Student Life

The university and the city of Xalapa offer a multitude of activities ranging from the cultural to the social. The small-city atmosphere provides easy access to museums, musical and other cultural events, as well as the friendliness of a close-knit community. In addition, Xalapa is surrounded by lush mountains dotted with charming colonial-style towns and villages and just an hour drive to the coast.

Housing & Meals

While in Xalapa, you will reside with a Mexican host family. Conversations you have with your familia Mexicana will present you with an excellent opportunity to learn about the culture. Students enjoy home-cooked meals in traditional Mexican style with their host families.

Computer Access

Students have access to computers at the EEE. For those students who want to bring their laptops, wireless internet service is also becoming widely available in public areas (although you should not depend on your host family having Internet service in the home). Cybercafes in town charge around $1 U.S. per hour for computer usage.

Local Transportation

Almost everything in Xalapa is within walking distance, however, the cost of transportation is not expensive. Students can expect to spend $10-20 for transportation per month.

Sports Facilities

All students have access to the University of Veracruz's impressive sports complex, which includes the city's best fields, tennis courts and other facilities. Paths through the city parks make for a jogger's paradise.

BCA Educational Excursions

BCA offers approximately 12-15 days of educational excursions throughout the semester--daytrips, weekend trips and occasional longer excursions. Destinations vary from semester-to-semester and according to student interest. BCA students have enjoyed the following:

Day trips

La Antigua
Volcancillo (an extinct volcanic cráter and cave system not far from Xalapa)
Cantona archaeological site
El Lencero (1800s ex-hacienda)
Chachalacas beach
Conquest period sites: Villa Rica, Quiahuitztlan, Cempoala

Weekend trips

Mexico City (various destinations within and the city)
Puebla
Tlaxcala
The port city of Veracruz
El Tajín and the Costa Esmeralda (beach)
Ecotourism in the Tuxtlas Mountains
Cuetzalan, Puebla
Cofre de Perote and La Malinche mountains

Longer excursions (Spring semester)

Yucatán Penninsula
Chiapas region
Colonial cities of central Mexico