About the Program

With the increasingly accelerated recruiting timeline for finance internships, the Carolina Finance & Investment Association created a program that establishes a cohort of the Moore School’s most ambitious freshmen who are interested in pursuing careers within competitive finance fields like investment banking, private equity, asset management, sales & trading, and more. The Freshman Finance Academy is the only branch of CFIA that requires an application.


Program Overview

The Academy provides its members direct instruction on the essential skills, abilities, and knowledge required to obtain competitive finance internships, as well as opportunities to hone and refine these skills. Additionally, the Academy connects the cohort with Moore School alumni who are eager to give back and provide personalized support to students throughout the finance recruiting process.

Curriculum Overview:

  • Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) Certification

  • Adventis Financial Model Certification (FMC) Program

  • Networking opportunities with upperclassmen

  • Resume and LinkedIn workshops for finance recruiting

  • Alumni mentor pairings for career guidance

  • Three-statement financial modeling

  • Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) valuation modeling

  • Mergers & acquisitions process and LBO overview

  • Presentation of mock sell-side pitch to finance faculty

  • Technical interview training in following semesters

freshman year internship placements

Freshman year internships in finance are difficult to come by and extremely competitive to land, but numerous Academy members have been able to successfully land opportunities in banking, private equity, and asset management after just one year in college.

Junior Year Internship Placements

Junior year internships are the most direct path to full-time offers. Using guidance from the Academy during their sophomore recruiting cycles, members have landed roles at top investment banks, consulting firms, and sales & trading desks in New York, Charlotte, and Menlo Park.

Testimonials

From the class of 2025…

 

Arnav Mehta

“Completing the final project, which was a Mergers & Acquisitions valuation for Skechers, was incredibly helpful in improving my financial modeling and taught me how to approach a mock sell side scenario.”

Christiana Schmidt

“This cohort is the perfect combination of expanding your experience at Darla by meeting new people and learning real world skills that you can apply to the finance industry… For me, it solidified my interest in finance and pushed me to work towards tangible outcomes.”

 
 

Darya Tchavdarova

“FFA not only deepened my understanding of finance but also provided a supportive community I can always rely on and reach out to. The world of finance can be difficult to navigate alone, but the Academy guides you in the right direction and teaches you concepts you likely won’t learn on your own or through school alone.”

Isabella Zaleski

“The Freshman Finance Academy was an incredible experience that gave me a head start in understanding key financial concepts… I never expected to grow so much over the course of a single semester, but the program gave me a completely new perspective on the various career paths within finance and how to pursue them.”

 
 

Interested in Joining?

Program Requirements:

  • First semester freshman at the Darla Moore School of Business

  • Intended major in Finance

    • *Non-finance majors (e.g., CompSci, Math, Econ) may apply, but must explain why their coursework is particularly relevant to the fields the program targets

  • Demonstrated pattern and interest in learning about the finance field

Application Information:

  • Application Opens: Monday, October 5th, 2026

  • Upcoming Interest Meeting: Wednesday, October 21st and Wednesday, October 28th, 2026

  • Application Deadline: Sunday, November 1st, 2026 at 11:59PM

  • APPLY HERE

Additional Questions? - Contact our Representatives

Thomas Patterson - Vice President of Education

  • Email - tjp7@email.sc.edu

Dalton Kahl - Freshman Finance Academy Advisor

  • Email - jkahl@email.sc.edu

Kate Sniffen - Co-Academy Chair

  • Email - ksniffen@email.sc.edu

Ryan Fronczak - Co-Academy Chair

  • Email - fronczar@email.sc.edu