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.

Several key activities Include:

  • Financeable Accounting Fundamentals Training

  • Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) Certification

  • Networking opportunities with upperclassmen

  • Resume and LinkedIn workshops for finance recruiting

  • Alumni mentor pairings for career guidance

  • Three-statement financial modeling collaborative exercise

  • Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) financial modeling

  • Presentation of mock sell-side pitch to finance faculty

freshman year internship placements

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

 
 

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

  • Majoring in Finance

  • Demonstrated pattern and interest in learning about the finance field

Application opens: October 15th 2025 (more details to be shared throughout the semester)

Contact our Representatives

Dalton Kahl - Vice President of Education

  • Email - jkahl@email.sc.edu

Nathan Sageser - Freshman Finance Academy Co-Founder/Advisor

  • Email - nsageser@email.sc.edu