August 6, 2020
On Thursday, August 6th, new students in the MSQF and MSDABC Class of 2021 had the opportunity to meet alumni from the Class of 2020. Hosted in the NYU Shanghai Auditorium, eight alumni returned to campus to share their program experiences during an hourlong panel and Q&A session, followed by mingling for the alumni and new students over cocktails and cupcakes.
The alumni, who graduated in May and now currently work in Shanghai at companies including Apple, Discover, FNZ, Bank of China, EY, and Orient Futures, shared feedback about their favorite courses and faculty, how they leveraged the resources of the Career Development Center (CDC), internship experiences, and tips for the new class.
“You’re going to have a lot of homework assignments, but company visits are important. You will discover new things you never thought you were interested in… and I’m actually working in one of the companies [that we visited]. It’s a fintech company and I’m working as a developer.” shared Jennifer W., MSDABC alumna, underlining the value of CDC events to help students extend their network, learn about new companies, and consider other careers that they may not have otherwise. 
Weiduo D., MSQF alumnus, emphasized the importance of meeting with faculty outside of class to soak up their knowledge and expertise: “You should seek every chance to have an additional conversation with your professors because they are all very outstanding and well-known in their industries and very much experts in their own fields.” Xujie Z., MSDABC alumnus, also reiterated the importance of faculty connections, sharing how Professor Ming Liao went out of his way to share his experience working for tech companies, such as Facebook, to help students find jobs.
Jennifer also cited the capstone project as particularly helpful for building their professional skills: “The majority of you don’t have work experience, and so I think the capstone project, working with the professors especially, and having a real life problem that you have to search for, really teaches you how to think about problems from a different perspective and to solve business problems, and that’s really important.” Another alumna, Yujung H., mentioned how her supervisor recently presented her with a new project at work, and the project utilized the exact same modeling she had learned in Professor Jiawei Zhang’s course, Optimization Modeling.
The alumni shared their experiences balancing an internship with coursework, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing schoolwork and choosing an internship that was a good fit. Weiduo encouraged students to find an internship based on what is a good match for their skills and interests, rather than just choosing one based on the company’s reputation. This realization ultimately led him to a job he’s enjoying that he found through the CDC.
To wrap up, each alum shared one piece of advice they wish they could have known when they first started the program last year. While the wording differed, the main takeaway was the idea of trying to find a balance between the rigorous academics and connecting with classmates, who eventually become future coworkers and a professional network. As the Class of 2021 embarks on their studies, the Class of 2020 will continue to serve as a model and inspiration for finding such a balance between academic achievement, professional success and personal fulfillment.