“The caliber of the speakers was outstanding, during company visits we interacted with senior executives and there was a great balance between real world examples and theory” says Paula. She was one of 22 Babson MBA students to participate in this year’s offshore elective in Chile. The two week course was jointly organized by the Institute of Latin American Business and Universidad del Desarollo in Santiago.

Starting on January 10 the students were introduced to the social, economic and political environment of Latin America in general and Chile specifically. Mostly in classroom discussions they explored the regional issues such as deregulation, privatization, poverty and trade reforms. The schedule also allowed students to analyze the effects of globalization on the region.

Towards the end of the first week the group relocated to one of Chile’s major ports and one of its most picturesque cities: Valparaiso. The second week of the course focused more on local industries, such as fishing and winery and transportation and the Chilean pension system. Harbor tours, company visits and a wine tasting added real world experience to the classroom program. Would you go back to Chile? Paula nods with a smile “Definitely”.