By: Elizabeth Sadler
I was bitten by the travel bug at a young age, and I was thrilled to learn that the Notre Dame MBA program offered a mod abroad as part of the curriculum. The mod abroad is a manifestation of the opportunities that small and agile MBA programs like Notre Dame afford its students.
To be honest, I didn’t do much research about Santiago, Chile, prior to arriving. Having Santiago has home base for two months was invaluable. The day after landing in-country, we were back at the airport on our first adventure to Argentina and Uruguay. During the course of the mod, we visited San Pedro de Atacama, Chile; Buenos Aires and Mendoza, Argentina; Machu Picchu, Peru; and Montevideo, Uruguay.
I learned a lot about myself along the way, including just how uncomfortable heights make me. This was 100 percent confirmed as we were trekking up the mountain behind Machu Picchu sans adequate safety precautions. It was reconfirmed the next day when we went ziplining, and our guide proclaimed that “this is the first time these new lines are being used!”
I had an opportunity to learn from some of the best professors I have had in graduate school and to foster friendships with people I wouldn’t have otherwise known so well. I was taught by a board member of the Chilean Central Bank, a man who started his own investment management firm, and a marketing guru who sits on various boards.
There’s something wonderful knowing that you are seeing and hearing things you will likely never again. We did a great job of owning a weekend/destination and taking point on the logistics. We are all back on campus, and when I see a classmate from the mod abroad, there’s a sense of familiarity that only those who live together in a foreign country can forge.
(Editor’s note: You can read another student’s perspective on the 2016 mod abroad in Chile here!)
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth lived in Palo Alto, California, prior to business school. She is concentrating in corporate finance and attended Colgate University for her undergraduate studies. Her favorite memory at Notre Dame is her first football tailgate and touchdown pushups.