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Carter Spence is a Class of 2025 Finance and Philosophy double major from Saint Louis, Missouri.

Think back to your senior year of high school… why did you choose to attend the Cox School of Business at SMU?

I chose to attend ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»úfor a variety of reasons, but two reasons particularly stood out to me: the breadth of opportunities for students and being in the city of Dallas. At other schools that I visited, it was tough to see where I would fit within the university or within the business school (if the university had one). ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»úwas entirely the opposite. The programs that I learned about as a senior in high school – particularly the EnCap & LCM Alternative Asset Management Center Program, President Scholars Program, BBA Scholars Program, and University Honors Program – gave me a strong sense of community from the first day I stepped foot on campus. I did not know a single person when I decided to attend SMU, so having these programs in place was very comforting, and I have made some of my closest friends through them.

What has been your favorite Cox class so far? What have you learned that has really stuck with you?

My favorite Cox class so far has been Advanced Corporate Finance taught over the summer in London by Professor Darius Miller. The class was unique and particularly stood out to me because of the blend between in-class instruction and real-world expertise. Over the course of just four weeks, Professor Miller was able to teach an entire semester’s worth of corporate finance while adding in field trips and tours to supplement the class. For example, we were taught an additional unit on insurance during the last week of the class and visited Lloyd’s of London, one of the largest and most famous insurance markets in the world. The class was also very small, having just ~20 people. I am still great friends with many of them today and keep in touch with Professor Miller frequently.

How do you spend your time outside of class? What student organizations have you joined, in Cox or otherwise?

Outside of classes, I have been involved in a variety of student organizations and extracurricular activities. I have been involved in Boulevard Investment Group, Don Jackson Center for Financial Studies, Consult Your Community, and Student Foundation. The most transformative of these has been my involvement in the Boulevard Investment Group. Founded in 2012, Boulevard Investment Group is a completely student-run investment fund that manages and advises on over $1 million in assets. Through the group, I have been able to develop real-world financial analysis skills that have set me apart from students at other universities, including directing investments for the Financial sector. My experience with the Financial sector helped me to land my internship this summer at Citigroup within their Financial Institutions Group, and helped me land my current part-time internship at a hedge fund that focuses on investments in financial services companies. In addition, the most rewarding aspect of my involvement in the group has been my work this year as the Head of Education. When I joined as a sophomore, I was incredibly grateful for the work that seniors did to educate the underclassmen. Now, I am returning that favor by teaching the freshmen and sophomore Junior Analysts key financial concepts (accounting, corporate finance, valuation, etc.) twice a week for two hours, where their work culminates in stock pitches every month, and training the juniors below me to continue running the education program next year.

Tell us about how you’ve utilized the CMC – the Cox Career Management Center.

When I first came to SMU, I had no idea where I would be and what I would be doing after graduation. My sister’s positive experience in law school made me think that I would go down the legal path, but I quickly became immersed in the business internship opportunities that ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»úprepares its undergraduates with. Through the Career Accelerator Program (CAP), I interned with a management consulting firm after my freshman year, and through the Cox London program, I interned with a financial technology company in the United Kingdom after my sophomore year. Both of these experiences provided by Cox allowed me to gain internship experience early in my college career and prepare me for investment banking internship recruiting. I interned at Citigroup in New York this past summer and will be returning full time as an investment banking analyst. What is important to note is that my experience is not unique for ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»ústudents whatsoever. Many of my friends in Cox have similar experiences, and partly because of the career development that Cox intentionally offers, I am moving to New York with three of my best friends who are also working in finance.

We have an awesome new building for the Cox School of Business. What is your favorite part of the David B. Miller Business Quadrangle?

By far, my favorite part of the new building is the common area underground by Sclafani’s. After two years of classes being spread out all over campus, it has been great to see all of my friends in Cox before, in between, and after classes. All of my classes this semester are in Cox, so I am a regular in the building and enjoy seeing familiar faces.

What advice would you give to seniors in high school who are in the middle of their college search process?

My advice to seniors going through the college decision process is to think critically about what you want out of your college experience and how the schools you have been accepted to fit within that. For me, I wanted to go to a school in a big city with a finance presence that also had strong school spirit. While I applied to many schools that did not fit these goals, I knew I would be happiest if the college I attended had all three. ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»úand the Cox School of Business have checked all three boxes for me. Being in the city of Dallas has been very entertaining and always offers something to do, and the finance and networking opportunities I have received from the Dallas area have been meaningful. And on the school spirit note, perhaps the highlight of my time in college has been witnessing SMU’s move to the ACC. When I was younger, I thought for certain I would go to a blue blood college athletics program and enjoy my college experience that way. Being a senior now and watching a top-25 ranked ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»úfootball team take down big name programs like Florida State, Louisville, and TCU in front of sold-out crowds has been a highlight of my last year on campus, and makes me even more excited to be an alum and watch the continued rise of ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»úathletics.

Thank you, Carter, for sharing your ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»úCox story and your advice for prospective students! You have embraced so many wonderful opportunities on campus.