This summer Will Smith '13, an Economics and Commerce major and president of the Hampden-Sydney Rugby Club, spent July as a Summer Business Scholar at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. This three-week program is designed to help a diverse group of non-business majors become acquainted with the MBA program at Booth and business-school life in general.

During his three weeks at the number-one business school in the world (according to Bloomberg), Will and 45 other scholars studied financial accounting, finance, marketing, and management strategy in classes taught by Booth faculty. Will also participated in seminars on leadership, took tests to learn how his personality suited different professions, attended roundtables with alumni, met with admissions staff, and was introduced to the "Chicago Booth Approach" to learning. He found that, like professors at H-SC, the professors were there because they care about learning. Above all else, they are intelligent and respectful of the students they teach.

In addition to the classroom time, Will and the other Summer Business Scholars visited companies such as Boston Consulting Group, Sears Holdings, Chicago Board of Trade, and Grubhub.com, where they interacted with upper-level partners and managers to learn about their experiences in their career field, at their company, and at Booth. At BCG, they even participated in a practice case study interview with associates and partners.

According to Will, "Drawing from my liberal arts background here at H-SC, I was able to provide a unique perspective in discussions. My ability to write and think critically and creatively, and my liberal arts background, proved invaluable as I interacted with my classmates. The Hampden-Sydney education was my greatest asset at Booth, not my personality or competence.

"I was able to prove the value of a Hampden-Sydney education this summer. After learning alongside students from Princeton, Duke, Michigan, Wake Forest, Chicago, Oxford (England),
Melbourne (Australia), and other great schools, I am more confident than ever in my ability to compete in the job market and for a spot in an elite business school. I learned that the H-SC education is excellent preparation for the career I want to pursue."

For current or potential students interested in pursuing similar opportunities during their time at Hampden-Sydney, or for more information about our Tiger Track for Banking & Finance, please contact our Career Education Office at (434) 223-6106 or e-mail career@hsc.edu.