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At the end of September, students from the University of Tampa’s Investment Banking Society traveled to New York City to explore career opportunities in finance.

They met with representatives from Star Mountain Capital and MUFG Bank, toured the New York Stock Exchange, visited Bloomberg and met the host of Mad Money with Jim Cramer on set.

“Our proximity to all the main financial institutions in Tampa is a huge advantage for our students,” said finance Professor Speros Margetis, who organized the trip. “But New York City is the finance hub of the world, so it’s a natural fit to take students there to help them get jobs.”

Over the 15 years he’s been leading the trip, it’s helped more than a dozen students find finance jobs in Manhattan according to Margetis.

“Those students are now senior people and they love helping students,” Margetis said. “They know the stress that students are going through.”

Many of these firms collect applications in October and November and set up interviews not long after as part of their recruitment cycle.

“If you want to get into investment banking, they’re recruiting almost two years ahead of when you would even have your internship,” said Reece Vida ’29. “As a sophomore, being able to meet with these recruiters a couple months before I’m about to put in my applications is just incredible.”

This year, students visited Star Mountain Capital and went to dinner with employees from the specialized asset management firm. They also went to the New York office of Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group’s (MUFG).

“MUFG was very receptive to our students,” Margetis said. “They encouraged all of our students to apply.”

Several students also set up individual coffee chats with employers.

The biggest takeaway for Connor Senne ’28 was insight into the recruiting process, especially “how to make yourself the best candidate not only in applications, but also in interviews and networking.

“We got to talk about the individual firms, their specialties and how they approach business, as well as get to know the individuals on a personal level,” Senne said.

“The business community likes to get access to our top talent, so bringing our top students to New York City is win-win for everyone involved,” Margetis said.

For Tyler Smith ’29, this was his first time in New York City.

“Being at the New York Stock Exchange was surreal,” he said. “You always see it in the movies and on TV. Walking in and seeing all the traders was just incredible.”

He described the trip as motivating, especially the opportunity to meet and network with alumni.

“I want to go into investment banking when I graduate,” he said. “I hope to see myself at one of the firms we visited.”