Rahi Patel

Rahi Patel

Princeton University

Private Equity Associate

Chicago Pacific Founders

Overall Rating:
Training:
Internship:
Mentorship:
Career Development:

Review Date: Oct 5, 2019

Experience Prior To The Program

My finance background was very limited prior to joining the Analyst Prep Program. I did not know what I wanted to pursue in the finance field either so i joined primarily to learn about the opportunities available to me and I knew the financial training I would receive would be extremely helpful. I spoke with previous alumni of the program and they reiterated Mr. Romero’s expertise and helpful teaching in their feedback to me. I also knew this was more about the mentorship component as I also had limited connections on Wall Street and Mr. Romero would teach me the soft skills as well.

Training Experience

Mentorship was definitely the most valuable part of the training. Mr. Romero made it a goal to ensure we understood the various opportunities available to us in the finance field and that depending on the specific skillset of each student, he would tailor his advice. I still stay in touch with Mr. Romero and use his advice for further career progression. The financial training was also exceptional as I was able to still use a lot of the skills I learned in training at my full-time job. This was invaluable and the financial training is truly on par with Wall Street.

The financial training was also exceptional as I was able to still use a lot of the skills I learned in training at my full-time job. This was invaluable and the financial training is truly on par with Wall Street.

Internship Experience

The internship component was also very useful in that I was able to apply what I learned directly in a setting where my research and models were being used to drive the firm’s investment decisions. The multiple iterations that I had to do for my projects also gave me insight into what an investment banking analyst role entails. I learned a lot about how an investor thinks and what type of information is needed to make a decision on whether a company is a good buy/sell, etc. Mr. Romero consistently made us walk through our thought process during the internship and this was very helpful.

Mentorship

The mentorship was truly a distinctive component of this program that many others might not offer. Mr. Romero has a great set of experiences to back up his advice and this was always valuable. I used the one-on-one mentorship for interview prep, resume review and general career advice. Mr. Romero always made an effort to put me in touch with the right people that he knew in order to get me the right advice.

Career Development

The program still is one of the major reasons why I am in the spot I am today so I am very grateful. I continue to stay in touch with Mr. Romero and alumni of the program as this connection to the program makes us a family.

Final Remarks

My advice to students hesitant about joining would be simply go for it. The career that you are trying to embark upon if you are considering this program is a valuable one and one that needs to be started on the right foot. Mr. Romero will ensure this happens and this program has evolved over time and has consistently added components to make the experience useful for everyone. Not many programs combine the perks of financial training, internship experience, mentorship/career development and the Romero program is one of the very few that I would not give any seconds thoughts to.