Sam White (BBA '08)
HOMETOWN
The Woodland, Texas
MAJORS
Finance, Economics with Financial Applications
INVOLVED IN
Hunt Leadership Scholar, Cox BBA Scholar, Emerging Leaders,
Habitat for Humanity, University Honors Program, Business Honors Program, Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity
• Why did you decide to attend SMU Cox?
I fell in love with SMU on my first visit to the campus. Coming from a small private school in The Woodlands, SMU felt very familiar and comfortable-just larger! I wanted to attend a school in a large, metropolitan city with a large financial presence. SMU fit the bill, and Cox has proven to be well connected and highly thought of in the area. Also, being chosen as a BBA scholar, being admitted to the business school my freshman year was great-I met some of my closest friends in our BBA class! Additionally, one of the largest reasons for choosing SMU and Cox was receiving the Hunt Leadership Scholarship which made the decision (financially) easy. When comparing my two top choices of UT and SMU, which would have cost the same with the Hunt Leadership Scholarship at SMU, I felt that at SMU I could be a big fish in a small pond, I would be more than a number, and stood to make quality personal connections in a very close knit, nurturing and collegial environment.
• Did you study abroad?
I studied abroad in Cannes, France. SMU's study abroad programs are truly first class. Everyone I know who has spent time abroad with SMU has had a wonderful experience and most wish they could have spent more time abroad. My summer in Cannes was a great opportunity for me to get outside of the business and economics mindset and dive into something totally different. Speaking no French, and knowing no one in the program beforehand made for an awesome adventure where I was able to broaden my cultural horizons and meet a variety of students from other schools at SMU. Looking back, one of the great things about Cox is the ability (and requirement) that BBAs fulfill a full liberal arts curriculum as well. Because of this, I feel well prepared for the business world, but because of my liberal arts education and traveling abroad have a "cocktail party" skill set that includes knowledge of literature, history, the arts and foreign cultures.
• Where did you work or intern while at SMU?
Scottrade, Lee Financial Corporation, Citi Global Energy Investment Bank, and at the large global hedge fund where I am currently employed. I've had internships since the beginning of my sophomore year at SMU. The realm of finance is so vast, having a variety of internships in different financial sectors allowed me to zero in on the best career path for me. I've worked in the brokerage, private wealth management, investment banking and hedge fund sectors during my time at SMU. Having worked in these different sectors was an invaluable asset when comparing competing job offers and gives me confidence I have chosen the right industry and the right career.
• How did Cox prepare you for internships?
The Cox curriculum is all encompassing-while I'm a finance major and focused primarily on finance courses, I've been exposed to all aspects of the business world. This allows an intern, who likely knows little about the working aspects of a firm they're starting with, to draw from a diverse set of skills. Cox also has a course schedule that gives students the time to have an internship. While I'm probably an exception, I was able to work 40 hours a week my last semester at SMU as I prepared for the transition from intern to full time analyst.
• What is the career path that led you to your current position?
I've really worked my way up through the food chain. As a sophomore, just beginning my business curriculum I had an internship with Scottrade, a brokerage firm. I leveraged that experience into an internship with Lee Financial Corporation, a local private wealth management firm. I stayed at Lee for an entire year and then leveraged that experience into a front office internship with a large global hedge fund. While I really enjoyed working at the hedge fund, I wanted to try investment banking and secured a summer analyst position with Citi in their global energy investment bank. At the end of the summer I had full time job offers from both Citi and the hedge fund at which I had interned. I accepted the hedge fund's offer and interned there through out my senior year in preparation for the transition from intern to full time analyst.
• How did SMU and Cox prepare you for your current position?
My Cox education has ingrained a solid understanding of the fundamental of finance onto which I have built a skill set focused on the practical applications in my chosen industry. As a capstone, honors finance course, I was accepted into the Portfolio Practicum-a student managed, multi million dollar portion of the school's endowment. This was an invaluable preparation for my full time position as we were assigned as sector analyst and given the opportunity to make large buy, hold and sell recommendations and decisions. This program is, in my opinion, one of SMU's greatest selling points to prospective finance majors. If asked in an interview about relevant experience-what better experience to draw upon than having managed a portion of the school's endowment?
• Why would you recommend SMU and Cox to prospective students?
SMU and Cox are perfectly positioned in the financial center of Texas. Dallas is a vibrant, metropolitan hub-and the third largest market for Hedge funds outside of NYC and Greenwich, CT. Curriculum is relevant to real world issue, professors challenge students and the quality of Cox students has led me to forge an awesome network of friends who all are poised to excel in a variety of industries.
• Who is your favorite Cox professor, and why?
My favorite Cox professor is Rex Thompson. His Honors Intro Finance course was my first finance class and was one of the most challenging courses I've taken at SMU. Dr. Thompson expected excellence from his students and pushed us daily to tackle incredibly advanced problems. His class affirmed my choice of finance as a major and career and gave me a solid financial foundation that prepared me for the rigorous Hedge fund and Investment Banking interviewing processes.