I enjoy visiting university campuses when I travel, so I made time to visit UNAM’s Ciudad Universitaria in Mexico City. I spent some time around the architecture department. The pride students and professors took in seeing their work help shape the city was infectious.
The campus had a lot going on. There were huge murals, sports facilities, open lawns where students could gather, and lively bookshops. I was especially taken with the mosaic covering the Central Library. I spent a while in one of the bookshops. It made me think of the campus bookshop at the university I attended in the UK, which has since closed.
What struck me as I walked around was the absence of posters warning students about mental health and giving them hotlines to call. I saw things that might inspire them: art, sport, bookshops and places to meet. Of course students need support when things go wrong. But perhaps belonging also starts with making the campus somewhere they want to be.
The campus had a lot going on. There were huge murals, sports facilities, open lawns where students could gather, and lively bookshops. I was especially taken with the mosaic covering the Central Library. I spent a while in one of the bookshops. It made me think of the campus bookshop at the university I attended in the UK, which has since closed.
What struck me as I walked around was the absence of posters warning students about mental health and giving them hotlines to call. I saw things that might inspire them: art, sport, bookshops and places to meet. Of course students need support when things go wrong. But perhaps belonging also starts with making the campus somewhere they want to be.
I was finding my way around Mexico City for the first time. On previous trips, I would have carried a guidebook. This time, I had an AI tool to hand and could ask questions as they occurred to me. Who created that mural? Where else could I see their work? Could I get a bus back from here?
I learn when I ask questions and get responses. That is part of what I hope Student Compass can do for students in the UK. They may not know the name of the right service or how a university works. They should be able to ask in their own words, find an answer and, when they need it, connect with a real person.
I can’t say what it is like to study at UNAM after one visit. But I had a genuine feeling that I would have liked to study there.
I learn when I ask questions and get responses. That is part of what I hope Student Compass can do for students in the UK. They may not know the name of the right service or how a university works. They should be able to ask in their own words, find an answer and, when they need it, connect with a real person.
I can’t say what it is like to study at UNAM after one visit. But I had a genuine feeling that I would have liked to study there.
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