2019年4月1日
阿曼达·奥洛克著
阿什利·沃德，20岁 thought she wanted to major in business administration when she first enrolled at 浩博体育app, but her experience in Global Business Perspectives—a rite-of-passage course for first-year business students— ignited her love of finance.
“当我研究这家公司(我们正在研究)的时候，, I would also research who in the company created the information I needed for my project,沃德解释道. “I started to look into the role of the CFO, and I realized that I would like to become one.
“我是一个数字人,她接着说, “and enjoy plugging numbers into equations and formulas and seeing if I come up with the right number.”
病房, 来自蒂内克的大三学生, 新泽西, took the first step toward her future career aspirations when she became treasurer of the 学生 Government Association. She has attended Women’s Leadership Symposium events in New York City and Philadelphia and also became certified in using the Bloomberg Terminals in the Apfelbaum Hall trading room.
Beyond 病房’s affinity for numbers and critical thinking is a desire to use her academic gifts to help others. “我希望成为一名理财规划师，”她说. “Using my knowledge to help people who know little to nothing about their finances or how to plan for their future retirement would be rewarding.”
病房 is one of nearly 140 finance majors within a department that has seen remarkable growth over the past five years. The number of students majoring in finance has grown by 60 percent, 从2014-15学年的84人开始, 到今年的139.
CFA认证是黄金标准
对很多学生来说, the 西格蒙德·韦斯商学院’ accreditation by the prestigious 国际 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is what draws them to Susquehanna.
“我一直对投资很感兴趣，”senior说 泰砖他来自宾夕法尼亚州曼海姆. “但我来这里是为了获得AACSB的认证.” The accreditation is one of several affiliations that give finance majors a competitive edge upon their entry into the workforce.
布里克也是经济学专业的学生 马修Bershefsky, 斯克兰顿的, 宾西法尼亚, are also benefitting from Susquehanna’s two-year-old membership in the University Recognition Program of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute.
通过识别程序, the CFA Institute promotes ethics-based investment education in qualifying university degree programs aimed at developing serious investment professionals.
Bricker and Bershefsky were the first finance majors from Susquehanna to pass the CFA Level I exam while still students at Susquehanna. The Level I exam is the first step toward earning their CFA certification.
“If you want to work in finance, the CFA designation is a must,” Bricker says.
浩博体育app是仅有的四所私立学校之一, 全球范围内与CFA有关联的AACSB学校仅限本科.
彼得Dadalt, 金融学助理教授和CFA持证人, 将其描述为金融分析师的“黄金标准”.
“这是一份独立的证书. Anyone in investment management understands the distinction of passing the CFA exams,“Dadalt says. “The industry is littered with smart people who’ve failed the CFA exams.”
一级考试的费用可能超过1300美元. 因为Susquehanna是CFA项目的参与者, 学生参加考试的费用大大降低. Scholarship dollars are available to cover additional costs, such as books.
What doesn’t have a price tag are the hundreds of hours Bricker and Bershefsky spent preparing for the exam, which Dadalt quantified at about 16 pounds’ worth of textbook material.
Bricker estimated he and Bershefsky studied for approximately 300 hours between mid-May and the end of November, 当他们开始参加练习考试时.
“A lot of the classes we had in the business school exposed us to what was on the test,贝尔舍夫斯基说. 他们学到了他们不知道的东西, 在他们的“教练”的帮助下,“Dadalt, who made himself available to the students—whom he describes as “his kids”—whenever they needed him.
The CFA certification process involves three exams that must be taken sequentially. The Level I exam is an all-day affair involving two 3-hour exam sessions. Most test-takers tackle the exam only after several years of work experience.
“I felt like I was prepared, but after you take the exam you’re exhausted,” Bricker says. “我们等了8周才知道结果. The first week I was nervous because I didn’t want to come back to school and tell everyone I failed.”
他本不必担心. 他们都通过了，这使他们成为少数. 2018年12月考试的一级通过率只有45%.
“这真是一种解脱, knowing I wouldn’t have to do it again or at least have some time before I took the second level,贝尔舍夫斯基说.
Bricker chalked up their success to hard work and Dadalt’s coaching. “他为我们指明了道路. 如果我们有任何问题，我们知道我们可以联系他.达达尔几乎充满了自豪:“我为他们感到非常自豪。.”
Bricker and Bershefsky have now transitioned into the coach role, assisting five of their classmates who are studying to take the Level I exam in June.