In college clubs where students push the top of the finance

This is the world of a dog eatery for some Singapore students who want to ensure dream work in finance or a sweet gig in a large bank.

But there is one way to move on: join clubs that open up exclusive opportunities for network facilities that can evade the rest of the students from the population.

These are investment clubs, a joint competition among the three largest universities in Singapore – Singapore National University (NUS), Singapore Management University (SMU) and Nanyang University of Technology.

Members of these clubs participate in training, including topics such as financial modeling and announcement of shares. These sessions are usually taught by older members. Club alumni and industry professionals also fall to have talks to members.

Competition for joining these clubs can be almost as intense as an attempt to ensure Bulge Bracket Banks and investment firms.

Student managers of the SMU-Student investment fund (SMU-SMIF) and its equivalent in NUS, NUS Investment Society, claim to have seen applicants over the years.

More than 200 people applied for a limited number of places, said 25-year-old Matthew Quek, who joined SMU-SMIF in 2022 and is now vice president of the club.

“Historically, we have taken about 20 applicants,” Quek said.

“We have increased our consumption in recent years. Our last batch has 24 members, which is the largest for us so far,” he added.

Student Business Insider said that clubs such as SMU-SMIF and NUS Investment Society joined them to brush their technical skills and create industry connections.

Technical know -how and practical experience

The 21 -year -old Shannon Chong is a SMU junior. Bachelor's training in accounting said that his promising interest in finance he pulled SMU-SMIF.

Chong said he was 17 when he realized that he wanted a financial career after participating in a high school case competition organized by investment firm Tiger Global Management.

“I found that a mixture of qualitative and quantitative analysis is quite interesting. I also liked looking at different business models,” Chong said of his experience with a case competition.

Chong said he wanted a practical learning experience. Then he heard from his seniors that SMIF was a way to train outside the classroom.

“SMIF has provided me with training not only in terms of technical deck manufacturing and financial modeling skills, but also on soft skills such as critical thinking and communication,” Chong said.

Chong started as a younger analyst at the club In his newcomer before climbing the rows and becoming the club as president in August.

Chong has graduated from two internships, one in investment banking and the other in the purchase side. He told BA that former members of SMU-SMIF and pensioners also advised him and gave him a referral.

Quek, who joined Chong in the same year with SMU-SMIF, said the technical skills he had chosen was helpful when he organized practice on buying and selling.

“My first internship was in a public stock company, so just investing in US equities. As part of SMIF, you look at all different shares from the US, Europe. So I had a lot of good SMIF training for this practice,” Quek said.

Clubs give college students easy access to the network

Yumo Pan, 24, is an older NUS who deals with quantitative finance. Pan joined the NUS investment firm in his study year and is now its president.

Pan told B that joining the club allowed him to acquire practical skills, such as how to achieve trading. He added that although students can penetrate the finance industry, aggressively by valuing themselves and creating networks, joining NUS Investment Society Club will help students gain competition.

“It is not only about knowledge, but also in the community, including the network,” Pan said.

“We have a lot of alumni who have already landed in jobs I was working on. They gave me a lot of tips. We have friends from the club to change information and practice our interviews,” he added.

Pan said he completed three financial internships and had secured work with the Investment Bank.

“I just feel that if I don't join Nus Invest, I would be huge and probably I could not identify my specific career interests so early,” Pan said.

Ansell Chan, Vice-President of the PAN, said that one of the biggest holes in his NUS investment firm was a community of like-minded people he could guide.

“I had a couple of seniors I could go straight to the club to ask for advice, especially when it comes to interviews on how to run, where to apply, such things. This has really been helpful for me on a career trip,” Chan said.

24-year-old Chan said he had completed four internships, two in banking and two from the purchase side. The company's bachelor's training said he did not receive any appeal from retirees, although he asked them for advice to prepare for job interviews.

Fierce competition of financial jobs tends to invest in investment clubs

Jobs in top banks such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan are highly coveted among college students who want to succeed in finance. For most aspirants, starting a career is not only about making six-digit wages, but also exposure due to mega tools and dealing with C-Suit clients.

This reflects the enormous competition of applicants. First of all, the summer practice in Goldman Sachs is more difficult than getting to Harvard. The Goldman practice acceptance rate was about 1.5%in 2022. Harvard's The acceptance rate was 3.19% the same year.

In addition to starting early and joining their college investment clubs, students have also tried to distinguish themselves by making four to five internships before graduation.

The 23 -year -old Zhao Yang Wong, who joined Nus Investment Society as a newcomer in 2023, told BI that the club's new applicants' caliber has risen in recent years.

“The new applicants are definitely lighter. For me, it is quite surprising that in some years there were several practices under the belt that were not my batch and before that,” he said.

Investment clubs are not a silver bullet for cutting -edge finance

However, students who think that joining an investment club is a definite way to land the best financing work should think again.

“This alone is not enough to create a job offer,” said Herman Ko, head coach and head coach and head coach of Hong Kong's Human Resources and Educational Technology.

Ko said the benefits of being a member of the club are greater than it is just starting and has little practice experience.

“Let's just say that if you are just a newcomer, there is nothing in your CV, in terms of work experience. So how can you fill an empty page as quickly as possible? It is joining clubs where you can try to gain experience and let them introduce your skills as bullets,” Ko said. ”

Ko said that internships are still critical for those who want to land in the best investment bank. Based on the student guidance experience, KO applicants need at least three to four high quality internship experiences to perform the surgery.

Adrian Choo, CEO and CEO of a career strategy in Singapore, told BI that employers are more likely to hire members who are actively involved in the club's activities.

“If you are just an ordinary member, it would help. But if you are a member of the organizer or the Executive Committee, it would be quite impressive, especially if you have organized events. It would distinguish you with the rest,” Choo said.

However, the club is a partial plus point, said SMU-SMIF's former President Dominic Lee, 27 and it has less to do with the Golden Road to Big Banking and More to do with the Community you participated.

Lee, who is now an analyst at the European Bulge Bracket Investment Bank, ended the company with SMU in 2023. He said his job search became much less scary because he had friends in SMU-SMIF, who were all in the same boat.

“It's like running a marathon. Everyone can run an independently marathon, but when you join the Run Club, you can train your friends, get the best gear tips, and shared training plans,” Lee said. “The whole journey with your surrounding community is just much more enjoyable.”