Name: Benjamin Stuart

Year: Junior

Major: Economics

Minor: Business Institutions

CFS Class: Business Field Studies

Employer: Shore Capital Partners

I worked for Shore Capital Partners as a part of my CFS experience. The biggest lesson I learned is that you just have to put the time in if you want to build strong relationships, ask interesting questions, and contribute meaningfully during your internship. I certainly would have learned a lot by working the bare minimum this fall, but my experience was made so much better by sticking around for a few extra hours after required every day. This allowed me to get all the “basic” work done and get tasked with some higher level projects, cultivate friendships with the full-time employees, and ask specific questions about firm culture, deals, or anything else nonessential that would have been a waste of time during daylight hours. I think of it really similarly to class: you’ll do fine if you go to class and leave right after the period ends, but you can learn a lot more by spending a little extra time getting to know the professor and the material after class and in office hours. Most companies will insist that they do not have a “culture of face-time,” but the reality is if you are always working diligently at your desk, people will notice. Conversely, if you leave right at 5 o’clock and sit on your phone all day, people probably also notice that. CFS is a great experience, but it is short. Try and make your impact starting week one to get the most out of it.