Let's Talk Business: Three Reasons to Study Finance

There are a lot of majors in the Chambers College, but Finance is arguably the coolest. (Though maybe I’m just biased because I’m majoring in it.) Let me explain why!

Areas of Emphasis 

You might think that a career in finance means working as an investment banker on Wall Street, but there are many different paths you can take. 

Our Finance department’s areas of emphasis can prepare you for whatever course you want to pursue – for instance, Wealth Management can prepare you to become a Certified Financial Planner.

Areas of emphasis include:

• Banking

• Corporate Finance and Valuation

• Energy Finance

• General Finance

• Investments

• Risk Management and Insurance

• Wealth Management

“SMIF”

The Student Managed Investment Fund, more commonly referred to as SMIF, is exactly what it sounds like. SMIF provides real-world experience in the field of equity analysis and research from the comfort of Reynolds Hall.

The program currently manages around $500,000 in real U.S. dollars – quite a lot for us college students to imagine. Each semester the SMIF student managers take a trip to New York City, where they explore Wall Street and meet with select firms.

Bloomberg Terminals may not sound very cool, but trust me, they are. These terminals, located on the 3rd floor of Reynolds Hall, provide students with the same data used by many firms on Wall Street. These firms pay a good chunk of change for access to this data, but Chambers students get access for free. If you join SMIF, your experience working on the Chambers College’s Bloomberg Terminals will help you stand out when applying for jobs.

Tons of Opportunities for Every Student

Hopefully my words have convinced you that a Finance major is right for you. If they haven’t, and you’re still interested in Finance topics, we have opportunities for you too! Here are just a few:

The Student Investment Club is great way to learn about investing in a more casual manner alongside other students. All levels of investment experience are welcome.

The Finance department is offering a new series of investing classes open to all majors in all years. The final course involves managing a portfolio like you would with SMIF – real-world experience that can aid you in any field as well as in your personal life.

Whatever path you choose to take, I wish you the best of luck on your journey at WVU – but if you’re interested in Finance, or any of the Chambers College’s other offerings, be sure to reach one of our recruiters today!