The MMS program is known for its distinguished group of professors, but one of the many things that are less noticed are the pre-professional programs offered. Two events in particular are Training the Street and Crack the Case. These career workshops are targeted specifically to students who are trying to work in consulting and finance, but the events are open to all students. They provide a foundational understanding and preparatory toolkit that is necessary for excelling in interviews and, more importantly, on-the-job.

Finance Refresh

I attended two Training the Street sessions at Fuqua, one on corporate valuation with Valentina Savelyeva, and the second on financial modeling with Alex Lue. As I mentioned in a previous post, I arrived at Fuqua with experience in the financial services industry where I developed and constructed financial models for various clients. So, given my experience, I asked myself whether it would be necessary to attend the workshops and whether it would be challenging enough for me. Ultimately, I decided to attend (even though the workshops took up a full Saturday and Sunday) because I thought it’d be useful to receive extra practice in a skill that I hadn’t used in almost a year.

I’m glad I decided to attend. The course was very well paced, as the class was comprised of students whose Excel skillset ranged from novice to expert. At the end of each session, I felt that I had gained an understanding of finance that not only built on my knowledge from prior experiences, but also provided me with the capability to excel in my MMS finance courses.

Case Interview Training

With the finance workshop under my belt, I was still unsure of what I wanted to do after graduation, so I took advantage of another professional prep program on consulting case interviews. David Ohrvall, a professional interview coach, gave two Crack the Case seminars for MMS students. The first session was within the framework of our Business Communications class. It was great to be exposed to and work through cases with Ohrvall, who has written about the topic and founded MBACASE, which specializes in case interview training.

The workshop not only aided my transition into the Market Analysis and Principles of Strategy classes, which are heavily reliant on the case-based approach to learning, but the workshop also greatly intensified my interest in the consulting industry. The second Crack the Case seminar was conducted outside of class. This session was faster paced, but all–in-all it was as good, if not better than the first meeting.

Well-Rounded Preparation

The Fuqua faculty boasts exceptional credentials, both via academic experiences and career backgrounds, and they offer us the best academic prep possible. Fortunately, the MMS program also offers additional career preparation through events like Crack the Case and Training the Street. Both offered career specific training at a reasonable pace for both beginners and experts, within the fields of finance and consulting.