Joseph van der Valk

The HEC Paris Investment Banking Summer School program felt like the right first step - challenging, thorough and technical finance taught by people who actually do the work.

Before applying to HEC Paris’s Master in International Finance, I wanted to know one thing - was this really the place worth building the next two years of my life around, and was I ready for it?

I’m in my final year of a BSc in Economics & Business Economics at Utrecht University, with internships in FinTech, consulting and banking behind me. I plan to pursue a career in investment banking, ideally in New York, but London, Singapore and Paris are also cities where I’d want to build a life. The HEC Paris Investment Banking Summer School program felt like the right first step - challenging, thorough and technical finance taught by people who actually do the work.

That’s where Olivier Levyne made the difference. He designed the course, and it shows in every session. What struck me wasn’t just his command of the material, but his choice of guest speakers. Olivier brought in senior, influential figures from investment banking who also turned out to be excellent teachers and good people to spend two weeks learning from.

The program built toward a live buy-side M&A pitch. Defending our numbers and our story in real time was the moment that made the two weeks particularly valuable. It’s easy to underrate the soft skills this industry demands, such as holding a room’s attention and defending a pitch under pressure. That closing session was genuinely one of the best experiences of the program.

What I didn’t expect was how much the cohort itself would matter. Spending two weeks with classmates from around the world, all working toward the same goal of learning finance at a high level, is its own kind of education. You learn as much from the person sitting next to you as from the person teaching you.

I came out of it convinced that the Master in International Finance is worth the work - worth applying for, worth preparing for properly, and worth meeting its high standards. If you’re trying to answer the same question I had, my advice is simple - don’t just read about the program – experience it! Two weeks will tell you infinitely more than any brochure can.

Find out more about this Summer School program