The Philadelphia Center

Experience

Q&A: Taimour Khan

Taimour attended TPC during the Spring 2009 semester and graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University. His brother, Faisal, attended the program in 2003.

The Philadelphia Center: Did you have any conversations with your brother before you came out here about TPC?
Taimour Khan: He said he had a great time and I was really looking forward to it. He was like, “Yeah, you’ll get a good experience of the city and you’ll get an internship for sure in the field of your interest.” So, it was a no brainer for me.

TPC: When you were looking at programs, why did you decide to stay in the states and not take advantage of any of the abroad programs?
TK: I did this last semester senior year and I didn’t want to be too far away from Ohio Wesleyan. Since it was my last semester and I’d heard so much about the Philly Center being the best program in the US, I thought this was the best deal.

TPC: How was the interview process and experience for you?
TK: Very valuable. I interviewed at four places. The one that really made the biggest difference was with Janney Montgomery Scott. There were at least 10 people who interviewed me and it took at least two hours. I really got the practice of interviewing and after those two hours my resume was on my fingertips. I knew what to say, when to say it, how to say it. When I went into Smith Barney, I aced the interview and I was really confident and she saw that.

TPC: What kind of work did you do at Smith Barney?
TK: I helped out a financial advisor. I ran all sorts of reports to see how clients’ portfolios are doing, are they going up are they going down, which stocks are good to buy. She’d make me research and go out there and see which way the market’s moving, what’s a good buy, what’s a good sell.

TPC: So you’re going back to work for her this summer. Are you going to be doing the same kind of work for her or are there different projects that you’ll be working on?
TK: It’s going to be very different. She was an individual financial advisor but now she’s merging her business with two other financial advisors. It’s still Smith Barney but I’ll be working alongside her partners as well.

TPC: What surprised you about Philadelphia?

TK: There’s so much you can do. You don’t get that much in a little town. The sky’s the limit.

TPC: What didn’t you do this semester that now you’re back for the summer you plan on doing?
TK: I really want to explore the museums. Somehow I didn’t get around to doing that.

TPC: Are you thinking about making Philadelphia more than a summer stop?
TK: I’d like to think that it’s going to happen but times are really challenging. I’m working at Smith Barney, it’s a temporary job, though. One of my priorities while I’m here is to push for other jobs. I’d like to think that I’m going be successful and if I am I’ll stick around. To answer your question: If I get offers from Philly, Chicago, New York, I think I’d choose Philly.

TPC: What surprised you about The Philadelphia Center?
TK: I was surprised and impressed by how quickly some things happened. How quickly, in a matter of a week, everybody got housed. When you think about that, it’s really crazy! You’re fitting 40-50 and sometimes 100 people into apartments in a matter of days, that was incredible to me. Even when you guys told us that by Friday we would be in houses, I was like, “No, that’s not going to happen, there’s going to be at least 20 kids roaming around, doing something else.” I think that alone was the most surprising thing.

TPC: What do you gained from the housing process?

TK: Well I’ve been going around these days looking at apartments and I’ve known what’s good and what’s not good. You guys told us what to look for when you’re looking for a house. If anything, it taught me how to look for a house in the future, which is great.