Finance-based Jan Plan classes

Many students interested in the financial world find themselves studying economics during their time at Colby. This course of study exposes these students to subjects including micro and macroeconomics, financial accounting, and corporate finance, all of which provide valuable knowledge to them as they seek entry into the financial job market.

There are, however, students with similar interests who do not study economics yet would also like to take some finance or financial markets classes. This is difficult to do for these students, as most economics classes at Colby are designed for majors and minors who have completed their prerequisites, not recreational economists.

So, what are these students to do? If they cannot add an economics major or minor, must they learn all of this information on their own? Are there any other options for them besides 100-level economics courses?

In fact, there are several finance and market-based classes that students can take without an economics major or minor at Colby, and some of the most interesting ones are taught during Jan Plan.

The first of these courses is EC117: 'Introduction to Financial Decision Making.' This course focuses on, well, financial decision making, but specifically personal budgeting, taxes, credit, insurance, major financial decisions, and investing. For a student who wants to know a bit more about managing their own finances, this is certainly a class to highly consider.

Another course of this nature is EC171: 'Global Financial Markets.' This course's content is described as a "fast-paced and challenging investigation of global financial markets and their effect on the world's domestic economies," per the Colby curriculum search. For a student who wants to learn about markets, specifically, this is the class for them.

For students who wish to pursue a career in the financial industry, specifically in mergers and acquisitions, one class stands out above the rest– JP123: 'The Art of the M & A Deal,' which is being taught this January remotely. Students in this class will learn about the execution of business acquisitions while also executing a mock merger or acquisition of their own. Students will also hear from experienced professionals in the field as guest speakers throughout the course.

Lastly, there is one other Jan Plan class that students interested in markets or finance should consider: 'From Idea to IPO,' listed as JP148 by the registrar. This class takes students on a deep dive into the early years of successful and unsuccessful companies while also focusing on the competitive advantages that companies either have or lack. Students in this class will read case studies, evaluate real companies, and even create mock board presentations as their final project. As a former student of this class, I recommend it to everyone, especially those with an interest in startups, IPOs, or markets in general.

All of these courses provide valuable knowledge regarding finance and markets, and they all do so in a unique way. Whether your interest is personal finances, global markets, M&A transactions, or successful startups going public, Colby has you covered this Jan Plan.

For additional information on these classes, see the Colby curriculum search found on the MyColby portal.

~ Sam Leathe `21