Finance event offers workshop for prospective students

Prospective MBA students interested in finance careers are invited to a special MIT Sloan Focus on Finance Symposium on campus Saturday, May 9.

The MIT Sloan Admissions Office, the MBA and Master of Science in Management Studies program office, and the MIT Sloan Finance Group are hosting the day-long workshop which will feature two sessions taught by finance professors Nittai Bergman and Rajkamal Iyer, a roundtable discussion lunch with current MBA students, and an inside look into the admissions process and career opportunities after an MBA.

The classes will cover a case study and attendees will have the chance to work together to address questions of capital structure and financial distress. At the end of the day, attendees will network with MIT Sloan faculty and current students at a reception overlooking the Charles River.

Professor Antoinette Schoar said the event will highlight MIT Sloan’s strength in finance. “MIT Sloan students have an entrepreneurial spirit, a drive to think critically, and a passion for improving the world around them. In finance today, these characteristics are especially important,” said Schoar, who heads the finance group at MIT Sloan.

“At the Focus on Finance Symposium, participants will engage with faculty and peers in examining financial strategies for firms and corporations. We are excited to welcome prospective students to campus for a firsthand experience of what sets apart our community and curriculum,” she added.

Maura Herson, director of the MBA and Master of Science in Management Studies program office, said the Focus on Finance event was created to help young professionals imagine a potential future career in finance through interacting with faculty members, current students, and MBA admissions and career staff.

“Our goal is to give early-career finance professionals an opportunity to consider how an MBA, and in particular an MBA from MIT Sloan, could help them to accelerate their trajectory in the industry or to transfer their skills into a related field,” Herson said.

In addition to enrolling in the school’s MBA finance track, all MBA students have the opportunity to participate in finance-focused student clubs and conferences and have access to a wide variety of elective courses in areas such as alternative investments, behavioral finance, and mergers and acquisitions.

Sue Kline, co-senior director at the MIT Sloan Career Development Office, said alumni who enter the finance industry often discuss how an MIT Sloan education has been an asset. “[MIT Sloan] has prepared them both to solve difficult financial challenges and to work collaboratively with colleagues and clients,” she said.