General Program

TIS General Program

Learn more about a career in finance with the TIS general program.

Overview:
TIS General Membership offers foundational exposure to careers in finance, providing all members with access to exclusive events, educational programming, and industry resources. This is the ideal entry point for students interested in learning more about investment banking and related fields.

Member Benefits:
General members receive access to:

  • TIS-exclusive information sessions and networking events

  • Weekly newsletters with the latest internship and event opportunities

  • The 10-Week Investment Banking Bootcamp

  • Member-only content, guides, and recruiting resources

Eligibility:
Open to all USC students, regardless of major or class year. No prior experience required. Applications open at the beginning of every semester. To maintain membership in TIS you must submit a new application each semester.

Our Curriculum

  • Understanding the various fields and opportunities in investment banking, including the geographical and group differences. This includes learning where certain industries are geographically concentrated and distinguishing bulge bracket banks from elite boutiques and middle market firms.

  • We will dive into tips for coffee chatting, working to get an interview, and the interview process itself during the recruitment process. This will include illustrating coffee chat email templates, Google Calendar invite templates, and providing sample answers to commonly asked questions in interviews.

  • Dive into the basics of the financial statements, with heavy emphasis on the Income Statement. This works with the importance of specific line items and how the statements connect. Going into more details on working capital and the importance of a strong accounting understanding for the rest of the subunits. This will also cover different kinds of free cash flow and when they might be used.

  • Distinguishing between Enterprise and Equity Value, what they mean conceptually and quantitatively. Understanding why it’s important to know the difference between the two and how these can be used as proxies for valuing companies. The goal with this session is to have participants walk away with a conceptual and quantitative understanding of Equity Value vs. Enterprise value, what are their use cases, and their specific advantages.

  • Understanding DCF’s, public comps, and precedent transactions. This session places heavy emphasis on DCF creation. We will dive into the time value of money, what is WACC and how to calculate it, what is beta and how it’s used in DCF creation. We will also cover the cost of equity with the CAPM formula. What are the components of a DCF, how to create one, and why we use them in banking. Will lightly touch on LBOs at a high level.

  • This covers the various reasons companies will acquire other companies. This will also dive into the differences between strategic and financial buyers. Small portion of the session will be spent on accretion/dilution analysis. Additionally, we will dive into the different ways to finance a deal and why a company might use debt, equity, or cash financing for an acquisition. Participants will walk away with pros and cons of each type.

Signature Events

  • The Fall Investment Banking Panel offers students early exposure to the industry through insights from bankers at top firms like Centerview, Evercore, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, PWP, and J.P. Morgan. Panelists share advice on recruiting, career development, and life as an investment banker. Students gain valuable industry knowledge, learn how to position themselves for success, and begin building relationships with bankers ahead of recruiting.

  • TIS Spring Regional Firms Night connects students with top regional investment banking and private equity firms like Grief & Co., CriticalPoint, PalmTree Capital, and B. Riley. Through a panel and networking session, students gain insights into recruiting, career development, and the benefits of working at middle-market firms. The event helps freshmen and sophomores build early employer relationships, explore internship opportunities, and strengthen their career readiness.

  • The Junior Recruitment Panel is an in-person event aimed at preparing Sophomores for the summer analyst recruiting process. Juniors and Seniors who have successfully secured internships or full-time offers share their recruiting experiences, offer actionable advice, and answer questions. The event concludes with open networking, providing attendees a chance to form meaningful connections with upperclassmen mentors.

  • The Summer Analyst Panel equips Juniors with the strategies and insights needed to succeed during their upcoming summer internships. Seniors who have secured return offers from top Investment Banks provide guidance on excelling during the internship, navigating firm cultures, and positioning themselves for a full-time role. This panel ensures that students enter the summer well-prepared and confident in their ability to perform at a high level.