Where the Alps Meet Wall Street
A demanding, immersive program, hosted in the Swiss Alps and in major financial centers. Participants describe long but exhilarating days that build not just financial knowledge, but lasting habits of discipline, project management, and professional rigor.
Habits That Outlast the Program
Time Management
Workloads of 10–14 hours a day train participants to prioritize, work efficiently, and deliver under pressure — a skill that translates directly to the trading floor or deal room.
Project Management
Teams divide complex deliverables, coordinate independently, and present professional work products — replicating the real-world rhythm of an investment banking or fund management project.
Work Ethic
From 7AM with the Financial Times to 2AM polishing pitch decks, participants leave with a proven capacity for sustained, high-quality output.
Collaboration
Evening group sessions and negotiation simulations require every participant to contribute, argue, and persuade — building the interpersonal edge that separates good analysts from great ones.
A Day in Each Location
Choose a location to follow a participant through a single day — hour by hour, in their own words.
Switzerland — The Alps
Wall Street culture at this altitude is incredible. Most of my classmates are peak-performing individuals from the US, the UK, and Asia. The day runs from 8AM to midnight or beyond — but the setting makes every hour feel purposeful.Program ParticipantSwiss Alps Program · Hedge Funds & M&A Track
- 8:00 AMBreakfastStart the day in the mountain chalet
- 9:00 AMMorning LectureM&A / Hedge Funds & Private Equity
- 12:00 PMLecture + LunchFinancial statements lecture continues
- 5:00 PMFlexible LectureEvening session & career talks
- 8:00 PMReadingsRequired preparation
- 10:00 PMGroup WorkTeam projects until midnight+
Morning — Mountain Chalet
The alarm goes off in my mountain chalet. I glance out of the window, and it is foggy in the hills. For a few seconds I reflect on how mountains can stay snow-capped even in 70-degree summer weather. Yesterday’s energetic discussion on the distressed debt negotiation project until 2:30AM seems to have exhausted my chalet-mates. I decide to go for a run up the Swiss Alps.
Morning Lecture
The morning lecture begins: hedge funds — the material is new and exciting. I raise my hand and ask the instructor to give examples of short volatility strategies; I had really struggled with the concept last night. “Short volatility,” he says, “is like writing a best-seller some day.” Since I had done yesterday’s assigned readings, my light bulb goes on! We go on to talk about M&A risk arbitrage and other strategies that funds use today.
Career Information
The investment banking career information session starts. I’ve been looking forward to learning how people get a job at an investment bank, and what a typical career path looks like. I always wanted to know the actual day-to-day responsibilities of analysts and associates. We are all stunned by the detail — one of us asks about exit opportunities for corporate finance professionals. Some of them seem very interesting.
Negotiation Project
The day’s lectures end. Since the negotiation project is due tomorrow, the evening is dedicated to project work. My deal team decides to meet in an hour, after reviewing the materials, to discuss how to build the models. We divide up tasks and work in independent groups on comparables-based valuation and volatility models for a hedge fund case.
Evening Debrief
I’m hungry again even though I had a huge dinner. Jennifer brings my roommate and me a sandwich. The team continues the discussion and breaks up for individual work. The setting — colleagues from the US, the UK, and Asia, all working intensely in a mountain chalet — is something I won’t forget.
End of Day
I finish the required readings for tomorrow’s class and decide to get some sleep. Although I am tired, I can’t wait for tomorrow’s class!
The Switzerland setting strips away every distraction. With a 10–14 hour structured day of lectures, independent research, group projects, and late-night model-building, participants leave having internalized the discipline and pacing of a real deal team. The mountain environment adds an unexpected benefit: it forces focus. There’s nowhere else to be.
New York City
I can picture myself in a Fortune 500 board room.Michelle YuNew York City · M&A / Capital Markets Track
A major international financial center — learning M&A valuation while chatting with instructors about Financial Times front-page news, then rebuilding a company’s capital structure until 2AM. This is what the program feels like in New York.
Morning Start
My cell phone alarm wakes me up with a jolt. I am not a morning person!
Reading & Prep
I grab coffee and read the Financial Times on my way to the seminar. I can actually understand the cross-border M&A discussion on the front page, thanks to yesterday’s class. I don’t agree with one of the articles on speculators’ role in commodity prices in the Lex column. Must bring it up in class.
Conversation with Faculty
John, one of the faculty members, is chatting with other attendees, and I ask if I may join. They have been talking about video game industry valuations. I am not into games, but I enjoy the conversation because it relates to our valuation project. Building on it, we discuss our personal interests and career ambitions.
Comparable Analysis Lecture
Today’s lecture is on the usefulness of comparables-based analysis in an M&A transaction. The conclusion is that discounted cash flow valuation was absolutely useless in last night’s case. Most of us are surprised, but it makes total sense. I can picture myself in a Fortune 500 board room.
Interview Simulation
My friend Grishma has just finished her interview session, and she feels it was the best half-hour learning experience of her life: “I think I bombed, but I learned so much from my mistakes!” I tell her she looks very professional in a business suit. She smiles at the compliment.
Project Team Strategy Session
My project team gathers to decide on a strategy to save our hypothetical client, whose stock price is plummeting and bond yields are skyrocketing. We conclude that the public capital markets are closed to them, and the only possibility is a private placement. How much would this distressed asset be worth to anyone? We argue for a while.
Faculty Drop-In
One of the instructors stops by to see if we need help. Yes, we do! She suggests thinking about operating margins, and de-leveraging through the sale of real estate assets. The team is pulled in two directions — sell assets or raise equity. The debate is energizing.
