Our students obtain extensive support from the Ampersand community. To ensure that our recipients begin their careers significantly better equipped and trained than their peers, we designed a rigorous and very intense program that includes multiple interrelated elements running in parallel to students' university curriculum:
During the first couple of months, we will conduct a series of introductory events to familiarise students with our target industries and provide them with the information necessary to make the best decisions possible regarding their career goals and preferences. We introduce students to investment banking, private equity, venture capital, strategy consulting, data analytics, product management and several other industries. These sessions will cover information about career tracks, progressions, skill sets, pros and cons, salaries, key players in the market and many other aspects. Upon completing this stage, students will pick their area of focus (a dedicated track of activities) and will be assigned a mentor.
Once assigned a mentor, each student will begin preparing for a career in the selected industry. The mentor will facilitate regular meetings and take an active role in the mentee’s journey. The mentor will also be a gateway to Ampersand’s broader community of professionals, with whom the mentor will conduct many meetings and who will help students in interview preparation, referrals and other important elements. A mentor will be a coach, a best friend, the strictest critic, an advisor, a psychotherapist and the primary stakeholder. Together, they'll follow through a very intense track that will culminate in the application process.
Apart from the general events and meetings with a mentor, scholarship recipients will likely conduct between 5 to 15 meetings with our broader community members. Founders, alumni of the world's best business schools, industry trendsetters and other fabulous people who will be eager to meet students during informal meetings. We ensure that recipients greatly expand their networks, learn how to manage them, and continue growing them after graduation so that they can eventually give back to the Ampersand community.
Once students are ready we'll proceed to the job application process. Every comma in their CV and cover letter, every minor detail in "the elevator pitch" introduction and, foremost, readiness to face the interview process will be subjected to scrutinized review and polished to perfection. Our standards of "acceptable" are not simply in line with top-tier industry players – they are set several levels above to ensure students won't be surprised or intimidated by the complexity of interviews or the early stages of their career. This will require hundreds, possibly thousands of hours of work, and we will ensure that this will be time well spent. Moreover, as students' careers will progress – their meetings with mentors and further planning will continue. We will support them through the early years to reach the career stratosphere as soon as possible: we'll cover everything, from salary negotiations to MBA application prep.
Ampersand is not so much about scholarships – they are no more than our way to provide equal access and necessary prerequisites for students' progress, but rather about interpersonal relationships.
We are a group of people of uncompromising ethical and professional standards, who work insanely hard, go above and beyond, and do what it takes to make a difference. And we expect our students to be of the same spirit, attitude and values.
Students won't be expected to contribute or repay with anything but their hard work, uncompromised professionalism and exceptional grit to achieve the set objectives. We cannot guarantee their success, but we will do everything to enable our students to reach their utmost potential.
