Why would a non-Jewish Mexican guy who is interested in politics ever wanted to cross half the globe to get a master’s degree in Israel? Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a first-class world-renowned institution, that is a given. But still, for someone with my background, let alone my provenance, traditional wisdom would suggest going to The United States or Europe. What then led my way to Tel Aviv, and why is the program in Leadership, Communications and Elections a strong option for any international student who wants to be playing in the big leagues? In a few words: academic excellence, a practical approach on politics, and networking -not that having the Mediterranean beaches 15 minutes from campus and living in one of the hottest cities in the world is not important!

Perhaps my own experience in the program would help illustrate these points. Academically, I am an internationalist. Professionally, prior to come to Israel I spend three years in the staff of Carlos Salinas, former President of Mexico, dealing with matters of research, analysis and communication strategies. Given such previous experience and interests, the program at TAU immediately called my attention for its practical approach to political science. Indeed, at the classroom I been having the opportunity to share my own practical experiences on the field. Conversely, what I am learning is not only theoretically rigorous but also relevant in its real-world application. It is this mixture of scholarly quality and a practical drive that makes the program unique in shaping both, the theoretical and practical skills needed if one’s actions are going to have real impact, either making research or creating and implementing policy. An aspect of the program in which you can really taste its practical approach is the Ambassador’s Forum, a weekly meeting with diplomats from different countries and fields of activity at which we engage in discussions on both, the junctures of current events as well as the structural tendencies of world politics. Another attractive feature I found has to do with the multidisciplinary orientation. Along a core set of requirements as its cynosure, the program offers diverse elective courses in order to specialize according to personal career plans. Even more, we enjoy the possibility to take courses from other graduate programs, meaning that it is possible to strengthen and fine-tune particular areas of interest, from financial management at an MBA course, to a whole catalogue of classes at the environmental or conflict resolution programs, just to mention a couple of examples.

In cahoots with the practical and multidisciplinary approach goes the networking. Here I share three examples from my personal experience. First, thanks to the program I could apply for an internship position at a think thank based in Jerusalem which was looking ex professo for the quality in research and analysis that TAU students provide. This institution, among other things, develop policy papers on critical issues that land in the desk of key policy makers in the Knesset and in the executive branch. Second, during a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized as part of the program, I had the possibility to meet and get acquainted with some of the top experts responsible with designing and implementing the israeli strategies in communication and public diplomacy. Third, I also found that there is in Mexico, as in many other countries, an organized network of TAU alumni working in a wide range of fields of activity, in both the private and public sectors. Opportunities like these not only look good on the résumé, but are above all an invaluable way to enrich an already stimulating and sound academic experience.

Incidentally, I cannot emphasize enough how much living in israel has broaden my personal and cultural horizons. It is not only the zest of wakening up every morning in the magnificent and beautiful Mediterranean coast. I have had the opportunity to travel, making friends from the five continents, start learning Hebrew, enjoying an ample cultural offering, discovering new literature, going to the Israeli Opera one day, to the new hot-spot in town the other, or simply take the fields of the White City. In Tel Aviv one can always avoid perfunctory routines, even in a demanding graduate program, almost in a nonchalant fashion: when I have had enough of studying at the library, I just grab my bike and go do my readings at HaYarkon Park, next to the river; sometimes I even have leeway to drive to Rothschild Boulevard where I can read for my next class and have a coffee while enjoying the bonny atmosphere of the surrounding Bauhaus architecture.

Finally, I also was lucky enough to receive the generous support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel which granted me a scholarship. You should visit the Embassy of Israel in your own country asking for information, since there are many opportunities of this kind sponsored by the Government and other agencies. Last, but not least, you can always visit the program’s website, and above all, get in contact with Lilach Akerman, our program’s administrator who, I can tell by personal experience, will make your live much easier, answering all your questions and pointing you in the right direction with patient and kindness.

Whether I decide to continue an academic journey in any other top institution in the world, or going back to my country and get involved in politics and public service (or even if I change my plans and make a démarche towards private practice) the theoretical framework, practical skills and networking I have been acquiring at TAU, and in particular in the Leadership, Communications and Elections program, constitute an invaluable set of critical abilities to tackle the analytical as well as operative challenges found in the very competitive academic and professional environments to which, I am sure, you as well as me want to be part of.