The best way to stay on top of DFE activities is to join the DFE Email List. You will get notified when we open registration for the opportunities below and add new events.
Competitions for Sophomores
Goldman Sachs Trade Pitch Competition
The objective of this competition is to learn how to create and justify a trade idea on behalf of a hedge fund. Work in a team of three to propose a unique trade and create a presentation with an explanation of the trade thesis. Read more about the Trade Pitch Competition.
Fall 2026 Winners
First Place: Belle Phang, Grace Ren, Nicole Tedja, Leyuan Zhou
Second Place: Cooper Ferdman, Jarett Hung, Mac Riley, Nebil Siraj
Third Place: Miles Blackhart, Finn Kelly, Amelia Savage, Parth Shah
Honorable Mention: Hasan Belgaumi, Neev Goenka, Aarav Mehta, Ian Prazak
DFE Corporate Valuation Competition
This team-based competition will deepen your understanding of how investment banks value corporations as part of deal activity such as mergers, acquisitions, and LBOs. Read more about the Corporate Valuation Competition.
Relevant Dates
Registration period: September 29 to October 6
Submission deadline: October 23, 1 PM
Top teams present: November 4
BlackRock Asset Allocation Competition
In teams of three or four, students step into the role of portfolio managers for this competition sponsored by BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm. Read more about the Asset Allocation Competition.
Relevant Dates
Registration period: October 6 to October 14
Submission deadline: October 30, 1 PM
Top teams present: November 10
Mock Interview Days for Sophomores
DFE’s Mock Interview Days program gives sophomores the opportunity to sharpen their interviewing skills and gain valuable practice through one-on-one mock interviews with alumni at leading investment banks. Students will be invited to register for the program in September through the DFE Email List. Mock interviews will take place virtually November 2–6 and will be scheduled around students’ availability.
Finance Simulations by AmplifyME
DFE is excited to partner with the finance training firm AmplifyME to offer live, role-specific simulations to Duke students this fall. Choose from simulations in banking, markets, and quant to gain hands-on experience, receive in-depth performance data, and have the opportunity to be recruited by firms such as Morgan Stanley and UBS. All Duke undergraduates are invited to participate.
For scheduling flexibility, each type of simulation will be offered multiple times between September and November. In addition, participants are invited to a Careers session, in which AmplifyME trainers will discuss how to leverage simulation experience and performance data in the recruiting process.
All students who sign up for AmplifyME simulations will get access to AmplifyME's career hub content, including interview practice, resume tips, and careers guidance, and receive AmplifyME's Daily Market Maker newsletter.
REGISTER for an AmplifyME account with your Duke email address and the verification code 680263. View the account setup instructions.
Note to students enrolled in FMKT 256 Practical Financial Markets: Please see the course's Canvas site for information about receiving extra credit for completing a banking, markets, or quant Pathways simulation.
Markets Discussion Group
Throughout the fall, DFE Executive Director John Caccavale will facilitate lively, informal discussion about the markets and the impact of global events. All undergrads are welcome: all majors, class years, and experience levels in finance.
All sessions will take place from 5-6 PM in Social Sciences 136.
Thursday, September 3
Thursday, September 10
Thursday, October 15 REGISTER
Thursday, November 5 REGISTER
Finance Mentor Program for Sophomores
In this program, DFE matches sophomores with alumni professionals working in the financial markets and beyond. Mentor-mentee pairs engage in at least three conversations as students prepare for the rigors of finance internship recruiting.
Registrants will be paired with mentors based on mentor availability. Mentoring assignments will be shared in early-to-mid October.
Registration for this program has closed.
DFE Mentoring Pods
Sophomores will have the opportunity to be matched with a senior and a junior this fall as part of our Mentoring Pods program. The upper-class students in each pod will provide informal mentorship to their assigned sophomores ahead of and during the finance internship recruiting process. Registration for sophomores will be open in mid-September.
Registration for this program has closed.
Finance Book Club
This fall's Finance Book Club selection is Dot.Con: The Greatest Story Ever Sold by John Cassidy.
Is AI a bubble? Read the book about the last tech bubble and decide for yourself.
Everyone is asking whether today's AI boom is the next dot-com bubble. Before you take a side, it helps to know what actually happened the first time. This fall, the DFE Finance Book Club is reading Dot.Con: The Greatest Story Ever Sold by John Cassidy, the definitive account of how the internet mania of the late 1990s inflated, who profited, and why it collapsed. Think analysts inventing new valuation metrics to justify any price, companies with no revenue going public, retail investors piling in because everyone else was. If some of that sounds familiar, come argue about whether history is repeating.
Join DFE faculty Lee Reiners and Steve Columbaro for the discussion:
Monday, October 5
7:00 to 8:00 PM, Social Sciences Room 113
REGISTER
Students are responsible for getting their own copy. The book is from 2002, so used copies and the Kindle edition are inexpensive and easy to find.
All undergraduates are invited! Whether you're a seasoned finance enthusiast or just beginning to explore the field, the book club will enhance your understanding and provide real-world perspectives.
Career Everywhere Drop-in Advising by the Career Center
On the dates listed below, Assistant Director of Career Services Grace Athy will hold 15-minute walk-in advising sessions in Social Sciences 228A. Drop in for quick questions, document reviews, etc. Time slots are first-come, first-served.
Tuesday, October 20, 1-3 PM
Available to all undergraduate students and graduate students from the Duke Graduate School, Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering (PhD only), Duke Divinity School, Duke Medicine School’s Master of Biostatistics and Population Health Sciences programs. Visit Handshake or CareerHub for additional information on the Duke Career Center.
Alumni Advising
Steve Columbaro ’97, an experienced investment professional, will hold in-person advising hours 1 to 3:30 PM on Mondays this fall, September 14 through November 16. He seeks to offer insights on finance recruiting, presentation skills, and résumé writing.
Sign up for Steve's advising hours, which take place on Zoom.
More about Steve Columbaro: Prior to assisting the Duke Financial Economics Center, Steve was the Deputy Head of the U.S. Bank Loan Team at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. He was the Lead Senior Portfolio Manager for both a publicly traded mutual fund and separately managed accounts in non-investment grade credit. He also led the separately managed account fundraising effort and held credit research responsibilities during his 15-year tenure at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. In addition to managing non-investment grade credit investments, Steve held prior roles analyzing, investing in, and monitoring investments in investment grade credit, mezzanine debt, LBOs, growth equity, and venture capital. Steve has an AB in Public Policy Studies (minor in Economics) from Duke University, and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA. Steve is also a CFA Charterholder.
For additional advising opportunities, see DFE's Eichel Finance Advising Network page.