# Going to Mexico City to study Spanish



## monkeymagic (Apr 17, 2010)

Hi, first post here, I wanted to see if I could get any feedback on my tentative plans to go to Mexico City to study Spanish. Any input will be greatly appreciated.

I speak zero Spanish.

I've selected the CEPE at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, which offers six-week classes for not a lot of money. I found this program while searching randomly online. Classes start in early May.

I am also exploring options for lodging, hopefully a room near the school. I'm having a hard time finding a place while still here in the U.S., so I'll probably have to go there to find a room. My current plan is to stay in a cheap hotel for around a week or so while looking for more permanent lodging. I'm fixing to fly in about 2 weeks before the classes start (early May, yeah its tight).


Now to the questions:

1. Any good way to line up an inexpensive place to live before I leave, or even when I get to Mexico City? I found lots of listings online but all in Spanish. What would be a good area near the university? Online resources (in English) for finding room rentals?

2. Any other language schools or institutes that you might recommend?


I'm planning to devote at least 6 months for this endeavor, up to 8-9 months. Need to be back to the states by Jan. 2011.

Many thanks in advance!


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Welcome to the forum.
You may notice that some sites allow for translation options. Also, your school may make some specific suggestions on nearby places to stay. Lacking that, there are several hostels in DF, which might be another inexpensive option; perhaps the best option for your six week visit. They can be found easily with the help of Google.
Often, in Mexico, students share apartments; however, that may not be a practical option for such a short stay.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

You can try vivastreet dot com for rentals - it's partly in Spanish, partly in English depending on who placed the ad. 
Most schools I have been to arrange accommodations as part of their service. UNAM isn't a language school per se so they may not bother with such stuff.

Why Mexico City? There are so many awesome places with excellent Spanish schools outside "El Defectuoso". Cuernavaca, Guanajuato, Oaxaca, San Miguel de Allende, Morelia. All the schools in those places will arrange a homestay for you if you like. Homestay tends to cost a little more than other options but it gives you some time to seek out better/cheaper lodging. Lodging (and most things) in Mexico happen in person so the internet will only help you so much in advance. However, the schools will let you make arrangements for study on line. I've done it with as little as 3 days notice - they're thrilled to have you and your money. Get a homestay for 2 weeks and spend the time finding other digs which is fairly easy once you're there. 
Mexico City is probably the most expensive place in Mexico unless you want to reside in the dumpy (and not so safe) barrios.
My two cents is that you should check out other schools in other cities and visit Mexico City as a tourist for a few days at the end of your time in Mx. 
I've studied in several schools in Mx over the years so if you want suggestions, feel free to PM me.

In any case, enjoy!!


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## monkeymagic (Apr 17, 2010)

Thank you both for your replies, they are very helpful indeed.

Circle110, I'm not locked into going to Mexico City, the only reason I chose it is because UNAM's CEPE seems to be an inexpensive and reputable course (although they don't allow online registration, which makes it somewhat of a risk).

I did search hard for other language schools, but many that I found were much more expensive, to the tune of 5-600 to a grand per month. Also, some required the student to stay in a dormitory.

I couldn't figure out a way to send a PM, I don't think I'm allowed to. 

If you have any suggestions on other language schools, please list a few and I will check them out. Any help is greatly appreciated.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

Yeah, I guess you can't PM yet because you're new.

Here are some suggestions that don't cost anywhere near 5-6K per month. That's nuts! Most schools will be in $1300 per month range INCLUDING private homestay and food! All these schools have web sites where you can contact them and make arrangements to study. They may say you need to pay a "deposit" but you don't. If you walk in the door any Monday they'll sign you right up. However, if you want to have them arrange lodging, it's not a bad idea to play by their "rules". They're all legit schools and won't rip you off or try to scam you.

Don Quijote in Guanajuato
Baden Powell in Morelia
Soléxico in Oaxaca

Baden Powell was one of the best schools I ever attended. 
In Guanajuato I studied at Instituto Falcon but it closed and all the teachers moved to Don Quijote. I know several students there and they all say it's very good. Guanjuato charmed me so much I moved there!
Solexico was a good school and Oaxaca is many folks favorite city in Mexico and for good reason.

Cuernavaca is famous for its Spanish schools - any of the big ones there will be good and Cuernavaca is a very nice city.

You can also check out Amerispan dot com which helps first timers do an in country study. They play middle man and arrange things for you at the school. It costs a tiny bit more but NOTHING like 5-6K... maybe $1500 a month instead of $1300.

Check them all out, each one has much to offer.

UNAM is very legitimate but is not set up for someone like you coming for first time study. If you had to move to Mexico City for your work and needed to learn Spanish it might be a good choice but for you, there's better options!


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## sunnyvmx (Mar 14, 2010)

Check out the Language Immersion School in Veracruz. Website is veracruzspanish dot com. I plan to attend at some time also.


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## Ashes77 (Jan 15, 2010)

*CEPE is tops*

I went to CEPE and I couldn't recommend it any higher, though I think they do have campuses in a few places (guadalajara?). Professionally run and among very few places on earth training spanish language teachers - so you get some of them coming in and out for training. Super high standards - a bit like undergrad classes and not like one on one with a bored spanish speaker. Not a lot of real gringos either, mostly euro and asian. Koreans and japanese on business, chinese forced by somebody, and malaysians here with the church. The euros are all on sort of holiday.

The only problem is that it's the south of the city and thus it's a car-friendly anti-pedestrian zone. But going to school there you are free to live pretty much anywhere in Coyoacan, Pedregal and the MetroBus makes the school convenient to the whole city - though more than about 8 stations daily gets exhausting.

i'd look at craigslist mexico city but it's not going to be the cheapest. It tends to be the engli$$$h-$tyle ads. You need to get here and make some fast friends who speak spanish and check segundamano. com. mx 

short of that, the french petit journal's classified are geared toward smarter foreigners and so deals can show up there, student housing for foreigners.
lepetitjournal. com 

Good luck!


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