MIT Sloan students speak: M.Fin. class of 2011

MFin Graduation Class of 2011

Convocation

Convocation Reception

Commencement

Commencement

Commencement

Commencement

 

 

MFin Convocation & MIT Commencement Photos

MFin convocation

Myers speech
graduation bear+name tag+MFin mug+MIT ring+coursepack

with Prof. Kogan and CDO advisor Glenn

with Prof. Wang and two other MFin students

@MFin reception
before MIT commencement


show our rings!

waiting

after the commencement

class of 2011!!

Last Day of Class

Hi All,

This afternoon, I will close out my education at MIT with a lecture by Prof. Stewart Myers. I'm very excited to jump into the next leg of my career but I will definitely miss the people that have helped to form my experience here. Of course, there are ways to keep in touch, for example I've signed up to be a Sloan 5 Officer for Toronto and I'm looking forward to running alumni events in the city.   

The week leading to the close of the academic year is an exciting one. Last night, Vinod Khosla, a prominent venture capitalist, gave the keynote address at the finale of the MIT $100K competition. Tonight, both the Sloan Follies, and the MFin awards ceremony will be held. Tomorrow will be the building dedication ceremony for E62 (http://mitsloan.mit.edu/buildingthefuture/e62-dedication-overview.php). 

To the class of 2012, I hope you are looking forward to what will be a life-changing year. Be excited, get involved, and make the most of your experience at MIT. Goodluck to all of you!

Cheers,

 

Karn

 

MFin photos

Aug. 2010, Sailing on Charles River last summer

Nov. 2010, Presentation at Proseminar of Financial Management

Feb, 2011, MFin Coffee Hours

Nov. 2010, MFin students with Prof. Kogan at Thanksgiving dinner

Nov. 2010, MFin students with Prof. Kogan at Thanksgiving dinner

Nov. 2010, MFin students with Prof. Wang at Thanksgiving dinner

Mar. 2011, Carribean Cruise during spring break

March, 2011, MIT Black & White Graduate Gala

June, 2010, MFin students at MIT Beijing Club reception

July, 12, 2010, First day of summer session

Jul. 2010, watching World Cup final @ Ashdown

Final Reflections

The finish line is in sight and I can almost smell the roses.  The last three weeks are upon us and I am already reminiscing about my time here in Boston.  I have truly enjoyed all of my experiences from case and homework group meetings to conferences and treks and even interviews.   Looking back, my advice to incoming students would be

• Come in with an open mind
• Network early with Professionals and other Sloan Students (MBA, Fellow, LGO, MSMS, SCM, Undergrads)
• Develop “Your Story”
• Start reading the Wall Street Journal everyday

And more importantly

• Have fun and enjoy your time at Sloan

Classes I recommend

• Advanced Corporate Finance taught by Professor Kevin Francis Rock
• Entrepreneurial Finance taught by Professor Antoinette Schoar
• Private Equity and Hedge Funds taught by Professor Phil Cooper

Overall, I am very excited to start my new adventure in New York this summer and I look forward to keeping in touch with all of my friends at Sloan. I welcome any incoming or prospective students to send me an email (Jamezcheung@gmail.com or jcheung@mit.edu) to personally ask me any questions.  Hey, I even might even blog about my experiences working full time!

 

Take care,

James

MFin Pictures

 
MFin Basketball

 

Patriots Game

Quincy Market after Summer Term

  
Poker Night

Summer

Freedom Trail

Red Sox vs Yankees

MFin Basketball

Commencement & The Class of 2012

Hi All,

The MFin program is heading into its homestretch just as the weather here in Cambridge is getting warmer. Commencement begins the morning of June 3rd - to give those of you in the class of 2012 some perspective take a look at: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2010/slideshow-commence. 

For the class of 2012, I've compiled a list of things to do, and things to be aware of for next year:

1) Get involved. Join the Senate, lead one of the finance organizations on campus, or start your own club. This is a great way to meet people outside of the finance group.

2) Use the flexibility of the program to broaden your learning. In addition to finance, I studied climate science, others studied neuroscience, computer science etc. Take a class or two at HBS, or HKS. I have heard a very good things about the restructuring class at HBS. 

3) For those of you planning on taking a CFA exam June of 2012 be aware that the exam falls the day after commencement. Great fun.

4) Stay fit. You will put a great deal of yourself into your work while at MIT. Don't forget to stay healthy. Join the GetFit program, try sailing, or join the MFin basketball team.

5) Use the IAP practicum to your advantage. It is an exceptional opportunity to showcase your skills to top-notch potential employers. 

As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact me at ksaroya@mit.edu. 

