Trading the sleepy sidewalks of Hanover for the busy streets of New York, 30 Dartmouth women participated in Women in Business's annual "Day at the Bank."
The event caters to sophomores and juniors with an interest in finance and investment banking and sends them to Goldman Sachs, where they shadow workers for a day, attempting to gain an insider's perspective on the financial services firm.
The day began with a workshop called "How to Market Yourself: An Exercise in Self-Promotion," which taught students ways to promote themselves to executives. This was followed by an overview of Goldman Sachs, featuring presentations from representatives from each division of the bank: equities, fixed income currency and commodities, finance, technology, investment banking and investment management.
"The presentations were very insightful," participant Jenna Lynch '09 said. "I feel like it demystified banking, and now I understand the different sectors involved."
To give them some hands-on experience, each student shadowed a Dartmouth alumn in a field of her interest. It was this part of the day that Kimberley Harris '09 found to be the most rewarding. After shadowing an alumnus in the sales and trading department, she discovered that department did not suit her interests.
"I thought I wanted to do sales and trading in the future, but the actual on-the-job experience convinced me to look at other aspects of investment banking," Harris said. "The atmosphere was fast-paced and cutthroat -- you're trying to do better than the person sitting next to you even though you're working for the same company. That's not what I'm looking for in my career."
Aside from shadowing Dartmouth alumni, the women were given a tour of the Equities Trading Floor by John Huelskamp '06.
The trip to Goldman Sachs was organized by WIB officers Molly Feldmann '07 and Rachel Hamilton '07.
"Molly and Rachel already have their jobs, and they're so dedicated to WIB that they're still helping us," Harris said.
The visit depended on alumni support; alums ran the entire event and ensured that Goldman Sachs paid for both transportation and hotel accommodations.
"One of the best parts of the trip is getting to meet and network with a bunch of young women with whom you share the Dartmouth culture, and you see how that culture translates into the working world," Feldmann said.
WIB conducts weekly lunches on various financial topics. It will host a Banking 101 program featuring J.P. Morgan in February.
