My Experience in the Oldest University in America: National University of San Marcos

What is the National University of San Marcos like?

It's a national university in Lima, Peru, with a lot of prestige for being the oldest university in America, founded on the 12th of May, 1551.

It's main campus is located on the border between Lima and Callao. The university has a Cultural centre in the centre of Lima that is also a museum and an obligatory place to go for incoming students to the university. It's one of the most difficult universities to get into (in my case, I applied four times, and it was that last time that I was recently accepted) as there are many students from all over Peru that want to study in San Marcos. The university is big. Within the university, you can find a well-implemented library, stadium, gymnasium, various faculties and parks and an archaeological centre known as "La Huaca San Marcos".

The university is making its best effort to make agreements abroad and establish itself in Peru. The San Marquinos are considered very applied students, just like those from the National University of Engineering.

In my case, I studied tourism: a five year degree course where I could learn many great things and meet great friends. Tourism focuses, in part, on sustainable development.

What are the facilities like?

It depends on the faculty that we're talking about. Personally, I studied in the Faculty of Administrative Sciences. The faculty is one of the best in terms of infrastructure in the university. It has also recently received international accreditation that continues to maintain its competitive status among the other universities in Peru in this area.

As I told you before, there is a great demand, tourism is also growing in Peru, and the university already had a project to build a new Tourism school within the same university city.

The university also has a university dining hall, where you can go to eat for free, but yes, you can waste a lot of time waiting in line to be be served (generally around an hour at least).

And the teaching?

The truth is that it depends on the professor that teaches you: some are good and some are not so good. For me, the majority of the professors were average, but I also had professors that really struck me such as, for example: my professors for English and Guided Tourism.

In Peru, university law is changing in order to raise the level of all universities, so I think that things are already improving. It's a matter of making the most of living the experience. Every semester, for example, you have to pass around 6 to 8 courses, and the pass mark is a minimum of 11, and the maximum is 20.

Is it easy to pass in the University of San Marcos?

This also depends on the course and professor; I have managed to pass some courses with high grades and others, for example "Costs and Budgets", I failed and I had to take them again in the summer (the financial side, for example, was difficult for me). So, you are always going to find something difficult and you are going to need to have lots of tenacity to be able to pass.

What are the activities organised by the university like?

Every faculty is independent in creating its own activities, but you are always going to find academic and debating activities, as well as recreational activities such as, for example, dance festivals.

Additionally, there are always concerts in the stadium, and inter-faculty dance competitions. It's all an experience. If you like folk dancing, you can apply to represent your faculty and compete. There are also competitions and bars.

When there is a faculty anniversary, generally there are also sporting competitions between different bases (by bases, we refer to the year that each student started). In my case, for example, I am the 2005 base as I enrolled in 2005.

Do you think there is a high quality of teaching?

It really depends on the professor, and on yourself and if you want to learn. I also suggest you do what I did during my university time at San Marcos: studying and working at the same time. Fortunately, there are slots for the same course in the morning, afternoon or evening, so you can organise your timetable and look for some work experience to start your "initiations" into the world of work. This is going to help you to understand the subject more, and make you more competitive.

Where can you go to enjoy yourself?

The university is very close to what we know as the "huecos" (places to socialise etc); they are along Venezuela Avenue, and there you can go to dance with the people from you class after trying your courses, or when it is somebody's birthday.

There are also bars where you can go to just sit down and drink a beer, because drinking alcoholic drinks in the university is forbidden.

If you come from abroad, you are going to like Lima; it is an immensely big city, very different to Europe in its architecture. I say that because I am studying a Masters degree in Italy and I really miss my Peruvian culture, but here I am also learning many new things and a different way of teaching.

Where can you go to live?

If you live in the university city, I suggest you live on Venezuela Avenue or near to Gate Three, where you can then walk to the university, but if you want to live in an area where this is more entertainment and commercial life, you can choose to live in the district of San Miguel or Pueblo Libre, that are very close to the university. There are people that rent rooms to students, so, no matter what, you will find something. Another option is to move to the touristic area of Miraflores, but this will mean spending approximately an hour on the bus to get to the university. So, really think about it.

Would you recommend the University of San Marcos?

Yes, I would recommend it, because I think that, despite some of the flaws that it has, you can gain enriching experiences that will help you in your professional future. The university is a national university, and you don't pay monthly. The only thing you pay for is your university card and medical insurance. After that, everything is free.

To conclude, I enclose some photos of my experience in San Marcos, in a cooking class, in a wine-tasting class, in a house in San Marcos with Gaston Acurio and in the Arts Woods.

What is the city of Lima like? Would you recommend it?

I am from Lima, and I have grown up here. I think that is it a city with much to offer, and places to visit. As well as being the capital of Peru, almost everything modern in Peru is here. Lima has many faces, and is currently a city with more than nine million inhabitants (it's true! ). I am not going to say that Lima is the most secure place in the world. There are some places where you have to be careful when moving about. However, despite this, I would indeed recommend living for some time in Lima, so that you can see a reality that is completely different to Europe, for example: my city is a hub for gastronomy, and I am sure that you are going to have a very good time, be it in San Marcos or in whatever other university that you decide to study at in Lima! Go for it!