SERENDIPITY | Insecurity as a Tool for Growth

This past summer, swaths of bright college students armed with alacrity sauntered into corporate headquarters and satellite offices, hoping to assert themselves in prestigious and difficult internships. For many of us, this time period was nerve wracking and intense. Investment banking summer analysts fought tooth and nail to secure the coveted return offer. Software engineering interns struggled to keep up with the rapid innovations that Silicon Valley dumps onto the market. In other industries, others were similarly bringing what they perceived to be their A-game to the table… only to see their performances barely, if at all, meet the bar.

SERENDIPITY | The Five Stages of Goldman Grief: Denial

 

Trigger Warning: Potential Damage to Fragile Egos
Preface
According to Grief.com, “the five stages, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are a part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with the one we lost. They are tools to help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. But they are not stops on some linear timeline in grief.” In today’s article, I will walk readers through a scenario in which the one they have lost is the Goldman Sachs internship/full-time offer. Through my experiences as a college student, I have noticed that student reactions to Goldman Sachs rejections mirror the reactions of those suffering extreme emotional distress resulting from the loss of friends and family. What you see below covers a “Denial” scenario.

SERENDIPITY | 6 Things All High-Performing Business Students Should Do

1. The Humble Brag

They say America runs on Dunkin, but I say otherwise. This pristine country runs on the humble brag. What exactly is this nuanced art? Well, somewhere down the line, it became socially unacceptable to run around flaunting your job offers, Rolex watches, 4.3 GPAs, high school accomplishments, Yeezies, and social standing.

SERENDIPITY | A Societal Necessity: Women’s Diversity Programs

As an Asian male, it’s quite safe to say that my peers and I get the shortest end of the recruitment stick. It’s no secret that we’re perceived as the meek and subservient types that belong in the professional friend-zone. I’m not complaining — simply framing. What I mean by this, is that based on what I face when it comes to finding jobs, I should be incredibly angry at the world of diversity programs. When thinking of white males getting the inherent recruitment benefits stemming back from the pilgrimage days and women and underrepresented minorities getting the recruitment benefits of decades worth of guilt, I was formerly angry. Amidst my mound of salt, I never really stopped to empathize and examine the other side of things.

THE DISMAL SCIENCE | Venezuela Can’t Feed Its Cats

Long lines and empty shelves plague Venezuela’s grocery stores as its economic crisis shows no signs of stopping. Pets are also feeling the effects of the prolonged food shortages as residents are struggling to spare a single morsel, according to a report by CBS. The South American nation traditionally relies on foreign goods to stock its stores, but imports are down 40% from last year, according to a report by NPR. The reason for such a sharp cut is simple: the government is running out of money. It is easy to blame the problem on a worldwide slump in oil prices.