What to Expect

Finance students should be prepared to use their study skills and be able to juggle four or five heavy courses at a time.

So says Alka Chevli. She has a bachelor of business administration degree with a specialization in finance. She says the hands-on aspect of her educational experience was invaluable.

"The program for finance majors is very interesting, because it's not just material you learn in class, then find to be almost useless in the real world," she says.

"The material we learn uses the financial information from up-to-date newspapers. The projects we worked on are comparable to current real-life situations. We leave university with a vast amount of knowledge that can be applied to our daily financial decisions."

She also emphasizes the importance of choosing a program that has a work experience component. "The university helps to place students with jobs that are suited to their experience and skills and goals," she explains.

Survival Skills

Chevli suggests focusing on time management and prioritization.

"All this takes self-discipline," says Chevli. "There are a lot of courses at the beginning of each semester that teach students how to do this. Also, at most universities, courses are offered on how to prepare and study for final exams."

Chevli urges students to take advantage of these opportunities and schedule time to study. "Take time to understand the material," she says. "Do not just memorize it."

She averaged about four hours of homework a day. "It's up to the student how many hours they want to put in to learn the material," she says.

How to Prepare

High school students should develop good work habits, says Chevli. "These habits can make them or break them. High school is too easy in regard to workload and responsibility. Students can read newspapers, keep up with current events, improve reading skills, and try to get into clubs and societies to help with social and study aspects."