Student Profiles

Sairam Sivakumar

Hometown: Stamford, CT
Anticipated graduation year: 2020
Degree: BA in business and financial economics

Why did you choose the University of Rochester?

Originally a student from University of Connecticut, I transferred over to UR after my freshman year to pursue my love for the Financial Economics major and UR’s open curriculum.

Why did you choose the business major?

I have been interested in pursuing a double major in UR as a way to surpass my limits and achieve greater knowledge. Given that I’m a transfer student, however, I didn’t have many options. It was around that time that I discovered the BA business major and saw how flexible the curriculum was. Therefore, I decided to major in financial economics and business as a way to ground myself in business and climb the corporate world.

What has been your favorite undergraduate Simon Business School course and why?

To date, my favorite undergraduate Simon courses are FIN 206: Investments and GBA 221: Operations and Strategy. During my time at Rochester, I’ve come across two different types of course experiences—1. The student works really hard and the professor works hard alongside them to ensure the student is successful in the course,  2. Although the student works really hard, the course is taught and run extremely rigorously and it eventually overwhelms the student entirely. These two courses have taught me that success in college can be found through a combination of the student’s hard work and dedication, as well as the professor’s efforts to ensure that the student succeeds, while making the experience enjoyable. It is this two way collaboration that makes the bond between teacher and student strong.

What are your activities outside of class?

From 2017-2018, I served as the Finance Chair of Undergraduate Finance and Economics Council. At present, I often spend some of my leisure time with the UR Fencing Club.

Have you done an internship?

During the summer of 2017, I served as a Business Consultant for Richard Allen Inc., where I received the “Best Intern at Richard Allen Inc.” award from my office manager. In Summer 2019, I served as a Finance Transformation Intern for EXL Service.

What are your career goals?

Finance/Investment Analyst

Favorite Rochester restaurant: Pizza Hut/Arby’s since those restaurant’s currently have limited locations.

Favorite TV show: Shark Tank