Hello everyone,
My friend and I are undergrad students looking to get into investment banking and private equity after we graduate. I’m majoring in Economics while my friend studies Econometrics. We want to start a student club that will help us build relevant skills and make our resumes more attractive to recruiters.
Here are two club concepts we’re considering:
Option A: Equity Research Club
- Members research companies and present buy/sell recommendations
- Create detailed financial models with DCF analysis and comparable company valuations
- Present investment thesis to other members acting as decision makers
- Produce professional research reports similar to what analysts write
Option B: Private Equity Simulation Group
- Work on leveraged buyout case studies in teams
- Build complete financial models showing 5-year projections and exit scenarios
- Create presentation materials like real deal teams use
- Practice the same type of cases used in PE interviews
Questions for anyone with finance industry experience:
- Which type of student organization would be more impressive to recruiters?
- Will this actually help us stand out when applying for positions?
- What other activities should we focus on besides internships?
- How can we make our work look as professional as possible?
Any advice would be really helpful since we want to make sure we’re spending our time on the right things.
Why not do both? Start with equity research to nail the fundamentals, then throw in some PE cases. Real stock picks with actual performance tracking beats fake simulations every time - recruiters love seeing that stuff.
You’re overthinking this. I did something similar in college - we’d pick random stocks each semester and track them against the S&P 500. Simple, but it gave us real talking points for interviews. The magic wasn’t fancy DCF models (though we did those too). It was having skin in the game with our picks. I recommended Netflix at $180 one semester and it hit $400 - that story carried me through 5 interview rounds lol. Stop worrying about looking “professional” and focus on getting results you can actually brag about.
I’ve worked in investment banking for years, and I’d go with Option A: Equity Research Club hands down. Sure, PE simulation sounds cool, but equity research teaches you skills you’ll actually use everywhere in finance. You’ll be doing DCF models and comps analysis - that’s literally what analysts do day-to-day. Here’s the real kicker: you’ll have actual research reports to show recruiters. They can see your work instead of just hearing you talk about some simulation. Try partnering with local investment firms or alumni to review your research - it adds serious credibility. Present your findings to university investment committees or student funds too. Shows you can apply this stuff in the real world. What matters isn’t the club structure - it’s how good and thorough your analysis is. Keep track of your wins AND your mistakes. Being able to discuss both shows recruiters you’re honest and can learn from failures.
i totally get ya - both ideas r great, but option A might catch more eyes. equity reserch really helps with skills in both IB & PE, plus good stock results will shine on a resume. don’t forget to hit up alumni or profs too, those connections are key.