Nicholas Orange

 What I liked and am probably going to miss the most about BIC is how close you actually got to know each other. I would give anything to go back to those late nights in the collaboration room grinding out our work for the companies. Not only did we create a wonderful working environment, we also created an environment where it was okay to be yourself no matter the background, and someone was always willing to listen.

Sometimes we would start our presentations late. This is not always a bad thing because at times, those were our best presentations. 

  You learn how businesses work. Not only that, but you also learn about the time value of money and the smart ways to make your money, make money. BIC also creates a chill, fun learning environment for all no matter the major.  Yes, it is very true that BIC enhances your engagement in other classes.

Being able to decipher financial statements and learning about WHY the numbers are the way they are. You must always find out why something happens, if you can do that, you are able to make smarter, wiser decisions. BIC also enhances your presentation/project skills.

Going through the process now. Companies like how I am able to tell you why something isn’t working the way it should.

Have it everyday!

During my time in BIC, there were multiple things I've liked. The part I liked most was our "best       recruitment tool." My favorite part was the people, and the relationships I was able to develop with people. I found the topics interesting, and the presentations were fun, but the thing that kept me working, and kept me coming to class was enjoying the people I was with. Another thing that I feel is  worth mentioning, is that meeting in person greatly helped to support my last point. I would say that if we hadn't met in person, I would have struggled to maintain my participation in BIC. 

The thing I liked least about BIC is not even something I would consider a dislike so much as a concern. The concern is that Sather Financial interns get put into a position where they seem obligated to pick up the slack on their team. I feel like this does help with presentation quality, but also takes away from some of the personal development of the team (e.g., the rest of the team not learning about what companies to present and just doing companies that the SF intern is suggesting from SF decisions). While I think this approach is helpful in learning about companies and investing, there is potential for diminishing returns, if a team decides to not think and just blindly follow whatever an SF intern says. The best possible solution I can think of would be to include a captain/co-captain leadership model, with specific responsibilities assigned to each position, so there is more discussion on decisions being made.

 Current students should participate in BIC because it is a great opportunity to learn valuable       information with motivated, and disciplined peers. This will inevitably help any current student become better people overall.

BIC has helped to prepare me for the real world by helping me to learn that disciplined investing, whether       in stocks or anything else, is much more beneficial than spending  resources on things that only offer instant gratification. This could be investing effort into people, rather than video games, investing money       into stocks instead of buying a GTO, or even investing time into trying  to learn how to be somewhat financially literate, instead of into drinking beer on Friday afternoons.

I think BIC will help me to play as part of a team. While this is a skill that I had already developed prior to my time in BIC, like any skill, it must be practiced in order to be maintained. BIC helped me to knock some of the rust off, and keep this skill honed throughout the virtual hellscape that I consider online learning to be.

The thing I would change about BIC is a more developed criteria for winning presentations. There were       times when it felt like the best company won, despite not being the best presented. There were also times when it felt like the best presented company won, despite not seeming as strong as the other company. Whether an explicit criterion exists, I think developing one and communicating it would benefit the students in BIC greatly. I think even having something like two parts to winning a presentation would be beneficial, if one part was based on the company alone, and the second part was based on the quality of the presentation. This could take shape as two separate competitions, or perhaps a weighted score (e.g., 25% presentation quality and 75% company choice, etc.). I would also include a rubric to help explain the       decision about the winning team. It could be a fluid rubric, and change depending on circumstance, but I think developing one would also improve the learning aspect of the presentations. 

 It is honestly hard to say what I liked most about BIC. What I think I would say to that is how it changed me as an individual. I took the three semesters I was in BIC and really tried to learn as much as possible       because I recognized how unique of an opportunity it was. I think while I learned a lot about investing and analyzing financial statements, I also learned a lot about how to learn which is a skill I believe will benefit anyone for a lifetime no matter where they end up going.  

The part I liked least about BIC was that I was only in for 3 semesters, and I didn't find out about it sooner. That last semester I selfishly wanted to find a reason to stay an extra semester, but ultimately made the decision to graduate on track with my degree plan and not extend my consumption of student loans. 

Current students should participate in BIC because it truly is a rare and unique  opportunity. Where else are you going to be able to learn from successful money managers who give you valuable mentorship and participate in an internship where you make real decisions regarding investments as an undergraduate? Especially if you are not a Finance major. And it is a great opportunity to build up your circle of peers that will make you better. Plus, you pick up so many skills and learn so much more than investing in the program, the value is incredibly deep. I think more often than not, students in college, especially underclassmen (myself at the time included) do not recognize fully why you are at college and what it can do for you as an individual. You are literally given the  opportunity, for 4 years of your adult life (or more), to make it your chief objective to soak up information, skills, and talents, so why not make the most of it?

I think all the students that come out of BIC having participated for more than 2 semesters can all attest to having learned skills and picked up tid-bits of useful things applicable to the real world. I will raddle off SOME of these things. The presentations give you repetitions for public speaking. Professional judges give you real-time feedback on how to  improve your speaking and body language, and your PowerPoint       presentations. The constant group work teaches you how to work intensely  with a wide variety of personalities and work ethics that simulate real-life instances. If you work hard enough and assume a leadership role amongst peers in the program, you pick up leadership skills and learn just how hard it can be to lead others to a given objective. You also       learn how to improve and be productive (Presentations cannot get done and       win the competition if you are lazy). There is a strong sense of competition that makes everyone better and teaches you how to approach       that competition with humility and a mindset to get better. You get proficient at Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, which are all used extensively in professional knowledge work areas. You learn about the value of money,  how to invest smart, how to protect your money and build wealth. I could  go on and on about the benefits and applications of things we learned in BIC that will help us in the real world. A lot of which I would not have gained if I just attended regular classes and didn't apply myself to a higher aim. 

It has become a huge resume builder. Plus, I know my network has grown incredibly stronger having been a part of the program. 

I  would clone Dave. Just kidding. I only say that because I know how  impactful your one-on-one mentorship can be on me and other members of the program. Other than that I think I would make earnings presentations  more structured because I think those provide a less-intensive way to get  junior analysts on board with how presentations should be conducted as well as research. 

 What I like the best from BIC is the level at which everyone works. I did not believe I could be doing so much work with school and part time job. But BIC helped me see that if you put the effort you can achieve more than what you expect.

 What I did not like about BIC was the learning curve. For the longest time I felt stupid because I thought I was not learning anything. The good thing is that we are getting better in helping new students feel like they are actually learning.

 BIC is a great opportunity to learn how to be financially literate. But not only that, it will help you make great relationships, improve your presentations and public speeches, and will force you to push yourself to your limits.

I know how to understand financial statements, I feel super confident if I ever have to do a presentation in front of a board group. And it also helped me see that I am capable to push myself farther that what I thought.

I’m still not looking for a job😂 I’m planing to do so after the holidays. My whole family came from Mexico so I’ve just been enjoying their presence for now. But when I start looking for jobs I am certain that BIC will definitely make a difference. Without BIC I only have a bachelor’s. But with BIC I already have 2 years experience.