Outbid

Wharton offers three "Global Immersion Programs", monthlong trips immediately following finals (leaving you just enough time to pack, and then upon your return immediately start your internship to get a full summer of work in), one to China, one to South America, and one to Southeast Asia. I've been determined to go to China since I got here. I went once as a child, so some of the cultural excursions would be redundant. But I thought the ability to go there with Wharton to meet with business and political leaders and really get a sense of what's going on would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Unfortunately, my classmates agreed. You bid for these programs, and I thought my bid of 3001 points would be enough to get the trip since it went for 2001 last year. However, it cleared for over 3200. As a backup, I bid for the other trip which was tugging at my heart-- South America. This trip will be going to Santiago, Buenos Aires, Rio, and Sao Paolo. My thought on this trip is (1) it would be incredible (b) as a marketer, the Latin American markets are important to understand and (iii) I've never been to South America. Also, a lot of my friends wanted to go on that trip. Well I won this one, so barring some unforeseen and unprecedented falling of the China price in later rounds, I'm headed down El Rio way come May.