I hope you are doing great! After recovering from my cold, I had the opportunity to meet in person to one of the strongest candidates running for the Presidency of Mexico next year (Josefina Vásquez Mota), in a talk organized by one of my colleagues at the Chicago Harris School. This was an incredible experience to have, even if as an outsider I might lack of a strong or informed opinion about her. However, been able to compare the impressions of my Mexican colleagues was priceless, and God knows how we as Latinos enjoy talking about politics!
Also, this same week I had the opportunity to meet reputed academic Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Even though I might disagree with almost everything he said, I deeply believe in the courage of debating ideas in any context. This is so especially because in Venezuela, where I come from, the debate is an activity that has been widely forgotten in the political scene. And for this reason, I enjoyed very much Dr. Sachs´ presentation. Especially, I am truly thankful with the people that make this this happen at the University on a daily basis.
One of the most important things about studying abroad in a top university is the access you have to a huge net of figures, personalities and colleagues who are in fact related to business, politics and decision-making in the real world.
The real value of your experience abroad is not merely academic. In fact, the more valuable insights will be provided by your colleagues outside the classroom, in any extracurricular activities or even in the Pub! So don´t forget to work on your social relationships and in your professional networking, because that will define a lot more than you believe for your graduate experience.
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