Collegiate Times

Membership in both clubs is open to all majors and requires both an assigned project and interview. Prospective members are given time to research their given topic and told to present it before a panel. Then they are questioned continuously for further explanation.

“You get an e-mail and they assign you a company and tell you to research that company and do a presentation on whether to buy or sell the stock,” said senior finance student Yoori Cho, SEED analyst and portfolio manager for the financial sector. “The interview has two parts: a technical and behavioral part. They’re both really nerve-wracking, and I’ve never had any serious interviews like that.”

Both BASIS and SEED look at a variety of factors when admitting a new incoming class. Students are admitted based on the success of their research and interviews along with the unique experiences they can contribute. High GPAs aren’t the primary reason for inclusion, but having a 3.5 will certainly merit attention since both groups agree that good grades reflect academic seriousness, commitment and discipline.

“In SEED and BASIS, I think we have some of the best students in the college,” said Professor George Morgan, a SunTrust professor of finance for the Pamplin College of Business and BASIS faculty co-adviser. “Best in terms of academic performance and grades and interaction with the faculty. But also in terms of the drive that they have, the ambition, the willingness to sacrifice other kinds of activities. ... It does count for a lot in terms of getting positions on Wall Street because that’s what the Wall Street people want.”

Despite Tech’s No. 42 Pamplin School of Business ranking in this year’s U.S. News and World Report, its students might find it hard to compete with the likes of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business graduates on Wall Street. Still, Tech’s status as a non-target school by the investment firms has made membership in SEED and BASIS that much more valuable.

“When you talk about getting a competitive placement at Goldman Sachs in 2009 by a non-target school like Virginia Tech, we wouldn’t have been able to have done that without BASIS or SEED,” said professor Derek Klock, a finance professor and a faculty co-adviser. “It’s something that would not be considered from a non-target school. They have lots of folks that come in from Wharton, Stern, MIT, the University of Virginia, and to keep the traction going for Virginia Tech is crucial.”

The benefits of the organizations can be measured by the success stories of former members who have graduated. Earlier this month, alumnus Nicholas D’Angelo visited campus to speak as part of the Wachovia Distinguished Speakers Series. A former member of SEED, he rose through the ranks of Wachovia, which was recently bought by Wells Fargo, to become vice president business manager of global fixed income trading at Wells Fargo Securities.

D’Angelo addressed the audience on the virtues of Ut Prosim and through a follow-up question and answer session, gave advice to students on where to start when entering the job market.

“SEED provided me with real-world experience that gave me an edge over students at other schools who didn’t have such a program,” D’Angelo said. “We all learned similar theory of course, but being able to apply that theory in a real world setting gave me an advantage over my peers.”

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