Sharpe Fellows Program

In 2008, the William F. Sharpe Fellows Program was created by the UCLA Department of Economics and their Board of Visitors to engage UCLA alumni, community members, and employers in supporting the career and professional development needs of UCLA’s business undergraduates. Named in honor of Nobel Laureate and UCLA alumnus William F. Sharpe, the program has been successful in bringing together top employers with UCLA’s brightest students interested in pursuing business careers. Today, the program is run by the UCLA Alumni Association staff in collaboration with the Department of Economics and their Board of Visitors to strengthen the Bruin community in business.

Benefits

Leadership Development

Sharpe Fellows are campus role models; many are rising stars among their respective campus communities and serve on executive roles across various student organizations. As our next generation of business leaders, Sharpe Fellows also spend their Fellowship year refining their leadership skills.

The program helps equip Sharpe Fellows with the competencies and knowledge to be successful leaders and global citizens. Because of this, candidates for the Sharpe Fellows Program should demonstrate an excitement for and commitment to developing key aspects of leadership including purpose, impact, commitment, responsibility, accountability and civic engagement.  For the civic engagement portion of the program, Sharpe Fellows alumni that are current students spend the remainder of their time at UCLA giving back by serving as mentors to Sharpe Fellows and other students interested in business at UCLA.

Career Development

Sharpe Fellows receive assistance securing and preparing for a summer internship through training and by leveraging an exclusive network of connections and partnerships with alumni, industry leaders, and Alumni Affairs staff. Currently, the Fellowship provides support for students pursuing summer internships in investment banking, finance, management consulting, and technology.

Through the Career Development portion of the series, Sharpe Fellows receive training on how to successfully secure an internship in the fall quarter and how to secure the full-time offer in the winter quarter.  The series includes alumni panelists, alumni and staff trainers for skills training and alumni coaches and judges for the case competition that is divided into two tracks: one for the investment banking and finance verticals and the other for the consulting and tech verticals.

Each Sharpe Fellow has access to receive individualized career coaching and industry introductions to help launch a successful career through virtual office hours. UCLA Sharpe Fellows have accepted internships at top companies including Goldman Sachs, PwC, J.P. Morgan, Bain, KPMG, Citi, Credit Suisse, Google, Apple, and Intel. Most impressive of all, 100% of Sharpe Fellows have been able to secure a summer internship. 

Mentorship & Networking

The 2023-2024 UCLA Sharpe Fellows will be one cohort made up four sections based on each vertical (investment banking, finance, consulting, and tech) that all meet in-person beginning and ending at the same time: November 1 to February 23.

Upon being named a Sharpe Fellow, each student is assigned to a mentorship pod of alumni (based on their vertical and desired location for employment) and a one-on-one mentor from the pod. The alumni mentors have at least 2 years of full-time professional experience, although most alumni mentors have extensive years of work and knowledge. The alumni mentors serve as resources as Sharpe Fellows navigate summer internship recruitment, and can also provide broader career planning advice.

In addition to their alumni mentor pod, Sharpe Fellows also have exclusive access to a network of over 550 Sharpe Fellow alumni that are either rising or are leaders in the business world, and other alumni invested in the professional success of UCLA students. This Fellowship is especially valuable for those looking to expand and deepen their professional network and are self-motivated to connect with UCLA alumni.

Program Commitment

As a Sharpe Fellow, it is required to actively participate in each program component below during the fall and winter quarters. By applying for the Sharpe Fellows Program, you understand and acknowledge the required participation in all event programming. See dates below.  All events are in-person on the UCLA Campus except the Mentorship Pods, which are virtual.

Event	Date	Time
Orientation	Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023	5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Leadership and Career Development Series	Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023 Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024	5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Mentorship Pods	Week of Nov. 27, 2023 Week of Feb. 5, 2024	Exact dates & times TBD
Networking Night	Consulting & Tech: Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 IB & Finance: Thursday, Jan 25, 2024	6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Case Competition	Friday, Feb. 23, 2024	9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (exact times TBD)
End-of-Year Banquet	Wednesday, May 1, 2024	6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Prospective Fellows

Program Eligibility

• Undergraduate students, enrolled full-time (12+ units) at UCLA 
• Expected graduation date of December 2025, March 2026, or June 2026
• Minimum 3.4 GPA

Application Process

The Sharpe Fellows Program annually selects the top UCLA undergraduate business students, and are supported by alumni, community members, and employers who are invested in the career and professional development needs of Sharpe Fellows. Prospective candidates must have a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in business administration. Successful candidates should also have an interest in leadership development and a genuine enthusiasm for civic engagement.

Candidates will be asked to submit a well-crafted resume, answer four (4) short answer prompts, and select which cohort they are pursuing (investment banking, finance, consulting, or tech). Candidates interested in Private Equity should apply for the investment Banking industry vertical. After a review of all applications, selected students will be invited to participate in virtual interviews with a selection committee comprised of UCLA alumni, UCLA staff, and former Sharpe Fellows.

The four essay prompts will be:

1. Why X (investment banking, finance, consulting, or tech)?
2. What have you done thus far to prepare for a career in X and what is your plan of action to secure an internship going forward?
3. What challenges do you believe this Fellowship program will help you overcome in securing an internship?
4. How would you describe the role of responsibility, accountability, and commitment in a leader? In what specific ways do you believe those leadership qualities are relevant in this Fellowship program?  Please describe how you would exemplify those qualities if given the opportunity to be a Sharpe Fellow.

In order to be considered for the program, you MUST meet all eligibility requirements and complete the entire application.

The 2023-2024 application information is below:

• Applications Open: September 5, 2023
• Information Session: Wednesday, October 4, 2023 from 12pm – 1pm
• Application Deadline: Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. PST
  • Candidates will be notified if they are selected for an interview on Monday, October 23
• Interviews (all held virtually)

Cohort	Date	Time
Investment Banking Round 1*	Wednesday, October 25	6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Investment Banking Round 2**	Friday, October 27	9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Consulting	Wednesday, October 25	6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Finance	Thursday, October 26	6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Tech	Thursday, October 26	6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

*Candidates will be notified if moving onto next round on Thursday, October 26

**only for selected candidates

ALL candidates will be notified if they are selected as a Sharpe Fellow on

Monday, October 30, 2023.

All content listed above, including dates of events, is subject to change.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, want more information about the UCLA Sharpe Fellows Program, or are interested in hiring Sharpe Fellows, please contact Mia Seleshi, Director of Alumni Career Engagement, UCLA Alumni Affairs.