I personally never thought I would go on a study abroad trip. So much planning, I thought. Money, time, and uncertainties all made a study abroad experience seem infeasible. Would I get the credits I need to graduate? Would I lose an entire Summer that I could be taking other classes or interning instead?

Fear not, the MPA Study Abroad Program (SAP) got you covered. The five-week SAP is a well thought out program to suit those needs specific to an MPA student.

MPA students who want to take part simply need to fill out a short form to be entered into a raffle for the program (with different country/city as home base). This year the options were Prague, Paris, and Buenos Aires. Each participant had their own reasons of choosing the location, but I chose Buenos Aires, Argentina, to become a better Spanish speaker and learn Latin American culture in person. Once you’re selected into a program, the program coordinator and your program liaison will contact you with further directions specific to the location.

The SAP experience takes into account that the MPA program has a stringent course requirements, so the classes abroad consist of two graduate level courses that every MPA needs to take. It only takes up the first half of Summer so those who plan on taking Summer session 2 will not have a problem. This year in Buenos Aires there was an internship position starting a week after the last SAP class.

And to top it all, it was the best experience imaginable.

I loved the experience more than I thought I ever could. Each weekend our SAP crew planned personal excursions (on top of paid-for-excursions planned by your liaison) to visit all around the country. From Buenos Aires, our crew visited (among others): Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Salta (salt flats), Iguazu Falls (7 natural wonders), Perito Moreno (one of the few growing glaciers), Mendoza (the wine-capital of the world), and Ushuaia (southernmost city of the world).

I recommend future students plan to study abroad trip with the MPA program. Te prometo que jamás te vas a arrepentir.