Find a mentor. Stay informed about issues affecting business. Research companies where you hope to work. Gain real-world experience through internships.

These and other tips were some of the advice a group of UD business students received from University alumni during a December visit to three major investment firms in New York City.

The trip was organized by Joyce Henderson, assistant director of the University’s Bank of America Career Services Center, and Joyce Hart, coordinator of the Excel Program in the Lerner College of Business and Economics. In a single day of marathon-like activity, the group of about 40 students toured the financial-services firms JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs; met with panels of UD alumni at all three locations; and were able to hear firsthand about the companies’ recruitment processes for internships, summer jobs and entry-level career positions.

“At each of the firms, the students got a very complete overview of the operations and career opportunities, and they also were able to talk one-on-one with the UD alumni to ask their advice and to network,” Henderson says.

“The students had so much energy, in spite of the extremely long and busy day we put in, and they were all grateful for the opportunity to meet with the alums in their respective workplaces. Many of them told me they saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Scott Wycoff, instructor in business administration in the Lerner College, who also accompanied the group to New York, says he thought the students were inspired and motivated by what they observed.

“They saw a lot of very young and eager people working at these brokerages,” Wycoff says. “In addition to seeing the inner workings of the three companies, I think the most valuable experience was being able to talk directly with alumni about the paths their careers have taken.”

The students, who ranged from freshmen to seniors, agreed that getting a firsthand look at major investment firms along with personal meetings with employees there made the trip particularly worthwhile.

“I feel like I got a good insider view of the businesses,” Matt Geier, BE ’09, a finance major, says. “I was especially impressed with Goldman Sachs and how selective and top-notch they are. It gave me something to aspire to.”

Accounting major Kyle Byard, BE ’09, says he appreciated the opportunity to go onto the trading room floor at JPMorgan Chase, where he took note of the diversity among the traders and the intensity with which they worked. “I think I’d like the fast pace,” Byard says. “I could see myself [working] there.”

Dashlee Lecorps, BE ’09, who is majoring in marketing and management, says she learned the most from what the alumni working at the various firms had to say about their own experiences.

“I found it beneficial to learn what the panelists did to get to where they are,” Lecorps says. “They all told us that college gives you the basics you need, but you need real-world experience, too, and they talked about how networking is essential in obtaining an internship. After leaving JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, I was motivated to work hard to get where I want to be.”

Andrew Licata, BE ’10, agrees with Lecorps that the ability to meet personally with recruiters and employees at the firms was especially valuable. With three summers ahead of him before graduation, he says he paid attention to the importance that was placed on internships.

“Starting to make these connections early is definitely going to be a huge help to me personally,” Licata says. “We had a chance to meet with corporate representatives and ask them questions about interviewing and the recruiting process that would not be easily answered without going right to the source.

“I also feel that hearing from people who were once in our positions—and now have successful careers—gave us an idea of what it takes to make it in the corporate world.”
One of those alumni, Julia Baldt, BE ’04, began work after graduation as an analyst with Goldman Sachs, where she says she continues to gain experience and responsibility while being “constantly challenged to learn more about the financial markets and the investors who keep them alive.”

As part of the panel discussion with the visiting students, Baldt says she most wanted to convey the importance of both earning good grades and keeping informed about what is happening in the world. “If you read the paper every day and have an intelligent opinion about what’s going on, people will take you seriously and view you as a well-rounded person they would like to work with,” she told the students.