How are career opportunities at Owen different from those at other schools?
From Sharran:
This is a tough question and I can only give my perspective... I am very fortunate. I believe that I got the "best" internship and the "best" full-time job for me. I would have probably gotten the same job if I had ended up at one of the Ivys. US News ranks it as one of the Top 3 most desirable companies to work as an MBA, so I am very grateful.
Now this is what I told her... In my experience, the students who I have seen who have been successful in their job search are the ones that have a story. A story that show where they are coming from, why they are here, and how all of it ties into where they want to go with their post-MBA lives. Recruiters have told me that it is challenging to tell one candidate apart from the other, and having a story that can uniquely identify you and show your fit with the company and the career path makes you a very attractive candidate.
For finance careers on Wall Street, it seems like schools that are away from the Street are at somewhat of a disadvantage. This goes for any school outside the NYC area. I have heard this from many interns this summer and I think we have a challenge just like other schools. But I feel like there are two things that set up apart:
1. Owen has an amazing finance faculty. We have experts in almost every branch of finance and I feel that is one of Owen's biggest Assets. Hans Stoll created the put-call parity. Bob Whaley wrote the textbook on Derivatives. Craig Lewis is a rockstar in valuations. Nick Bollen's research in Hedge Funds has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. Dewey Daane was a Fed Bank Chairman and the last appointment of JFK. Bill Henderson is an authority in taxation. Associate Dean Bill Christie's research changed the way trading happens today on the exchanges. We have new professors who have just joined us who I have yet to take a class with, but they were recruited specifically because of their research and teaching excellence. I recently took a law school class that has a direct impact on my finance learning and I am happy about the opportunity that I had to do that over at the Vandy Law School.
2. We bring NY to you. Rather we take you to New York during Wall Street week. Owen collaborates with its alumni and corporate contacts on Wall Street to setup an entire week for students to visit different companies in the financial world in New York. The Owen alumni around the world play an integral part in supporting the school and in the recruiting. I spoke with about 30 alums before I even had my first interview... and these people take time out of their days to support Owen students. Dean Jim Bradford and Peter Veruki (Director of Corporate Relations) are constantly developing our relationships with companies around the world, and I know this first hand as I serve as Owen's Corporate Ambassador.
Owen also has regular visits from experts who run seminars on valuation, financial modeling, etc. every semester which give students a chance to learn about how exactly things are done on the street and a way to build their skills before they actually get there. The Finance club does a whole program with sector leaders specializing in each of the different areas of finance. These sector leaders help with resume reviews, cover letters, mock interviews etc. The school really goes out of its way to give students career resources and tools. I appreciate that and definitely took advantage of it during my career exploration.
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