While most students flock home for the holidays over winter break, 33 Wharton MBA students chose a different locale - India
The group of students visited companies across the country as a part of a class trip, stopping at, among others, Cafe Coffee Day, India's ubiquitous coffee chain, and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
Trip participants also met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visited Mumbai Dabbawallas, a company that manufactures 200,000 lunch-boxes a day.
But for these Whartonites, the purpose of the third-annual trip was not strictly business - other destinations included the Taj Mahal and the city of Goa, where they went on a twilight cruise that featured live music.
"We . wanted people to enjoy the tourist-y part that India had to offer," second-year MBA student Mohit Mittal said.
And these visits weren't just for fun: Mittal and fellow second-year MBA student Mani Venkataraman - the trip's two student coordinators - were concerned about emphasizing India's many dimensions.
"You can't look at just the economic aspect and say you understand what India is about," Venkataraman said.
The cost of the trip was about $5,200 per person, and the price, Wharton officials say, was well worth paying.
"If they were to go off and do a two week group-tour experience . the price is very comparable," said Wharton MBA Program Associate Director Roxanne Rawson, who accompanied the students to India.
The high cost was also due to the trip's timing: Officials specifically wanted to schedule the trip over winter break in order to avoid the warm Indian summer, Snowe said.
But despite the cost, interest in the trip was high, featuring more students this year than last.
"Interest in India is very high right now in our school," Global Immersion Program Coordinator Parker Snowe said.
Student spots were filled on a first-come, first-serve basis, and financial aid was available to anyone who opted to use the trip for quarter-class credit.
The trip was a part of Wharton's Global Immersion Program, which provides MBA students with resources to study about business areas around the world and which offers trips to China, South America and other international destinations.
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