About Swiss Finance Institute

Having come into the program with MBA experience, how did you benefit from the Swiss Finance Institute curriculum?

Upon graduation from college, I began working as a marketing manager. This entailed handling advertising budgets, analyzing research studies to create effective advertising campaigns and then analyzing the effectiveness of the advertising campaigns. After a while, I realized how much I enjoyed the financial and analytical aspects of my work; I decided that a career in finance would be both more fitting and more challenging for me. I felt that an MBA was imperative for me, so I began attending classes while simultaneously working to support myself. I chose to attend SFA because of the practical, hands-on exposure that its finance and business curriculum provides. I wanted to supplement my theoretical MBA education with a program that would put my knowledge to practical use. In my mind, this is essential for someone in the midst of a career change. Given my specific interest in investment banking, SFA provided the perfect platform from which to make the transition. Based on my personal experience, I can tell anyone else who might be in a similar situation that SFA offers exactly what you need to enhance your skills, and will also provide you with invaluable knowledge that cannot be learned solely from spending time in a classroom.

I graduated from the Zicklin School of Business with an MBA in December 2006, with specializations in finance and international business. Shortly thereafter, I received an offer from Deloitte’s downtown Manhattan office. I was given an associate-level position in the firm’s Valuation Services department, where I will be doing third party review.

I have to say that, during my job search process, every time I mentioned SFA in an interview or every time someone saw SFA on my resume, they all wanted to hear more about it. As I said before, I really felt that my MBA would be essential in making the transition from marketing to the financial world, but I do feel that SFA certainly gave me a competitive nudge in the right direction!

What was the best part of your SFA experience?

Curriculum aside, the best part of the program, for me, was the opportunity to meet many great people and to enjoy the beautiful setting and scenery. The four weeks that I spent in Switzerland were absolutely fantastic. It was hard work, yet we all found time for fun, whether hiking, BBQing or enjoying weekend trips to surrounding countries. The SFA faculty and staff members really do their best to ensure that you get as much as possible out of the experience and have the opportunity to take advantage of all the things that the host country has to offer – the closing dinner of traditional Swiss raclette was a favorite for me! One thing is for sure: the time that I spent at SFA went by entirely too fast.

- Cherie Kora, Deloitte