In an effort to keep everyone updated on the Vanderbilt University MSF program, I wanted to include a few Day in the Life posts. These are always great to read as they give you an idea of how students spend their time and areas where you should consider focusing on when you join the program.
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Discover a day in the life of Aakarsh Goyal, a student in the Vanderbilt Master of Science in Finance program
“On Mondays and Wednesdays I have Strategy and Operations Consulting, which I’m taking in addition to my Master of Science in Finance classes,” Goyal said. “It’s an MBA class, so it’s focused more towards a career in consulting. At Owen, you have the option to take classes outside of your program that best fits your path.”
Goyal takes full advantage of the interdisciplinary opportunities at Owen by diversifying his curriculum to fit his niche in business.
“The best part of my day is attending the variety of classes I like where I learn something I didn’t know before,” Goyal said. “I’m in the Strategy and Operations Consulting class, along with Financial Accounting, Business Machine Learning, and Entrepreneurial Finance class, so I’m learning something new every day. For example, in Business Machine Learning, we look at how to use A.I. in business applications and financial technology development in firms. It’s a pretty cool class.”
Goyal takes other classes where the main focus is simply absorbing valuable insights without the pressure of academic performance.
“On Thursdays, I have an MBA class called Healthcare Strategy and Leadership,” Goyal said. “I’m auditing this class, which means I don’t really have to do any of the assignments. I just go and sit, listen, participate and learn, which is nice because I don’t have to worry about keeping up with assignments alongside my busy schedule.”
- I think it is awesome that you can audit classes to help expand your knowledge in an area without the added pressure of a grade. The flexibility of this program is amazing as well. Allows you to tailor the material to your career goals.
Discover a day in the life of Robert Bray Vanderbilt MS Finance
“On Mondays, I have a free block of three or four hours. In addition to homework, I’ll use some of the time for networking and job search prep—sending emails to potential employers, researching companies, keeping appointments to talk with them by phone (if they’re in Nashville, I meet with them in person).”
“On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I spend several hours in the middle of the day at a yearlong internship I arranged with a local company, so I bring my lunch there.”
- Networking and job searching. Essential things to focus on for anyone considering this degree. I would make sure you prioritize this and understand how to approach it. Also, the fact that this student got an internship is very impressive. This helps bolster your resume and provides real world experience that employers are looking for.
Discover a day in the life of Sarah Davis Vanderbilt MS Finance
“Classes are done for the day. For lunch, I’ll grab food from a nearby restaurant and bring it back to Owen. I like to use this downtime to schedule networking calls, look through job postings and hang out with friends.”
“During recruiting season, I’ll head back to campus after dinner to attend information sessions with companies that recruit on campus. On Tuesday nights, I play in the MSF co-ed intramural flag football team. We get to compete with other teams across campus (even the MBAs). We usually lose, but it’s a great way to relax and unwind with my classmates.”
“I’ll head home for the night and follow up on any assignments I need to complete. Recruiting season is hectic, so I’ll try to use the next hour or so to practice technical interview questions.”
“On Thursday nights, I’ll meet my fellow classmates at Closing Bell, a weekly gathering and celebration time for the entire Owen community. Then we’ll get some food at Tavern before exploring all the cool spots in Midtown.”
After graduation, Sarah went to work as a Global Investment Research Analyst with Goldman Sachs
- Networking and searching for jobs. This is a recurring theme and one that I stress to anyone considering this degree. Networking and interview prep are two of the biggest value add’s you can have if you take the time to go back to graduate school. Also, this program isn’t all work. Nashville and Vanderbilt are incredibly fun and the city is lively. I have spent a lot of time there and have always enjoyed it.
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You can stay up to date with all the news on this program and others by checking out the Vanderbilt News webpage. Will post again very soon.
Here is a link to the Vanderbilt University MSF Program
