Graduate Blog / Graduate Life

The Babson College Fund (BCF) Elective Course: A MSF Student Perspective

The Babson College Fund (BCF) is an accredited course in which specially selected students from both the undergraduate and graduate schools manage a $2M portion of the Babson College endowment. The program is for highly self-motivated individuals with a strong interest in finance and investments. Practical application is a key feature of the Master of Science in Finance (MSF) student experience; read about Lilia Chobanova’s BCF experience here:

The Babson College Fund (BCF) is a year-long course, but it is an experience completely different from any other class. Each meeting involves a dynamic setting, managing funds in real time, and feedback received from professionals with more than 20 years of industry experience. I realized the importance of feedback when I had to deliver my first pitch; one of the executives provided valuable advice that helped me pinpoint weak spots and thus strengthen my proposal.

I have greatly benefited from building my ability to communicate with and learn from the executives in residence, who expect from you nothing less than the highest level of preparation and input. Having a high standard is the best incentive for students to upgrade their knowledge and skills, and our development has been noticeable throughout the progression of the semester. We were able to learn from each other’s mistakes, hear other students’ approach to analysis and pitching, and actively engage in providing feedback.

Quantitative Analyst, Lilia Chobanova MSF ’18 & Executive Portfolio Manager, Justin Atwood MBA ‘18

The BCF class represents a very unique real-world investment management experience that I could not find within any other classroom environment. I am very happy I decided to pursue this opportunity, and I encourage all future Babson students interested in the financial services industry to apply.

Lilia Chobanova is a student in the Master of Science in Finance (MSF) program. Prior to coming to Babson, Lilia was a Financial Analyst working in the Global Technology Services division at IBM, and interned in asset management at Expat Capital in Bulgaria.