classes, and groups that are not academic in nature but develop students’ talents and skills, providing them with a comprehensive education. The areas that make up this portfolio are: sports, art and culture, wellness, accompaniment, social service, student groups, and professional development. The mentor provides information about the different areas in which the student could develop, based on their profile and life plan, and, beyond that, inspires, motivates, offers guidance, and provides students with a perspective on the importance of leading a balanced life and enriching their academic training through LiFE offerings.

Tec de Monterrey’s accompaniment model is student-centered and seeks to support students in achieving their educational goals across the intellectual, emotional, social, occupational, physical, financial, and spiritual dimensions of their lives. (LiFE, 2023).

The experience of living in a student exchange is not just academic

In my early years accompanying students, I focused on academic advice for the exchange, including the subjects they could take, accreditation requirements, and the credits they could earn. And, in closing, I would comment, “The subject failed abroad is one failed in our institution.” Some students contacted me from abroad and asked, “What happens if I drop a subject or fail it?” In this case, if they were lucky, the foreign university would allow them to make changes; otherwise, they would definitely face academic repercussions.

As time went by, I realized that I had to explore the experience of living abroad in an exchange more deeply, not just the academic part. The challenge of living abroad involves facing situations that can affect your performance. For example, changes in diet, schedule, and climate; fewer walks than they imagined; sticking to a budget; doing the groceries, cooking, and washing their clothes (if they didn’t before); adapting to make their own decisions about departures and arrival times, etc. All these aspects can evoke feelings of nostalgia, sadness, loneliness, or stress, worsening the situation.

To better advise my students, I conducted semester-long interviews to get to know them and, together with them, discover their professional and personal purpose. I became an expert in investigating and analyzing each case, while inviting students to inform themselves and reflect on the decision they would make. To help them make better decisions, I designed the following questionnaire to raise awareness in an informed way.

Considerations for an academic exchange

1. What is the purpose of living an exchange? Consider what the main interest that moves you to seek this opportunity is, what you hope to achieve, and reflect on whether or not an exchange is the only means to achieve your purpose.
2. Which country would you like to go to? Some cultures are warmer than others. Consider that your early adaptation depends, in part, on your expectations. Take into account what the place you will visit offers, because you will not be studying all the time, and when we are familiar with a place, we also learn.
3. To which university and why? Now that you are clear about the purpose of your exchange, check out the offerings of the universities to which you might apply. Review their academic programs and the amount of work demanded. You must understand how that institution will contribute to your professional success. A complete international experience will help you to obtain good academic results but also offer authentic non-academic experiences in which you get to know the place and culture, as well as form new friendships.
4. Are you willing to go to a place where there are no friends or acquaintances? Analyze how many students can apply for the opportunity you want. You may be the only Mexican there. It is important to consider that you could experience loneliness, a situation that may allow you to know yourself, grow, and mature. Therefore, in the short term, you must decide on strategies to implement to make new friends and build a support network. On the other hand, there is the possibility of being part of a large group of Mexicans there. In that case, you’ll probably end up taking classes with them and have fewer opportunities to meet foreigners and learn more about the culture you’re visiting.
5. Is it possible for the person responsible for your expenses to cover this experience? Now that you are clearer about the possible universities and countries to which you would apply, review the economic part. Check if the opportunity you are interested in includes your scholarship. If you do, also analyze the cost of living in those cities to get more realistic information. That way, when you present your options to your payer, they can more easily decide which ones are viable.
6. Have you researched the visa or permit requirements required by that country? Check the information requested by embassies or consulates regarding the process for obtaining your visa or residence permit. Apply to universities in countries where you can meet the requirements. This will help you shorten the time between receiving the acceptance letter and requesting an appointment and avoid rejection.
7. Are you ready to live independently? Do you know what this entails for you? Imagine that you have your bags ready to go to the airport. Based on that scenario, plan what you might need, especially if you’ve never traveled alone before. An experience like this involves making your own decisions and taking responsibility, starting with the outward journey. Now imagine that you are already there; the lifestyle there could be very different from the one you have at home. Are you prepared to live alone, to share with someone else, and to manage a budget, among many other things?

Guiding the student to reflect on all these aspects, not just academic ones, will give them a clearer vision of the decision involved in pursuing an academic exchange and increase their chances of success.

Success stories and obstacles in academic exchanges

Here are the stories of five students who faced challenges and obstacles during their exchange experiences and how they managed them. These can serve to revive you when you are abroad.

Loneliness and the time difference. A sixth-semester student decided to go to South Korea because of the university’s prestige. He wanted to get to know the country and practice the language. During the first month of his stay, he felt lonely because he did not have any Mexican acquaintances with whom to share. The time difference also prevented him from contacting his family as he would have liked, which made him miss them more than he had imagined. Recalling the reasons why he applied for this opportunity helped him establish strategies to start connecting with people and build a local support network, such as study groups and other international students with whom to go out to eat and get to know the country, thereby overcoming cultural and linguistic barriers and obtaining very good academic results.

