IIT - Inventing the Future

Did you know that about 16% of IIT’s undergraduate population are international students? I think this is one of IIT’s greatest assets—these students bring a great cultural diversity to campus which enhances the educational experience for all students!

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel for IIT to Mexico to recruit more international students to campus. I thought that you may like to hear more about my trip which was AMAZING! Not only was the weather perfect (80s-90s and sunny) just when it was getting cold in Chicago but I met wonderful students and was able to do a bit of sightseeing. Let me start by saying that Mexican food tastes SO MUCH BETTER in Mexico! My favorite dish was this chicken rice soup with avocado and a smoked chipotle pepper…mmmm. Everything was made fresh to order which just enhances the quality of the dish—I miss it already!

So my week began in Guadalajara. I had a fair on Monday so I arrived Sunday afternoon, giving me a few hours to sightsee before it was dark. I took a double decker bus tour of the city which allowed me to see the main sights in the city. There is a great downtown area with lots of churches and historical buildings as well as squares for people to relax and enjoy their surroundings. I attended a fair at the American School at Guadalajra and then it was off to Queretaro.

Queretaro is such a beautiful city! We stayed at this 16^th century Hacienda that was magnificent and the staff was extremely attentive and helpful—I would recommend it to anyone visiting the city. The College fair was great and probably one of the busiest of the week. We had a student who enrolled from this high school last year so students remembered that and wanted to follow in his footsteps J.

Monterrey was the third city of my trip and I was disappointed that I didn’t have time to explore the city as well as the natural areas including the mountains, canyons and forests (the scenery is gorgeous). Did you know that it is the third largest city in Mexico after Mexico City and Guadalajara. It is one of their biggest tech cities in the country and seems very modernized. Next year I plan to spend more time here! Anyways, so I went to the fair and one of the reps accidentally went to the wrong school location. He was supposed to give the Engineering presentation and they needed another representative to present instead of him. Guess what… I had an engineering presentation prepared for the American School in Mexico City so I jumped into it and wowed the students. Well, I don’t know if I would go that far, but I gave the presentation and I think it went well for a last minute substitution. There was a fair following the presentation that was great too! We have an exchange program with Tec de Monterrey which is a top university in Mexico so I met some transfer and exchange students from their school too!

My final stop was in Mexico City. Let me say that I LOVED MEXICO CITY! I was a bit hesitant because you only hear negative comments about crime and the size of the city but I really enjoyed my time here. It was nice because I had four days so I was able to get a good flavor for the city. I attended three college fairs and have two engineering presentations (luckily I had practiced in Monterrey J) so I was quite busy in Mexico City. The fairs were REALLY busy and I met with really students who had thoughtful questions (trust me, reps really appreciate questions that cannot be found online or in the viewbook) about IIT and our specific academic programs.

I would have to say that my favorite part of Mexico City (besides shopping) was when I walked over to Chapultepec Park. This area houses the Castle of Chapultepec as well as numerous museums and monuments. It is a nice area to walk around or just sit on a bench and enjoy a nice book. 

Unfortunately, I did not have more time to go into the museums but next time I will set aside a day for this. The National Museum of Anthropology was highly recommended from colleagues from other schools who were also on this trip.

Oh, I almost forgot. They had wastebaskets that were made out of pop bottles—very environmentally friendly! I had never seen this before and thought it was pretty neat!

As you can see, this was a great trip! I loved Mexico and look forward to going back next year. Hopefully, some of the bright and talented students that I met with will join the IIT community next fall!!

Adios,

Carolyn