On Friday, Apr. 26, over 30 Hamilton students boarded a bus and left Kirner-Johnson Circle at 4:15 AM for a networking-based trip to New York City. The trip was organized by the Finance Club, and its main goal was to introduce interested students to various sectors of finance.
With the trip, the Finance Club also helped students jumpstart the long and tedious process of networking that is crucial to the finance sector. The group consisted of mostly first-years and sophomores, though one junior was present.
The first year of college may seem early to start meeting prospective employers, but the field of finance is extremely competitive. Getting an early start, or at least learning how to network, can give one an advantage over others.
The group met with various Hamilton alumni who work at Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, and Goldman Sachs throughout the day. They were also given an hour break to eat, continue networking, or just to explore the city.
Trip organizer Craig Engert ’21 said the meetings both educated the students on the different branches of various banks and provided key insights into the application and interview processes for the finance industry. Students met with alumni working in private wealth management, sales and trading, and investment banking.
First-year Liam Dorsey ’22 said he came back from New York with an abundance of new insight on both the finance world and on effective networking. Dorsey met with Tyler Bruneteau ’18, who currently works in private wealth management at Goldman Sachs.
Dorsey said Bruneteau explained the bank’s open framework and the few boundaries in communication between high level executives and low level analysts. Bruneteau also emphasized the fast-changing nature of the industry, encouraging each student to “monetize” their intellect.
Citigroup Managing Director Clayton Hale ’94 told students he focused on actually getting the job and suggested that students should utilize all the networks available to them, as well as to fill their time during the summer with important things they actually want to do — they should avoid just adding fillers to their applications. Hale also emphasized the importance of clear and effective writing in the finance field.
Though this is only the Finance Club’s fourth year offering its New York City trip, students who attend say it has already proven beneficial. According to Engert, many current students who went or have gone on the trip have already made initial contact with alumni in their field of interest. He emphasized that this initial contact will be instrumental in helping them obtain competitive finance internships later on.
Engert himself credits the trip for some of his networking success. He commented that he now has a mentor at Deutsche Bank who he met through his own Finance Club experience.
Attendance needed to be capped this year and the year prior due to the high volume of sign-ups; to members of the Finance Club, this is evidence of the applicability and value of the trip to students.
The Finance Club also says it plans to add an extra day to next year’s trip, in addition to adding JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley to the lineup.
Given the abundance of economics majors at Hamilton who are interested in entering the finance world, the New York City trip looks to remain a fixture in the future.
