Student Belonging on Campus: Visiting UNAM in Mexico City

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.

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.

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