Nile Dennis-Stephens

"I have been determined to pursue a career in private equity since I was 14 years old. I was first introduced to the concept while playing my favourite video game, FIFA. “There’s a game mode called ‘Ultimate Team’ where you earn money and use it to invest in players on an in-game stock market. This was an entirely new concept to me, seeing how the strong performance of footballers in the real world could cause their value to increase substantially really intrigued me. So, my love for finance and economics was born!” 

After gaining my undergraduate degree, I decided to stay on and study MSc Finance and Investment. I really enjoyed the postgraduate course. Especially the Investment Banking  

No question was too silly or complex, the lecturers were able to answer. I had a really good relationship with my tutors. If I walked past them in the corridor they’d always stop for a chat, even if it was cutting into their break. It wasn’t just an academic relationship, we would relate as people. 

The Curzon Building was a great place to study. It’s modern and there’s lots of cafes and restaurants so you don’t have to trek far on breaks. The library is massive. I never had any trouble finding anywhere to sit to work and there are plenty of private and group study rooms available. The staff are incredible and sort out any issues quickly. It’s a great environment to be in.  

As part of the course, I was able to make use of the University’s City Trading Room, something I was keen to use. The trading room is fantastic, there’s a ticker-tape style text screen similar to what you see in Times Square in New York. It keeps you updated with the latest news which may have an affect on the markets as well as latest trading updates from around the world. It is like a real-world trading floor. The software in there is very comprehensive. It’s called ICON and it’s what they use in industry for trading on public markets. We’d use this software, along with the information provided on the ticker to make informed decisions on trades to make. 

I am now studying towards a Masters Degree in Finance and Investment and as part of that, I was invited to take part in a Trading Simulation event hosted by Amplify Trading. This event brought together students and trading professionals to take part in a series of simulations to see who could identify and make the best trades and turn the best profits on them. 

I’ve been learning to trade since I was 14 years old but there were still new things to learn during the Simulation event. It was exciting and gave an excellent insight into the industry. They’d provide scenarios and data which we’d factor into our decision makers, and it was ‘buyers vs sellers’ to see who could make the most profit. I was happy that out of 50 competitors I came 3rd in the end. It was a great experience. 

My Advice for prospective student would be “Make sure you prioritise your time and tasks well. Concentrate on your studies but make time to get involved with non-academic activities likes sports and societies as well”.  

I now continue my journey towards becoming an investment banker and working in private equity."