What I Didn’t Know Before My Corporate Finance Immersion

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by Shiril Sunil Nikhar, MBA ‘17

The beginning of Johnson’s Corporate Finance Immersion (CFI)for the Class of 2017 MBA candidates was a boot camp led by Matthew Holaves, co-founder and managing director of Pillars of Wall Street, in conjunction with Jack Ferrer, MBA ’07, visiting lecturer of Finance. Ferrer, a well-known industry figure, brings real-life examples to his teaching that are incredibly valuable.

After studying both finance and accounting as core courses during the fall semester, most of us thought we had a broader sense of “numbers” in the business world. In many aspects our perceptions were true; however, Holaves helped us realize that we have only been exposed to the tip of the iceberg. The week started with simple modeling, enthusiastic faces, and an air of curiosity. Every person in the room consciously chose to enroll in the CFI and is genuinely interested in the concepts. It felt great to be surrounded by people who were fascinated by the same domain. The various reasons each individual joined this particular immersion definitely provided additional depth and understanding about my classmates. Despite being financial field novices, most students thoroughly enjoyed the first week, learned more than expected, and are excited for the remainder of the course. I am grateful to be a part of the MFI experience.