Isn't This Class for Seniors?

By Tommy Bennert

Entering UConn as a freshman was a daunting experience. There are lots of people to meet, many of whom are future competition. There are a million clubs to see, and so many opportunities it seems overwhelming. Coming from a rural school in Maine, where club opportunities in business simply don’t exist, this was a big switch. But I wanted that. Why did I apply to a big state school if not to jump into the opportunities it presents? So, I went to the club fairs, signed up for email lists, and got right into it. But there was a problem: so many cool clubs in finance required junior or senior status to be admitted as well as much more experience than I had. So, I settled for what most of my new friends said they would join: the UConn Finance Society.

The UConn Finance Society introduced newbies to the worlds of finance, as well as giving us opportunities to compete in case competitions and stock pitches. It was an incredibly valuable jumping-off point. However, it wasn’t the pitches or guest speakers that were most valuable to me, but instead the people I met. Here I met Dovidas Kizevicius, a junior in the club. After a meeting, I started to chat with him, using it as an excuse to grab another slice of pizza before I left. Dovi and I spoke about opportunities, and he claimed that his most valuable engagement was the Opportunity Fund Project.

I hadn’t heard of it, but it sounded interesting. He explained further that it was a class, but unlike any other, as one must apply and interview to get in. It was taught by a formal Wall Street veteran, and that the class contained material from finance, accounting, economics, and capital markets. At the time I had taken a class in exactly none of those topics. Furthermore, the class had juniors and seniors in it.

‘Great, another opportunity out of reach.’ - I thought.

How would I, with no classroom experience in these fields, compete in an interview with seniors? But he said it was possible to apply and be accepted as a freshman, as the instructor wanted to make it accessible to all. I was skeptical, but the class sounded exactly like something that I would want to do. So, I asked him for the information and headed on my way.

In possession of the interview materials, I began to work on my responses. The questions were challenging, but none of them seemed to be related to investing. Once I had finished, I sent them over to Steve Wilson, who runs the program. We set up an interview date, and I waited patiently for the day.

I was really nervous. I had spoken to my friends who had already done the interviews (such as Ben Eydlin and Jacob Dooley), and they said it was a tough interview, and they didn’t know if they did well or not. I didn’t know how different my resume looked to theirs, or what I could say to persuade Steve that I deserved a spot in his class. Then, when Steve emailed and said he had to narrow a ton of applicants into a 25-person class my confidence sagged even further. Regardless, I decided that this would be a valuable experience, and that I would try my best. It was, in truth, my first ever interview.

When I logged on the call, I introduced myself and got straight to it. My friends were not lying; it was a tough interview. If I remember correctly, Steve spent 30 minutes tearing my resume apart, correcting formatting errors and telling me what I should take out of it. But all in all, the interview was as exciting as it was nerve racking. I left the call hopeful that I had shown myself off, and glad I had done it.

Then came the real wait. Waiting for Steve to pick the 25 students felt very long. When the email finally came in my heart jumped, but when I saw “congratulations” in the subject heading I was so excited. I couldn’t believe I had earned a spot in a class like that. I texted my friends, and some of them had made it too! I was glad I wasn’t going to be alone in the class because now that I had been accepted the reality set in, this was going to be very difficult. But I had some time before then...

Fast forward to January. I was sitting on the beach in Puerto Rico when I got an email from Steve. In it he gave us around 15 hours of work to do before the semester started, including an exam. That was the moment that it really dawned on me that I signed up for something good; something useful. So, full of anticipation for a worthwhile semester, I begrudgingly completed the work rather than going to the beach with my friends.

The course proved to be good, useful, and worthwhile. The classes, although 3 hours long, were constantly engaging and challenging. It was exactly what I was hoping for. I feel so much further along in my academic progress than I possibly could have been without it. Also, having Opportunity in the program title isn’t just for show. Where else could I meet CEOs and CFOs of Fortune 500 companies on a casual Friday? I think by the end of the semester we took for granted how crazy that is. Regardless, the class proved to be difficult, but manageable. It was, in fact, not just for seniors.

Looking ahead, this summer I am part of two internships through OFP, building my investment analysis skills and keeping sharp for next semester, when I get to put everything I’ve done so far to real life use. OFP has proven to be more than a worthwhile leap.

If there’s a lesson here, it’s this: Every opportunity is available to you if you apply yourself.

Oh, and also that OFP rocks.