Student Testimonials
Leslie Lewis,
Class of 2010, BBA
I transferred to Acadia after ending a career as a national team athlete representing Canada in the sport of canoe / kayak. I chose to go into business as a testament to the life my father had created for our family through his entrepreneurship but had no idea of what I expected to get out of university for myself. Up until my first semester at Acadia I had always been an athlete first and a student second and this was a major cause of my lack of direction. Luckily for me, I was fortunate enough to also take many of my required economics courses as part of my business degree in that first semester at Acadia. These courses would prove to be only the beginning of many to follow after the excitement, dedication and love of the subject conveyed by the exceptional professors of Acadia Economics.
Far beyond their contagious affection for the material was also their commitment and pride in sharing their knowledge with students. The professors at Acadia were akin to my former coaches on the national team, as they pushed me to reach new levels of understanding and success through their support and dedication. This commitment embodies the Acadia spirit in general, but is maximized in the Economics department due it its smaller size and extraordinary staff. Whether your goal is to be the best in class or to merely make it across the finish line, the professors and curriculum of Acadia Economics will ensure that you will get everything you expected and more from your university experience.
Fast forward to the present and I have one year under my belt as an analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions division of CIBC’s Investment Banking team in Toronto. While the application for this position stressed a strong knowledge in accounting and finance, I cannot quantify the contribution my economics background has given me in my young analyst career. While slaving through econometrics in the spring of 2010, I remember thinking that there was no way I’d use any of it again. I realized how wrong I was a few months later while I spent what used to be my Christmas break in the office running regressions to provide piece of mind to a client undergoing a multi-billion dollar transaction!
While my degree is officially Business Administration with Honours, my economics courses have proven invaluable to me in my new undertakings in investment banking. A true testament to Acadia Economics is that you can go to school in rural Nova Scotia and thanks to courses like Financial Markets and Financial Institutions know everything you need to succeed on Bay Street. This was beyond my wildest expectations while sitting in class at the Beveridge Arts Centre, and is something I’d like to thank all my former professors for and also something I encourage all current and future Acadia students to chase after.