Self-knowledge. She never doubted that Australia was the best country for her international experience; Melbourne seemed the right place: the culture, the city, and the university were wonderful. In addition, it was a school that more Mexican students, some of them acquaintances, usually traveled to. As a student accompaniment mentor, I focused on what she expected from this experience: living independently, places she wanted to visit, and other topics we discussed. Her biggest challenge was that both she and her family decided that she should live alone. This decision has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are comfort and independence. The disadvantages she never imagined were her moments of solitude; sometimes she did not feel like going out or dressing up, and there was no one to motivate her. During our interview, we discussed how to turn this into an opportunity to learn. Upon returning, the student mentioned that, in short, it was a semester of self-knowledge, helping her value her decisions and get the most out of them. When she decided to stay at home, she read a good book or wrote. This helped her learn to manage her time, to be more productive, and to experience excellent personal growth.

Academic demand. Spain was the country offering this student’s primary application options. When questioned about why he did not consider other countries, he said he saw no other option, since he had relatives there and the universities were to his liking. During his exchange, he realized he spent many hours of his day studying and working (as was expected). Still, when talking to friends from other countries, he began to compare academic demands and felt a little disappointed with his choice, which did not allow him to travel as much as his friends did. However, in a virtual interview, I reminded him of the reason for his decision and the family times he was able to have. This comforted him and encouraged him to continue striving for good academic results.

Limited budget. After learning about the family’s budget, the student did not want to miss the opportunity to participate in an exchange. The search focused on what his parents could afford, his career emphasis, and choosing a university that was among the best in his discipline, so he traveled to Colombia. He thought that if he was going to spend, it should be on something that would serve him very well. When he arrived at his first stay, he did not like it; it was not what he expected from the place. However, the university’s academic program exceeded his expectations, and he even entered design competitions, achieving excellent results. It was a great experience for him.

Opportunities for all. Opportunities are available to everyone, but we must inform ourselves and know how to seek them out. This was the case with a student who wanted to participate in an exchange but did not have enough means to do so. He was working and studying at the same time, but he was willing to save as much as he could and leave his job to go on an exchange. During our interview, I invited him to participate in the information sessions we mentors conduct in connection with International Programs to help students with their Tec Semester choices. In one of those sessions, they mentioned the MITACs program, which allows students to do professional internships in Canada and provides them with a salary, housing for three months, and round-trip airfare. My student applied and got the vacancy. Although he would have a salary to cover food and transportation, he realized it would not be enough. For this reason, he decided to look for a roomie to share expenses with. When he arrived in Canada, he contacted him, and together they looked for a suitable place to live. It was a great, very complete experience for him, which we talked about for several days.

Reflection

The mentors at Tec de Monterrey seek to make academic exchange one of the best experiences of students’ lives, not only because of the time they spend abroad, but also because it is from the moment they begin to see exchange as a viable alternative that leads them to self-knowledge, maturity, and personal growth.

Personally, it has been very enriching to accompany the students at this stage of their lives. Seeing how they build their life plan and purpose, starting with the first interview, and how they achieve each of their goals is incredible. Celebrating their achievements with them, learning from their failures, helping them connect with others or areas to build their professional development, and even celebrating their graduation together fill me with pride, because they affirm my own purpose in life: to love and serve.

Accompanying university students with empathetic listening, a well-defined purpose, and approaches that lead them to reflect on aspects beyond academics is of great value. When I have had the opportunity to listen to alumni or be recognized by them, I realize that guiding students to live consciously not only makes them very good professionals but also better people.

About the Author

Laura Gabriela Ríos Contreras (lgrc@tec.mx) is a student mentor in the Department of Leadership and Student Development at Tec de Monterrey. Mentoring has enabled her to positively influence people’s lives. She has more than 18 years of teaching experience in undergraduate and graduate programs at the Tec System. She was Director of Entry into the Avenue of Engineering in Innovation and Transformation and Director of the Industrial and Systems Engineering program from 2021 to 2023.

References

LiFE. (2023). Ediciones Tecnológico de Monterrey.https://doi.org/10.60514/9pnm-1h25

Pinilla-Torres, A. M., & García-Saucedo, V. (2025). Enhancing Student Success: Exploring the Impact of Novel Mentoring Strategies on Life Purpose Reflection and Goal Setting. In

2025 Institute for the Future of Education Conference (IFE) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.

Qs. (2025, October 20). QS World University Rankings 2026: Top global universities. Top Universities.https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings

Editing

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Edited by Rubí Román (rubi.roman@tec.mx) – Editor of the Edu bits articles and producer of The Observatory webinars- “Learning that inspires” – Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education at Tec de Monterrey.

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Translation

Daniel Wetta

This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0