Only after Ege Tasar had established himself in a finance career did he realize there were gaps in his knowledge of the subject. “I believe the routine of work sometimes has counterproductive effects on learning,” he says. “You learn what you are required to learn, and you don’t always have time to deepen your knowledge in a field outside the 9-to-5 schedule. I was not comfortable with my learning curve flattening.”

So Ege decided to leave his job as a corporate lending and project finance specialist in his native Turkey to pursue a graduate business education abroad and to gain international work experience. After winning a Fulbright grant that opened doors all over the world, he chose the MSF program at Vanderbilt.

“I got the impression that Vanderbilt was a serious institution that provided a world-class education,” he says of his decision. “I also was impressed by the student-to-instructor ratio and small class sizes that were promised by the school, and it did not disappoint.”

In fact, Ege counts the relationships he developed with professors as one of the key benefits he realized from the program. “The professors are extremely accessible and helpful,” he says. “They care not only about maintaining Owen’s high academic standards while lecturing but also continue to support you beyond the classes.

“I always felt their support as I constantly asked their advice on class materials, my academic future, and my job search. Being able to have casual conversations with them and seeing them genuinely care about my future beyond Owen encouraged me to do my absolute best and made me feel like I made lifetime connections.”

Now, Ege believes that his MSF experience not only closed the gaps in his knowledge but vastly expanded his understanding of the field. “Owen allowed me to see the big picture in the world of finance instead of focusing on the pockets of it,” he says. “This was a crucial step for me to be able to become an independent thinker about all things finance—to be able to form my own opinions and conduct my own analyses—and increased my confidence about my finance knowledge.”

Fun Fact: Before coming to Vanderbilt, Ege had never been to the United States.

“Being able to have casual conversations with [professors] and seeing them genuinely care about my future beyond Owen encouraged me to do my absolute best.”