Business clubs at Baruch College are known for their difficult and selective application process, with hundreds of students competing for a spot in a club. These clubs are known for having rigorous applications similar to Wall Street-level jobs.
The student-led hedge fund, 50Five Capital, founded in 2019, is dedicated to the financial markets and has created a team of students well-versed in analyzing and interpreting financial data. The club divides their research team into equity research, fixed income, capital markets, newsletter teams and more.
“Going to Baruch, I always knew that I wanted to join a finance club,” Moises Nunag, a freshman and 50five
Capital member, said.
During the summer, Nunag spent hours studying to prepare for the interview. He said, “Over the summer, I spent about 15 hours studying financial accounting. After that, I spent about two hours per week doing interview prep.”
The club frequently hosts events where current members like Nunag can network with current Wall Street professionals.
Baruch Investment Management Group is considered among the college’s prestigious finance clubs. Unlike other clubs, IMG manages a real portfolio valued at $1.7 million. The club’s alumni have gone on to staff several leading Wall Street firms, including Blackstone, JPMorgan Chase & Co and UBS.
“You get put in a team of three to four people if you’re in a coverage team, or you can work by yourself as a
portfolio management analyst,” Baruch junior Ron Furer said.
“Both roles cover a specific sector. You get put into a pretty rigorous environment from day one, and the club does require a strong commitment, but everyone is extremely supportive and willing to help.”
Out of around 200 applicants, IMG selects around a dozen new members every semester, half as analysts and half as junior analysts. In addition to joining a team, new members are also expected to present at stock pitch days and attend educational workshops.
The prestigious Finance and Economics Society is a professional development organization that provides students with tools to succeed in a finance career.
Sophomore Charles Beyer, a markets analyst for FES, said, “I’m in the New Markets Program, and wanted
something that would help me with my goal of breaking into a markets-facing role.”
Being a member at FES, one of Baruch’s oldest clubs, Baruch finance major Rea Balliu said, “I had to submit my resume, a short response about why I was interested in the club, and a ranking of the programs in order of preference. I was most interested in the Financial Analyst Program, so that was my top choice.”
After applying, Balliu went through one interview with the FES club president and then another Superday
interview with program instructors.
“Their questions were mainly behavioral and focused on understanding my motivations and making sure I’d be committed to the club and the workload of the program,” Balliu said.
With access to rigorous education and exclusive networking, Baruch’s financial clubs can be a critical part of
getting students placed into an internship.
“No club can just feed you into a firm, but they do a really good job of priming you for opportunities,” Beyer said. Any student dedicated to finance can take part in any of these clubs if they pass the interview process. “If you’re applying as a freshman, take some time to learn about financial statements and basic market news,” Furer said. “If you’re applying as a sophomore it is more challenging, so make sure to be on top of understanding valuation methodologies and math, accounting questions, and more in-depth market news.”
