On Friday, November 18th, 30 students gathered in Olin for the pre-departure class of the MBA Offshore Chilean elective, "Opportunity Assessment in Latin America", that will run from January 8th-22nd of 2006. The course is led by Walter Esquivel, Executive Director of the Institute for Latin American Business at Babson and by faculty at the partner school, Universidad del Desarollo. This elective was first run last year with such positive results that Babson and Universidad del Desarrollo decided to offer it again to their MBA students.

During the pre-departure, the students learned about the logistics of the trip and what they could expect from the course experience. The curriculum explores the business, economic, political and social environment in Latin America, and takes a close look at industries such as mining, salmon, wine, and services. The trip includes sessions at the partner school, company visits, and a weekend excursion to Vina del Mar. The course wraps up with an assessment of business opportunities in Latin America based on what the students learned and experienced throughout the program.

At the end of the evening students had the chance to enjoy Chilean wine and empanadas, as a taste of the culture they will soon experience first-hand in Chile.