Testimonials |
| I was extremely impressed by the close-knit environment and the personal support of the Nicholas Center. I am particularly grateful to Cindie, the director of Nicholas, who guided me throughout my job hunting and helped me in negotiating with my intern employer to delay the internship to accommodate my family issues. I had valuable opportunities participating in four real-world corporate finance projects under the guidance of our academic advisor, Professor Jim Seward, who is an expert in both theory and practice. The projects, ranging from Fortune 500 firms to startups in size, and from manufacturing to hedge fund in nature, provided me with hands-on experience of analyzing problems from different perspectives, gathering data from multiple sources, discussing with teammates from various backgrounds, and presenting confidently to the management of project sponsors. |
 |
Sheldon Liu |
| When I started researching MBA schools offering finance programs, I realized that UW's competitive edge is its career specializations as pointed out in a BusinessWeek article in September 2005. Moreover, Nicholas is the first and only applied program that focuses exclusively on practical training in corporate finance. As one of my primary purposes of doing an MBA in finance was to learn to communicate complex financial information, I realized that I could achieve this objective by working hands-on with real-life finance consulting projects - a unique feature of the Nicholas Center. |
 |
Apoorva Varadarjan Nicholas 2007 GE Healthcare |
| The projects that students worked on for the Nicholas program intrigued me. I was impressed when I learned that these projects were not case studies, but real problems faced by real companies. ... There is no other program like this in the world. Because the Wisconsin MBA is very selective, it is a relatively small program. As a result, the students have a greater access to the school's resources. The opportunity to work on real issues faced by companies ranging from small biotech startups to Fortune 500 companies as a part of class is invaluable. |
 |
Fernando Miramontes Nicholas 2006 J.P. Morgan |
| Because I did not have a finance background, I was concerned about being behind my classmates. However, I thought the Nicholas program would provide me with more than enough finance courses, and the second-year practicum was the clincher as this gave me real world hands-on experience. ...I really liked the fact that the program is small, but within a large university. I thought I would be able to have a real sense of community both with the entire MBA program and my fellow Nicholas students, while receiving the benefits that only a large university can provide. I was right! |
 |
Kristy Hofkens Nicholas 2006 Jones Lange LaSalle |
After researching schools, I knew I had to make campus visits to truly grasp where I fit. Upon review, I was initially drawn to Wisconsin because of the outstanding curriculum and distinguished faculty. I became further impressed when I learned about the hands-on, real company projects tackled in the second year of study. The practical side of the Nicholas Center sets the Wisconsin MBA program apart from other options nationwide; I found it the best way to bridge the gap between the theory of finance and the tangibility of my career ahead. Once making the commitment to gain a first-hand perspective, I found the campus visit to be invaluable. I was also able to see how the current students interact with one another as well as the faculty with whom I was also able to meet. I was blown away by the sense of community among the students which was evidently modeled by the personal attention given from each respective center. Being a part of a smaller program yet gaining all of the benefits of a flagship campus add much to the experience. I was eager to call the Wisconsin School of Business my new home. Even prior to admission, my initial connection was with Cindie Adams, Director of the Nicholas Center. Throughout my selection process, she was unendingly patient with my curious questions both over the phone and via email. Upon meeting her during the prospective student event, she graciously took the time to broaden my understanding of the program's offerings. The individualized attention I received from the admissions director, and staff caused me to feel incredibly welcome and comfortable with an anxiety producing process. I was confident this consistently positive experience would continue if I were to select Wisconsin as my next professional step. Knowing that I want to become the CFO of a Fortune 500 company, I wanted to find an educational program to match my determination and high desire for success. I knew the Nicholas Center would be a great fit for me given my grand and distinct future goals. Due to the individualized attention gained from small class sizes and committed faculty, I was convinced that the Nicholas Center would help propel me along in my professional development. I can freely say that selecting the Nicholas Center has been one of the best decisions of my life. |
 |
Nathan Katorski Nicholas 2010 |