I was especially attracted by the curriculum of the program, which would improve my understanding of both the hedge fund and corporate finance sectors, therefore offering me a greater perspective on capital markets and business strategy. Additionally, I knew that Swiss Finance would offer me knowledge about all the aspects of banking and therefore, it would help me in my career choice. 
I had not heard of any others with the same reputation. I was interested in applying to the program so I would be best prepared for future internships and job trainings, both of which are competitive to secure in New York. I am an extremely hard working, dedicated, and goal oriented person, and I was raised to value education. Throughout my high school and college careers I consistently challenged myself with the most difficult classes available, as I enjoy being in an academically rigorous environment. I chose to attend the Stern School of business at NYU because we live in a global business world and New York is one of the greatest financial centers; the opportunities and exposure that my undergraduate experience at Stern provided were outstanding. Business has always intrigued me, and while I knew that I was benefiting from a rigorous business program, I knew that I had so much more to learn regarding career options. My interest in the Swiss Finance program was to gain an education in finance that would make me a desirable commodity in the job market by preparing me with practical skills and banking knowledge that I had not encountered in my classes. Analyzing case studies, building models, and simulating financial situations helped me understand day to day financial operations, career opportunities, and provided a solid understanding of the specific jobs I will be interviewing for in the future. I love mathematics and finance, while I also enjoy research and analysis. I like to think through situations and consider outcomes thoroughly. I therefore see myself in the fields of private equity, an M&A division of a firm, or as an analyst. My strong interest in the curriculum and opportunities at Swiss Finance helped me to apply my knowledge in finance and accounting to such jobs and to be able to answer any question an interviewer asks me however technical it may be. 
Above all else, my academic ambition has been to apply my knowledge of economics to the corporate world. Though it is always challenging to connect theory with real-life situations, I was intrigued by the challenge to try. Swiss Finance brought me so much closer to mastering this challenge. It takes a lot of courage to face a big change, like attending school in a foreign country, but the amount of knowledge you gain by going through it, pays off. This principle applies to the way in which I chose my economics major at Penn State, and my decision to attend the Swiss Finance program. My economics major has allowed me to structure my logical processes and critical thinking which are essential qualities in today’s business world. Attending Swiss Finance was again a big change, but the amount I learned was the best reward. Being associated with the Swiss Finance reputation is a good thing. It shows my commitment to being as educated as possible in the field of my interest. An additional motivation for me to attend is my future plans. In a few years I would like to have my own mutual fund, focused on trading primarily international securities. Because Swiss Finance has a very international outlook, it seemed like good preparation for my future. 
Having entered university at the tender age of sixteen, it was very difficult to grasp the gravity of the situation. It was difficult to realize that university was the last stepping stone to entering the real world. As I transitioned from one level to the other, it was then that I realized I had to make the best of my four years at university. Having never had an actual job, it is difficult to say what position I want to occupy. Yet, I knew where I wanted to start; by joining the Tomorrows Regulatory Leaders program. The Swiss Finance became my next step, the step that held a light up so I could better see all the future steps. My experiences here brought the details of a career in finance into focus. It is going to be a long walk to success; but I believe I can make it. 
Though the Bachelor of Commerce program at McGill has exposed me to many aspects of the business world such as marketing, accounting, and economics, investment banking has always interested me the most. I enjoy working with large accounts, and learning about large funds, corporations, as well as the banking system and financial institutions. I believed that the Swiss Finance Academy would help me to gain experience, meet some new people, gain some connections in the finance industry, as well as expose me to a part of the world that I had never seen before. All this, in turn would help me strive towards my career aspirations and goals. 
I assessed that the opportunity would certainly broaden my horizons and mark an important chapter in this significant phase of my life. 
I knew early on that I wanted to pursue a career in finance. Specifically, I have wanted to work with the capital markets. I have found that I am good with the quantitative side of financial analysis. I also find the capital markets extremely interesting. Analogous to the inner workings of a clock, the financial markets are dependent on so many individual components. For my career aspirations, I had hoped to play a role that would shape and change the markets.
The program’s intensity is what appealed to me. In college, I majored in Economics and Chinese, but lacked specific finance training. After securing an internship with ICBC Credit Suisse in Beijing for the summer, I began to look for a program that would give me an adequate, challenging introduction to Investment Banking: thus, I discovered the Swiss Finance Academy. The program’s broad curriculum was covered because of the rapid pace at which we moved through modules. I believe that the Swiss Finance program is good for people who want to get a block of information in one, condensed period. It provided at steady foundation for me to continue building upon with work and study. 
Swiss Finance was recommended to me by an economics professor. Throughout college I had a strong interest in entrepreneurship and became actively involvement in entrepreneurship and consulting groups. The program looked interesting because it combined strong training in investment banking and trading with entrepreneurship. I had not seen another program which covered such range of topics, and I viewed it as a good opportunity to get very practical career preparation after undergraduate study. 
The classes that I took at Swiss Finance Academy were totally different from anything that I experienced at university, even though I had taken courses in finance, business, economics and accounting. Unlike my classroom experience at university, the SFA experience was really lifelike; that is, rather than feeling like I was learning abstract, theoretical concepts, I really felt like I was both learning and practicing concepts that would actually be useful on the job. Much of our learning at SFA was done through real, ongoing debates with industry professionals. These executives provided us with high quality information and I was able to learn a lot from their experiences. I don't think that I would have gained such in-depth insights into the industry had it not been for the extensive experience that the SFA faculty brought to the table. 
