Even with a scholarship offer in hand, Kamil Fadel admits that he was “on the fence” about coming to Vanderbilt. “I had no student debt from undergrad, a steady job, low expenses and was comfortable,” he says. “Leaving that stability and taking the risk to come to Owen were not easy.”

On the other hand, Kamil, who loves to fly and scuba dive, has an adventurous streak. He took the offer and joined the MSF program.

The program, he says, is not easy: “Classes are challenging, recruiting is stressful, and networking can be uncomfortable.” But, he quickly adds, “In exchange for an ounce of effort, Owen returns a ton of reward.

“I came in with very little explicit finance experience. I’d never looked at an income statement or balance sheet in a professional setting. But at Owen I never felt uncomfortable or unprepared. Owen is a well-oiled machine that has mastered the delicate process of helping students discover themselves and their careers. Coming here was the best academic decision I ever made.”

Kamil regards it as a great personal decision, too — a realization that, oddly enough for a pilot, came to him in a basement. Looking back, one of the highlights of the entire program for Kamil was visiting “Whaley’s Tavern” — a watering hole with irregular hours opened on special occasion by Professor Bob Whaley.

“Being invited to the home of Owen’s most renowned professor, where he’s built a fantastic tavern, and being surrounded by my peers and professors, I was really able to appreciate the communal feeling that Owen inspires,” Kamil says. “We really are a family, and I know that experience, especially between students and professors, is not mirrored among my colleagues at other business schools.”

Fun Fact: Kamil, who has his pilot’s license, also is working on obtaining a skydiving license.

“Owen is a well-oiled machine that has mastered the delicate process of helping students discover themselves and their careers.”