Student Profile: Taking Initiative

Lawrence Fan '08
Summer Internship: Goldman Sachs

One of the main reasons I wanted to apply to Yale is that Yale SOM's mission —“Educating leaders for business and society” — is unique. Yale SOM's basic philosophy is that successful businesspeople should know how to communicate with other people — how to train, how to lead. We place a central importance on doing something for society.

When I first came to Yale SOM, I knew little about American culture. I’m originally from Shanghai, so I came from a totally different cultural background and my communication skills were constrained by my previous training. But, during my first year at Yale SOM, the faculty, staff and second-year students really provided a lot of help. Whereas the Chinese culture teaches you to be more silent and to be more modest, American students are very open, very active. People at Yale SOM have always encouraged me to speak more, to be braver, and to take more initiative; now, I’m more likely to put forward ideas in the classroom and elsewhere.

In January, I went to Singapore for the International Experience. I wanted to learn more about the region I come from. In many ways, Singapore is quite similar to China, so I wanted to find out whether we can apply in China the principles that have given Singapore its competitive advantages. We talked with a lot of senior people in Singapore, such as Jackson Tai, the CEO of DBS (the largest bank in Singapore). We also visited Pfizer, the Singapore Stock Exchange, and GIC, which is one of the largest investment groups controlled by the Singapore government.

I recently secured a summer internship with the Asian Special Situations Group (ASSG) of Goldman Sachs (Asia). Yale University has a long-standing connection with China and maintains a very strong presence in China, but — to be honest — getting this internship was tough. The head count is very limited, so it’s highly competitive.

Fortunately, Yale SOM provides a lot of help to first-year students seeking jobs. The CDO helps you polish your résumé, the professional writers teach you how to write cover letters, and the Finance Club provides you with finance modeling and financial evaluation training. I’m really looking forward to this summer internship.

Interviewed on May 2, 2007.