Sample Magellan Project Application Contact Information First Name: Click here to enter text. Last Name: Click here to enter text. Campus Box: Click here to enter text. E-Mail: Phone: Click here to enter text. Date: Click here to enter a date.
Academic Information Class of 2013 Major: Economics Other Major(s): Click here to enter text. Minor(s): Math Academic Advisor: Click here to enter text. GPA: Click here to enter text. Note: In order to apply for a Magellan Award, one must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
Number of Courses Completed (include courses for current Intersession and coming Spring terms): Click here to enter text.
Previous Awards Have you received any of the following W&J-funded awards? Note: Receipt of other awards does NOT disqualify you from applying for (or receiving) a Magellan Award.
Geary Award Walker Award Kelso Award Franklin Award Swick Award Greb Award Vira Heinz Award Merck Award
Yes ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐
Year? Click here to enter text. Click here to enter text. Click here to enter text. Click here to enter text. Click here to enter text. Click here to enter text. Click here to enter text. Click here to enter text.
Information about the Project Which award are you applying for? Franklin (Internship) Country (or countries): USA City (or cities): New York City Thumbnail description (limit 10 words) (examples: Medical research internship on granulosa cell tumors; Literary research on “Lost Generation”; Teaching English and studying jungle conservation): UBS Financial Internship Duration of project (How many weeks?): 6 Start date: 2012-05-04 End date: 2012-06-13 Will you be studying abroad in the academic term either before or after your Magellan Project? No Study abroad location: Click here to enter text. Does your project involve a third-party provider? Yes Examples of third-party providers: University program (Temple University in Rome), Non-profit program (Habitat for Humanity), or a tour company (Express to Russia)
If so, what organization?
UBS
What is the compelling reason for a third-party provider? The company provides educational resources, training sessions, networking opportunities, and real world experiences which I would not be able to access on my own.
In what ways will you be extending your project beyond the third-party provider? I will write a daily log of my experience to explain the relevance of my work and I will discuss my work in the context of my long-term career goals. Also, I will present my information to the school to encourage other students to take advantage of this opportunity.
Will other W&J students be at your same location? No If so, who? N/A Will you be traveling together? Choose an item. Will you be lodging together? Choose an item. Have you been working with a W&J faculty member on this project? No If so, who? Click here to enter text.
Project Description A 500-750 word project description, outlining what you plan to do and the details about how you will carry it out. If your project relies upon being accepted to an outside program, please also present your contingency plan should that acceptance not materialize. [Please type or paste your Project Description below.] This summer, I have been accepted as an intern at UBS Financial Services in New York City, New York. I will be working in the Private Wealth Management Division for the Fortis Group. Mr. Bill Platt, a former lacrosse player and graduate of Washington & Jefferson College, leads this group. Mr. Platt is a Financial Advisor and portfolio manager. Beginning on May 29th, I will begin a 6 week program to gain exposure in one of the most prestigious investment companies in the world. My internship will be from 9:00 AM and ending at 5PM every weekday. My day to day assignments will vary according to the needs of the team. The majority of my activities will consist of supporting an investment associate, Grant Templin, a graduate of Washington & Jefferson College. The tasks will be analytical and trading support. I will be analyzing potential investment reports, developing asset allocation models, updating platforms for trading models according to the risk preferences of clients, and developing client relationships. In addition to the work that I will produce for the company, I will learn about the asset management sector. I will gain exposure to producing equity analysis, the fundamentals of derivatives trading, the different philosophies of portfolio construction, and financial valuation through modeling. In Private Wealth Management, the team I will be working with specializes in funds for educational, non-government organizations, and philanthropic endowments. Leadership is an essential skill in investing today and as a member of the Fortis Group I will interact and work with successful business leaders. I will also have to work effectively as a team member in a fast-paced and high stress environment. In addition to strengthening my quantitative and analytical skills, I will also develop my soft skills by creating relationships with clients, delivering presentations for customers, and networking with other UBS employees. By spending time with Mr. Platt, I will learn more about decision making and the people skills needed for business. Most importantly, I will learn about managing a team. In addition to the above experiences, I will also improve my critical thinking and problem solving skills by learning about different ways to incorporate relevant macroeconomic and microeconomic information. I will use this information to forecast future performance and revenue generation for our firm. I have been fortunate enough to interact with a number of successful professionals and professors in the finance industry within my studies at W&J. Mr. Bill Platt is the W&J alumni who is the most invested in developing undergraduate opportunities. Mr. Platt is not only in a prestigious company, he has created a reputation as a reliable and hard-working wealth manager. In order to excel in the industry of financial services, I have learned that developing personal
relationships with connections through W&J is extremely important. My past internship experiences, both in the hedge firm and the private equity firm, began through an alumni and a professor, respectively. As an undergraduate, my goal is to receive the best preparation possible for my graduation. As I prepare for the summer of my final year in college, it is very important to me that I prepare myself for work as soon as I graduate. The UBS Business University is a training program that is available for members of the UBS team that helps to develop business strategies and more effectively respond to the needs of clients. This educational resource was a contributing factor to why I have decided to work with UBS access to this program. Throughout my experience in the Roasted Café and my time working at my Uncle’s dry cleaners, Presto Valet, I have realized that I want to work for myself. By developing a relationship with Mr. Platt, I will learn from an entrepreneur who has created his success in wealth management by building his team and his portfolio.
