Unlike many other college students, who pursue r�sum�-building summer internships, Shelby Moats didn?t have that opportunity. As a forward on Vanderbilt?s basketball team, he spent each June and July of his undergraduate years on campus, taking classes and training for the upcoming season. Needing an equalizer as he neared graduation, the Minnesota native says, ?I knew that a Master?s degree would help me to differentiate myself from people who might have had high-profile internships.? Fortunately, summer classes had enabled him to complete his degree in Economics with one year of his basketball eligibility remaining. So he chose to pursue the MSF ? a degree, he says, ?that I knew would help me get a job in the industry I wanted. The people here at Vanderbilt are so amazing that I couldn?t see myself going anywhere else for a year.? Shelby describes the MSF program as ?intense but extremely rewarding. The classes are competitive and the workload is fairly heavy,? but the sense of accomplishment makes the effort worthwhile. ?I came in with an Econ degree and wasn?t sure where that would take me. With the help of professors I have landed the job of my dreams, in the exact city [New York] where I wanted to be, with the company [Jefferies] I wanted to work for. None of that would have been possible without Vanderbilt. Owen literally set me up for life.?

Fun Fact: Shelby once grabbed 10 rebounds in a game against vaunted Kentucky.

Owen literally set me up for life.