Late-Night Modeling
Chris and I plug in a potential solution: buying back debt and issuing convertible equity. My other team members disagree on the selection of warrants and options. I feel like I am actually in a Fortune 500 board room. Since it is getting late, we decide to develop and present both versions. Peter and Jill are working on the PowerPoint — both dressed extremely fashionably. I jokingly warn them not to go clubbing, even though I know that is the last thing on their minds.
New York places participants at the center of live financial news and deal-making culture. Reading the FT before breakfast, debating commodity price mechanics with faculty, then building capital restructuring models until 2AM — this is what project management under pressure actually looks and feels like in a major financial center.
London
There is a lot that I’ve learnt which will directly influence how I will manage my own family office. Now I feel like I can ask better questions and make sure that the right checks and balances are in place.Program ParticipantLondon · Wealth Management (CWM) Track
A day in the London program runs from alternative asset diversification and historical commodity correlations through to a lecture on junk bonds and a governance session on family offices. The pace is relentless — deliberately so.
Diversification & Alternatives
Today’s class is about the effects of diversification. The lecturer talks about alternative asset classes such as real estate, commodities, and collectibles. It is interesting to see how these assets performed during different stages of the economic cycle. We have an in-depth discussion about what we think is the best alternative asset class for the next ten years, and why.
Fixed Income & High Yield
We continue with a lecture on junk bonds and high yield — volatility, duration, convexity. Over the last few days we have thoroughly explored spreads, duration, and convexity. It is fascinating to see how high-yield bonds react during market sell-offs, and how a strategy of shorting convexity works.
Family Office Governance
Later in the day we look at the role of governance in family offices — something we are all keen to improve. Then we are asked to devise a strategy for the legacy of a successful entrepreneur who has no interest in running the family business. This is something some of us can personally relate to.
Team Project — Commodities
Our team project is about commodities: we study historical prices of gold, interest rates, and CPI to understand how they influence each other. The lecturer explains how historical correlations change — and the session moves from lecture to active team debate.
Family Office Session
There is a lot that I’ve learnt which will directly influence how I will manage my own family office. Before, I just let the money manager take care of my investments; now I feel like I can ask better questions and make sure the right checks and balances are in place. I can’t wait to get back to the office and make some improvements. Happily, I go out for a drink with a few of the other attendees whom I’ve gotten to know quite well.
London’s Wealth Management track is notable for how quickly theory becomes practice: the knowledge transfer is immediate and practical. Participants leave better equipped to manage their own assets, understand client relationships, and navigate complex alternative investment decisions.
New York City — CMA™
After I am finished presenting, I realize how helpful this knowledge will be for me when choosing an investment manager. The program doesn’t just teach you finance — it teaches you how to think like one.Program ParticipantNew York City · Mergers & Acquisitions (CMA™) Track
Two consecutive days in the NYC M&A track — reading the FT before 8AM, arguing valuation methodologies by 9AM, conducting interview simulations by 2PM, and rebuilding a distressed company’s capital structure until 3:30AM before presenting the next morning. The program doesn’t simply describe investment banking. It replicates its pace.
Morning Reading
I grab coffee and read the Financial Times on my way to the seminar. I can actually understand the cross-border M&A discussion on the front page, thanks to yesterday’s class. I don’t agree with one of the articles on speculators’ role in commodity prices. Must bring it up in class.
Valuation Lecture
Today’s lecture is on the usefulness of comparables-based analysis in an M&A transaction. The conclusion is that discounted cash flow valuation was absolutely useless in last night’s case. Most of us are surprised, but it makes total sense. I can picture myself in a Fortune 500 board room.
Interview Simulation
My friend Grishma has just finished her interview session, and she feels it was the best half-hour learning experience of her life. “I think I bombed, but I learned so much from my mistakes!” She looks very professional, and smiles at the compliment.
Capital Structure Project
My project team gathers to decide on a strategy to save our hypothetical client, whose stock price is plummeting and bond yields are skyrocketing. We conclude that the public capital markets are closed to them, and the only possibility is a private placement. How much would this distressed asset be worth to anyone? We argue for a while.
Faculty Check-In
One of the instructors stops by to see if we need help. Yes, we do! She suggests thinking about operating margins, and de-leveraging through the sale of real estate assets.
Convertible Equity Solution
Chris and I plug in a potential solution: buying back debt and issuing convertible equity. My other team members disagree on the selection of warrants and options. I feel like I am actually in a Fortune 500 board room. It is getting late, so we decide to develop and present both versions. Peter and Jill are working on the PowerPoint, both dressed extremely fashionably. I jokingly warn them not to go clubbing — even though I know that is the last thing on their minds.
Final Presentations
The presentation is about to begin and we look over the slides one last time. My team and I convince the other team of our analysis. The underlying analysis, awareness of risk, and ability to see past other people’s hype are so crucial. After I am finished presenting, I realize how helpful this knowledge will be for me when choosing an investment manager.
The CMA™ New York track is the most intense offering in the program. Participants experience the full cycle of an M&A case — identifying the problem, researching solutions, debating strategy under time pressure, and presenting to a room of peers. The late nights are not cosmetic: they build the resilience and pacing discipline that define a professional in this field.
† The testimonials and daily schedules on this page are from participants in previously offered programs. Program structure, locations, and availability may have changed. For information on current programs and locations, contact [email protected].
A Residency Day
Markets & First Session
Market reading and discussion, then the first working session: M&A, hedge funds, or capital markets.
Working Lunch
Analysis and model-building continue through a working lunch.
Project Work
Team-based project work: research, drafting, and modeling against deadlines.
Sessions & Simulations
Group sessions, negotiation simulations, presentations, and preparation for the next day.