At the beginning of the program I did not know much about finance but now I feel as though I can have an intelligent conversation on certain topics within the field. I am also now a little media savvy. Every morning I commute forty minutes to work and instead of sleeping (which I did pre-Swiss Finance program), I am connected to finance media from my phone. Also, throughout the day I log on to the site to monitor the Dow as it goes up and down according to news releases. 
there were several factors which ultimately influenced my decision to attend. The first factor was that I wanted a rigorous study abroad program. In addition to experiencing the culture of a foreign country, I wanted to material that I couldn’t get at home. Swiss Finance definitely met these expectations. Being mentored by executives in the field I am interested in was the chance of a lifetime. Additionally, at the time I was making my decision to attend, I had interest in a career in investment banking broadly. I felt particular interest in investments and the compilation of effective portfolios. The program’s inclusion of curriculum pertaining to wealth management, investment banking, and investing and trading was an excellent combination. By the end of the program, I had a substantially more clear idea of where in the financial services world I saw myself working and enjoying. 
Having lived and experienced business culture in multiple countries, I appreciated the diverse study body as well as the instructors’ international business experience. Prior to attending Swiss Finance, I was well-aware of the importance of understanding local culture and traditions in order to facilitate deals. At Swiss Finance I added an understanding of investment banking culture. As I learned, banking culture is an entity unto itself and the values and skills one needs to flourish in this environment are rather specific. Had I not been taught this during the program, it would have taken a long time to develop the cultural acumen. Achieving success in the world of international finance does not just require book-smarts; it is crucial to grasp the practical aspects of society. As one of my long-term commitments, I have been continually visiting disadvantaged Chinese villages, to see for myself the extent of poverty and extreme hardship. I empathized with the underprivileged students and their living conditions, and thus raised $2000 from relatives and friends to establish several scholarships in a hillside school. I liked how the curriculum valued on-the-ground travel, like my experiences, as instructive for being a successful investor. 
Through the course of my MBA studies, I was exposed to many aspects of business and management. What strongly appealed with me however, were classes such as Equity and Capital Markets, Portfolio Management, and Financial Planning and Analysis. This knowledge led me to the decision to pursue a career in investment banking. The Swiss Finance curriculum was closely aligned with everything I was eager to learn more about. 
Memorable! I made friends with so many fascinating people here. I have a very international background, so I loved meeting people from all over the world who have an interest in the same thing. Even though we all had different levels of experience with finance, and very different backgrounds, we all came together on the topic at hand: learning how to be great investment bankers. I am passionate about projects that promote global solidarity and goodwill. I think that programs like this which bring people together around a common interest can contribute to these goals. The experience itself was intense but worthwhile! You can not imagine how much you learn until you experience it and then look back! How has Swiss Finance equipped you with the skills to find a job in the industry of your choice? Tremendously! My biggest passion in finance lies in the mortgage industry, my experience at Swiss Finance has helped me land a job with Fannie Mae,the largest mortgage lender in the US. 
As a Mathematical Sciences major, I developed skills which would allow me to pursue a variety of careers. Yet, while my skills were widely applicable, I lacked industry-specific knowledge of how they would be applied. Swiss Finance both gave me skills and training for a specific sector, and helped me assess if this was the career path I wanted to pursue. I also feel that learning how to think about global markets and finance are skill sets that are an asset for almost any industry. The program was very intensive, we had long hours of classes and assignments. However, the atmosphere was one of excitement and learning, and looking back I could see that I would never have learned as much as I did if not for the schedule. The schedule was also a good test to see how we fared in such an environment, which had similar hours to investment banks. In addition, the coursework was balanced by the amazing scenery surrounding us and the weekend trips, which were a great way to take a break and enjoy Europe. 
that is one way the program helped me, it made it clear to me that I did indeed want to pursue a career in finance. Finance seems to be such a glamorous career from the outside and although it can be fun and it can be prestigious, it is certainly not all play, and it is difficult to imagine that unless you are in the midst of it. If you can survive the course at Swiss Finance then not only can you survive a career in the finance industry, but you will know exactly what you are getting yourself into. The experience you gain at Swiss Finance can help you make an informed decision about a career in investment banking. Nothing can provide more confidence than knowing you are prepared, and this program gives you that. Notes from the participant's academic and career journal at Swiss Finance: Everyone here is absolutely brilliant. I learned so much here on my first day that I was absolutely blown away. First, the lessons themselves are so in depth and based on the realities of the financial industry that I can’t think of any other class that could teach me so much. But then we take those lessons and discuss them outside of class, going over and analyzing every detail. The opportunity to be taught by the professions who are at the top of their game and then discuss those lessons with super bright people is the best of both worlds and I just feel like this was the best decision I could have made to study here. 
The people teaching were approachable and had come from interesting backgrounds. The mix of culture in the class was great. I liked how classes were at times more conversation and less theory oriented – I found it made it easier for me to learn. Our lessons in trading were not only theory, they were lessons in practice as well. I also like the fact that we are all together in one lecture hall. With all the questions, answers and side dicussions, I felt I got much more out of it than if we were all split up being lectured to. The curriculum was also very broad and it covered many aspects of investment banking. I think Swiss Finance has shown me parts of the finance world I would not have understood on my own. Also, I now know what I want from a career. 
