Experiential / Reality-based Learning / April 24, 2015

Juniors & Seniors Get Real Talk at Inaugural Conference

Juniors & Seniors Get Real Talk at Inaugural Conference

The thought of managing their own finances after college can be daunting for juniors and seniors with graduation on the horizon. To ease the stress, the Dean’s Student Advisory Council (DSAC) and the Smith Undergraduate Program at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business partnered with SECU, a credit union in Maryland, to host the Real Life Real Talk conference on Friday, April 17, 2015.

To kick off the conference, SECU’s CEO Rod Staatz addressed students on the importance of being proactive now in order to have a stable financial future.

Next, students attended two half-hour breakout sessions presented by SECU to learn even more about post-graduate finances.

Luke Pelger of Accel Members Financial Counseling, who works closely with SECU, presented the first session, titled “Who the heck is FICO?” He aimed to teach students how to access, understand and manage their FICO credit scores.

According to Pelger, learning how to manage credit scores before graduating is imperative to financial stability in the future.

“As students graduate, it’s going to be important to know where their credit stands for future financial decisions like getting a car or a mortgage,” he explained. “Learning the basics now and building and maintaining that credit will certainly help down the line.”

When asked to give one piece of final advice to graduating students, Pelger said, “The most important thing is to check your credit report and pay all of your bills on time. Payment history is very important.”

Next, Harry Florio Jr., vice president of human relations at SECU, taught students how to pursue, evaluate and negotiate future job offers. Florio’s presentation posed the question “What motivates you?” He encouraged students to think deeply about what they crave in a workplace environment and not to be afraid to negotiate future job offers.

“As an HR specialist, I’m actually surprised how many people don’t negotiate their offers,” Florio told the students. “You should definitely consider each part of the offer and negotiate those you aren’t satisfied with.”

The last session of the day was an alumni panel featuring five recent Smith School alumni. Alumni featured on the panel included:

  • Austin Carroll: development associate, The Menkiti Group
  • Mike DeLucia: audit senior, Deloitte
  • Stephanie Graf: business tech analyst, Deloitte
  • Zach Nerenberg: consultant, KCIC
  • Kushaan Shah: consultant, IBM

The alumni relayed tips and tricks for becoming financially stable after graduation. Their suggestions included creating a personal budget and opening a credit card with good rewards. They answered student questions about job security, job satisfaction and housing.

“With this event, we wanted students to be able to hit the ground running financially after graduating,” said DSAC senior David Engle. “SECU has been so open to helping our students learn one-on-one how to manage their finances.”

The conference culminated in a lunch that allowed students, SECU professionals and Smith School alumni to network with one another.

Christina Germano, intern, Office of Marketing Communications

 

 

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Greg Muraski
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About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

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