by Papi Valmond (Nicholas 2010)

Upon arriving in DC on Thursday night, I took the advice of many people who had previously attended the conference and sprung for the hotel nearest the event. It is a good thing because as I approached the lobby I could already tell there was a lot going on. I ran to my room for a costume change and went to my first corporate reception with Citi. Like many of these career events, there were more people than recruiters so my strategy was to try and make some meaningful interactions. Next was a closed event organized by AIG, but hosted by all of the big investment banks. I met some really nice people from Goldman and Deutsche Bank, not to mention some dynamic students as well. That night everyone was going out to meet at Love (apparently "the" night spot) to party all night. In retrospect, I wished I would have gone because I heard that many of the recruiters went out.

The following day was the main day of the Career Fair. I had my list of people to hit and my elevator pitch ready, but once you get there it is almost intimidating. There were over 450 companies with elaborate booths and give-aways. I didn't get to all of the booths that I intended to, but once again I had some memorable engagements with some recruiters and even bumped into some friends I made from the Consortium Orientation Program back in June. All and all, it was a great time, I had a stack of business cards to follow up with when I returned to Madison. I definitely recommend this event for anyone looking for a leg up on the recruiting season and needless to say I will be back next year.