RDS Students Find a Groove

On this campus of roughly 1,200 is a vibrant undergraduate atmosphere with a strong community feel. But wedged somewhere in there is a group of 17 graduate students in the Master’s in Finance program, which has only begun its second year. While us master’s students may not live on campus or regularly cross paths with undergraduates in class, we certainly aim to be a part of CMC’s unique collegial fabric rather than fly under the radar. We are just as diverse as the undergraduate student body as some of us are California natives while others hail from as far as the Philippines.

The fact of the matter is that most of us are straight out of undergrad, so it’s not like we’re some Ph.D students in our late 20s sequestered in our rooms not wanting anything to do with campus life. In fact, most of us are just a year or two older than the seniors. Like the seniors, we’re trying to secure employment amid economic headwinds in these uncertain times, which can be nervewracking at times. So in some regard, we’re in the same boat.

Academically, our program entails courses such as corporate financial management and investments as well as workshops where we hone our interview skills and the like. Ultimately,we are here to soak up the knowledge and skill sets necessary to succeed in our future careers and to gain a leg up in the job marketplace.

Concerning our whereabouts, the master’s students essentially all live off campus. We reside anywhere from College Park and CGU housing to the sick new condos just west of the village. It’s not quite the dorm experience, but the seclusion is a win-win that serves as a quiet place to study and also to throw some fun kickbacks while remaining close to CMC’s festivities. On campus, you’ll probably see us lurking around in the library or hitting up the gym to let off some steam. You might even find a couple of us on the roster of an intramural team in the coming days. Otherwise, we’ll be hiding in the graduate student lounge, whose location we’ll keep secret for now.

While not locked inside computing some sort of corporate valuation metric or pulling our hair out trying to figure out econometrics code, most of us want to enjoy ourselves with everyone else on campus. For instance, the hypnotist event was a source of unabashed laughter for some of us although it may have been more geared for freshmen trying to integrate into campus life. Meanwhile, the 6:01 party was an eye opener for those of us curious to see what it was all about.

At the end of the day, like a big family, we do a lot together, both inside and outside of the classroom. Whether it’s huddling together in the computer lab toiling away on an assignment or heading out to the beach for a bonding activity, we’re a pretty tight knit group that embodies CMC’s strong community feel. So if you’re an undergrad seeking this close interaction while beefing up your finance background, I highly suggest checking out the Master’s in Finance program. Just talk to one of us.