Personal Statement A 750-1000 word personal statement, describing how this proposal is related to your life experiences, goals, aspirations, and commitments, including your work at W&J. This is an opportunity to explain who you are, including how you would benefit from completing the project that you outline. You should also explain how this project will build upon and extend your education at W&J and future plans. Be specific about how it will relate to your next two years of education at W&J.
I was the kid who played in mud when it was raining. I was the kid who worked summers at the National Zoo in DC. I was a tree hugger. When I studied in the Global Ecology Magnet Program at Poolesville High School in Poolesville Maryland, I first began to explore my passion. I was lucky enough to take field trips every month, where I learned conservation techniques, I observed stream ecology, and I went mucking through the swamps. As I spent more time learning about the environment, I realized that I had an appreciation of ecosystems. Most importantly, I developed a fascination with the interconnectedness and the interactions between organisms, the ecosystem as a whole, and the factors that drive changes in the environment. These networks all had the same goal of surviving, thriving, and reproducing as much as possible. In the ecosystem, all organisms lived in a zero-sum world of predator-prey. Survival of the fittest and competition controlled which animals lived and which animals perished. As I finished my four years in high school, I noticed that all of my individual efforts to conserve and protect the environment were always overshadowed by decisions enacted by politics and business. One new law, or one new business initiative, drastically affected the ecosystem significantly more than all of my work. I learned that in order to make changes, people must be part of companies, organizations, and networks of their own. When I took my first Principles of Economics class with Dr. Gregor, I began to make connections with my desire to understand networks, and my desire to change those networks. I realized that my background in environmental studies laid the foundation for my desired career in investing. I viewed every firm as a living, breathing organism, in a new ecosystem, the market, which was motivated by the survival of the fittest. I saw every investment bank as a fish in the sea and every private equity firm as a beetle in the forest. Certain firms developed market niches, just as animals have their own ecological niche. Some firms develop mutualistic relationships, just as plants and animals in rely on each other for mutual benefits. One similarity that was the strongest between organisms and firms: Competition. These firms were not, however, viewed as successful by maximizing reproduction. They were measured by profitability ratios. In my first economics class, I saw the network created by humans, and I was determined to explore more. Throughout my past internships, I began to learn more about the technical aspects of finance and investing. When I worked with Emory Redd, a W&J alumni, I learned how to analyze companies and complete financial quantitative analysis. During my internship at a
private equity firm, I gained exposure to modeling techniques and investment analysis. All the while, my training in global ecology helped to guide my decision making and opinions on investments. My background developed my risk preferences and I personally invested in stocks poised for long, sustainable growth, which is an essential theme in global ecology. As a result of my career search, I have learned that understanding risk and credit is extremely important in investing. With my experience this summer, I will gain exposure to risk preferences when adjusting the portfolios of clients according to their risk tolerances. Additionally, I will learn more about credit when analyzing equity reports as potential investment opportunities. I am hoping to take the information that I learn over the summer to develop my Senior Project in Economics. I would like to learn more about these topics to not only incorporate real world experience in my Senior Project, but also to prepare me for my graduation. A key reason that I have chosen UBS as my employer for this summer is their connection to the global market. In addition to developing skills for my career, I also plan to develop a relationship with the headquarters of UBS in Zurich, Switzerland. Because of my brief internship in Prague over Intersession 2012, I have committed to working towards involvement in international investing. This summer, I will leverage the W&J network to foster a successful learning experience. This experience will provide me the opportunity to enhance the W&J brand; thus, increasing opportunities for future W&J students. If I become as successful as Mr. Platt, I will provide motivated and hard-working students the opportunity that I have been provided this summer. Ultimately, I am working toward a career in Private Equity. I want to work in Private Equity because I will be able to be part of a process of buying and selling entire companies that have the potential to be profitable. Through my research on careers in Private Equity, I have learned that it is very common to begin your career in Investment Banking. In the near future, my goal is to spend two years in Investment Banking, work for a Private Equity firm as an analyst for the next two years, return to Business School for two years, and then return to Private Equity as an associate. Through my research on the path to Private Equity, I have found this to be the most commonly traveled path. With my future career in mind, I want to work for a company with a strong relationship with the Investment Banking Division. Investment Banking is very difficult to break into, but the Fortis Group, the team I will be working with, has developed a very strong relationship with the Investment Banking division of UBS. My goal for this summer, for the future, is to develop a relationship with the Investment Banking division of UBS so that when I graduate I can work for them. In my career goals, it is my number one priority to work in investment banking when I graduate from W&J.
Budget Information Typically, Magellan awards range from $1000-3000 and fund part of the experience being proposed. There is an expectation of a personal contribution, the amount of which may vary depending on the expense of the project being proposed and the financial circumstances of the applicant. The individual financial contribution should be clarified in the following budget form. Please use the comment block below to provide any relevant explanations about the proposed budget. Transportation to Site Type Explanation Megabus A car is not necessary in the city
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Lodging Type NYU Housing
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Food Sources Meal Plan NYU
Explanation Weekly rate x 8 weeks http://www.nyu.edu/summer/housing/dining.htm Local Transportation (train, bus, taxi, etc.) Type Explanation 30-Day Unlimited Monthly rate x 2 Ride MetroCard
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http://www.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm#unlimited Research Costs (museum admissions, materials/supplies, etc.) Type Explanation Amount
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PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION Type Explanation Food Extra money for off-campus food expenses Entertainment Spending money
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Other budgetary explanations: [Please use the space below for any additional budget information or explanations.]
