Four-Year Activity Plan

It's never too early to start building your resume and preparing for a great start to a career in finance. We've put together a recommended four-year activity plan for finance majors to set you up for success.

Here are a few things students should do all four years:

Network with alumni - ask your professors, family, and friends for warm introductions
Get involved in finance student organizations and attend weekly meetings.
- CBA Advantage points vary; generally requires a reflection submission
Sign up for the Financial Times
- CBA students receive free access to the Financial Times and related support material. To create an account, go to ft.com/lmu and use your LMU student email address.
- Access the LMU Quick Start Guide to FT here.
- 20 CBA Advantage points
Participate in the Stock Pitch Competition
Use the Bloomberg Terminals in the Finance Learning Lab
- BMC and ESG certifications available, worth 225 CBA Advantage points each.

Here are specific recommendations for activities in each year:

FALL + SPRING + SUMMER

Complete FNCE 1401: Planning for a Career in Finance

Wall Street Prep Courses
$50 for the entire package with lifetime access, subsidized by the Department of Finance
- Excel Crash Course
- PowerPoint Crash Course
- Accounting Crash Course
CBA Advantage:
- 100 points for each course (50 bonus points if you complete all three courses)
- Wall Street Prep: Year 1 (Experience Set)
FALL + SPRING

Wall Street Prep Courses
- Ultimate Guide to the Technical Finance Interview
- Analyzing Financial Reports
- Financial Statement Modeling
- DCF Modeling
CBA Advantage:
- 100 points for each course (50 bonus points if you complete all four courses)
- Wall Street Prep: Year 2 (Experience Set)
SPRING

Get Certified in Python, SQL, and/or Tableau.

Microsoft Excel Associate and Microsoft Excel Expert Certificates
$15 per attempt, subsidized by CBA. Contact Professor Mesgari at mostafa.mesgari@lmu.edu to learn more.

CBA Advantage:
- Microsoft Excel Expert Certification is eligible for the “Microsoft Excel Certification Program" (225 points)
Participate in the Remote Job Shadowing Program

CBA Advantage:
- 150 points
- Engage with a Mentor
Sign up for The Pride, LMU’s exclusive networking and mentoring platform

CBA Advantage:
- 20 points
- The Pride (PeopleGrove) Profile Completion
SUMMER

Start the junior summer internship search process!

Resume and Interview Preparation

CPD Student Services

CBA Advantage:
- Attend a CPD Peer Advisor Drop-In Session (50 points)
- Attend a CPD Career Coaching Appointment (100 points)
Internship and Job Opportunities on Handshake, Indeed, Glassdoor, and other sites

CBA Advantage:
- 150 points per submission (only one submission per term)
- Every term (fall, spring, summer), CBA Advantage offers students the opportunity to reflect on an internship they held during the respective term.
FALL

Focus on summer internship search. See a list of firms that have hired LMU students.

CBA Advantage:
- 150 points per submission (only one submission per term)
- Every term (fall, spring, summer), CBA Advantage offers students the opportunity to reflect on an internship they held during the respective term.
SPRING + SUMMER

Wall Street Prep Courses
- Trading Comps
- Transaction Comps
- M&A Modeling
- LBO Modeling
Participate in the Remote Job Shadowing Program

CBA Advantage:
- 150 points
- Engage with a Mentor
FALL

Focus on full-time job search. See a list of firms that have hired LMU students.

We recommend you complete two internships before graduation if possible.

SPRING

Wall Street Prep Courses (pick what you’re interested in)
- Introduction to Project Finance
- Demystifying Commercial Real Estate Modeling
- Debt Capital Markets Primer
- Intro to Fixed Income Trading
- Demystifying the Private Equity Deal process
- Buy-side Stock Analysis
- Ultimate Excel VBA
Add certifications that you’re interested: CFA, CFP, etc.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Competitions
- Case-based
- Pitch
- Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge- Hosted by the University of Arizona, this competition gives students the opportunity to learn Excel modeling techniques, test their skills, earn a certification and win $30K in prize money.
CBA Advantage:
- If you participate in a business-related competition, please review the annual “Participating in a Business-Related Competition” activity to see if your experience qualifies. If so, you are welcome to complete this activity for 225 points in the year in which your competition took place. This post is refreshed annually for students who participate in different competitions each academic year.