Michael Reilly grew up in New York and interned at Nissan North America before starting the MS Finance program at Vanderbilt. Enjoying his time in the South, he decided to stay, accepting an investment banking position after graduation with Stephens, Inc., in Little Rock. Here’s how he describes a typical day during the busiest time of the program’s nine months.
One Day in the
Life:
Michael Reilly 7:00 AM
Wake up, get ready for class (which, fortunately, is right across the street from my apartment).
8:00 AM
9:30 AM
on networking and landing a job—emailing alumni, scheduling informational interviews, researching companies as potential employers.
Head home (since it’s so close) and grab a quick breakfast.
10:15 AM
Return to Owen to work
11:20 AM
Financial Economics II with Professor Nick Bollen to learn about capital allocation between risky and risk-free assets.
Financial Modeling class with Professor Kate Barraclough. Today we are learning to use simulations to evaluate investment projects.
12:50 PM
Break for lunch with friends, most often at
08
Chipotle, Subway or Ken’s for sushi.
2:00 PM
Econometrics class with Professor Cliff Ball. We are continuing our study on volatility models.
3:30 PM
Time for homework or sometimes an informational interview or working on a team project, depending on the day. Most of our classes have team projects, with a new one due each week
and a big project at the end of the Mod.
5:00 PM
Head downtown with some classmates for dinner and a Predators game. I was goaltender in college at Cortland State. I’m a big NY Rangers fan but now will forever have a soft spot for Nashville.
10:00 PM
Finish up any homework and go to bed.
09
owen.vanderbilt.edu/msfinance