Cheers,

Karn

 

 

 

 

 

Social & Cultural Events

In late March, we had a SIP (Sloan Innovation Period) week and a spring-break week. SIP is an intense week with classes offering experiential lessons in leadership and exposing students to the groundbreaking faculty research. The seminars usually include practitioner panels and presentations, skill-building workshops, self-assessment, reflection activities and so on. During SIP, I took one course, Innovation Foundation, which is an action-packed workshop designed to help students assess our own problem solving styles and learn and practice some new decision-making frameworks.

Then during the one-week spring break, I went on a five-day Caribbean cruise with several other MFin students, which was an amazing and relaxing trip.

Back to the main topic, I list several social & cultural events both on-campus and off-campus as below:

1.C-function

On AdMIT day, some 2012 students joined us in Chinese C-Funtion. (see a video of China C-funtion on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h29V4Og3iQc). C-functions (short for Consumption Functions) are student-organized celebrations that are open to the entire graduate community. Sometimes C-Functions are designed to celebrate the food and music of a particular culture and feature organized entertainment; other times they are just informal opportunities to simply enjoy the company of fellow students.

2. M.Fin. Social

it is an informal gathering of M.Fin. students, finance faculty, and program staff, usually held in Faculty Club.

3. The Ivy Plus Society (TIPS) events

TIPS is an organization which delivers laughing-connecting-cocktailing fun to Ivy Plus alums in NYC, Boston and some other cities. For more information, please see www.ivyplussociety.org.

4. Others

MIT Activities Committee (http://web.mit.edu/mitac/index.html) provides discounted tickets to all kinds of events in Boston, from hayrides to sleigh rides, shopping sprees to ski getaways, white water rafting to whale watching, as well as various sporting events (Bruins, Red Sox, and Celtics games!, exhibitions (flower shows, RV camping shows, car shows, home shows, boat shows...) circuses, theater, music and so on.

Spring H2 Review

I can't believe it, but this will be my last 7 weeks here at MIT Sloan. I hate to say cliches, but time literally does fly by. It seems like yesterday that I just arrived for welcome week and had just started to build those lifelong friendships. Therefore, I really want to cherish my remaining time here and participate in as many Sloan functions including classes, social events, seminars, and conferences as possible. In this blog, I will mention a few that I am looking forward to.

1. Private Equity Symposium is tomorrow and I am very excited to attend and meet and learn from professionals in the PE industry. I have heard there are over 400 industry professionals and students who attend each year at the Charles Hotel in Boston. Previous year speakers include David Rubenstein (Carlyle), Ken Mehlman (KKR), Scott Schoen and Scott Sperling (Thomas H Lee), and James B. Lee, Jr. (JPMorgan Chase & Co.) Here are the following keynote speakers for tomorrow's conference.

- Dan D’Aniello, Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Carlyle Group

- Carl Ferenbach, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Berkshire Partners LLC

- Paul J. Salem, Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Providence Equity Partners. 

2. H2 Courses. So I have enrolled in two H2 courses Private Equity/Hedge Funds and Investment Management. The great thing about these courses is that they are only once a week for 3 hours. So far, both have been very enjoyable and I can't wait to get further into the material.

3. So in April, there will be a one day DodgeBall Tournament for the whole MIT community. After watching the movie, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, I am very excited to play with my fellow MFin students.

4. It is finally warming up and because the river is not frozen anymore, the MIT Sailing Pavilion will be opening again (Free for MIT Students).

Take care,

 

James

 

Financing the MFin

Hi All,

Congratulations to the 2012 MFin Admits! A couple of questions regarding financing options for the MFin program have been floated, so I will try and highlight potential sources of funding for prospective candidates here:

1) As an admit to the MIT MFin program you receive access to loans covering the entire amount of your tuition and living expenses as scheduled here: http://mitsloan.mit.edu/academic/mfin/tuition.php. To access these funds you do not require a cosigner. To the best of my knowledge, no other graduate finance program offers such a financing package. This package is particularly attractive if you are an international student without access to a US cosigner. 

2) The Legatum Fellowship is offered up as a potential source of funding on the MFin residency and tuition page mentioned above. Information on the fellowship can be found here: http://legatum.mit.edu/fellowship. Currently, the MFin program is without a Legatum Fellow - something that I hope to see change. The reason for this is that the application process for the fellowship comes well in advance of admissions decisions. For future applicants interested in the fellowship - apply early. 

3) External scholarships often require a bit of digging to uncover but rest assured they do exist. Consider applying to the Fulbright program, or other government-backed scholarship programs specific to your country.

4) TA positions as well as on-campus jobs are available to MFin candidates. The market for these positions is competitive so reach out to professors and apply early. 

As always, if you have any questions feel free to email me at ksaroya@mit.edu. 

Cheers,

Karn