“You’re doing...banking? Investment banking??” is a question I had fielded a countless number of times throughout the past three months. I wasn’t surprised; after all, I had come to Anderson with a background in entertainment and was initially recruiting for HR management. It seemed like (and let’s be honest, probably was) a complete 180 from what I had thought I wanted to do and what made sense for my background.
But the beauty of Anderson was that such a pivot was possible. I remember sitting in what was the sixth week of my accounting class, learning about operating and capital leases, and finding all of it incredibly fascinating. This realization prompted me to look into careers in finance, and after finally understanding what investment bankers actually do, I knew that this was the career path I wanted to pursue.
And though I joined the investment banking recruiting process mid-way through the fall quarter, I leveraged the resources and alumni network at Anderson (and gave up any semblance of a life) to secure a Summer Associate offer:
- 2nd-year ACT coaches were absolutely critical in helping me navigate all aspects of the recruiting process
- Advisors at Parker Career Management Center helped me finesse my story and provided incredible guidance on interviews, especially the behavioral component
- Anderson alumni in the industry took the time out of their busy workdays to meet with me for informationals
- Classmates followed my journey through the week of interviews and cheered me on, from first rounds to superdays to offers; they truly shared in my success and I am so grateful for their support and encouragement along the way
Now the burning question that everyone asks is, “What do you do with all your free time?” To be honest, I haven’t really had that much of it. Stress levels are definitely lower, but now my time is occupied by my classes and extracurricular commitments. People always say business school feels like you’re drinking from a fire hose, and it’s funny but it’s true. There is always something to do, and not enough time to do it. For the time being though, I am enjoying focusing on academics — my intermediate accounting class Corporate Financial Reporting with Professor Eric Sussman is amazing but also takes a lot of work! — and cheering on my classmates as they proceed through interviews and start to receive offers.
Recently, I've had the opportunity to meet some members of the Class of 2018 (if any of you new admits are reading this - CONGRATULATIONS!), and it's exciting to know that they will soon be going through a similar journey of discovering their passions, deciding to pursue them, and committing to every facet of the business school experience.
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| 2017 bankers thank our lovely Parker advisors Regina Regazzi and Britta Schort for all their hard work |
