Basic Excel

I'm a current senior in high school interested in majoring in finance. I'm trying to get ahead of the game and prepare myself prior to taking classes. I received the 6 free modeling courses as a result of signing up for this site and found the first course (Excel shortcuts) very useful. However, I didn't understand any of what I was actually doing, as I was just hitting the keys I was told to hit. When I received the second course (calculating DCF), I was way out of my league. Is there anywhere I can learn more about Excel and how formatting the actual model works? I have very basic Excel knowledge and don't fully understand the format of models. If anybody has some insight, that would be very helpful. Thanks!

 

Don't stress on the format of the model right now after all you're only in high school! Take the time to actually develop an understanding of the concepts of the DCF model and valuation itself. As you go through business school, excel will become like a second language to you so don't worry!!

 

You are wasting your time learning Excel and DCFs right now. Though it takes some time to prepare for your banking interviews, you sure as hell don't need 2+ years. You should spend your time doing something more productive, like participating in good ECs, volunteering, entrepreneurship, etc.

 

check out the BIWS (breaking into wall street) excel training module. I think its somewhere around $40. If you're on a budget, youtube has plenty of excel video tutorials. Just find a user whose teaching style your comfortable with, and watch all of their videos.

Disclaimer for the Kids: Any forward-looking statements are solely for informational purposes and cannot be taken as investment advice. Consult your moms before deciding where to invest.
 

This isn't something to stress over. There where quite a few kids in my training class that didn't know the first thing about excel, and by the end of the program a lot them where flying through spreadsheets no mouse and all.

One thing I will say that's invaluable, that you should know, is: "Alt" + "e" + "s", paste special. As an intern, you'll likely be doing a lot of formatting bitch work on books and such, so you'll use that short-cut many times over. Anyone here who works can prolly attest to that.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 

If I were you I would buy a good excel book, that way you can reference it from time to time. They can be had for relatively cheap (thank goodness since a new excel is launched quite often). I don't know what edition you have, so it's hard to say which book to buy.

PS This also assumes that you have only limited excel background.If you only want to brush up on a few formulas/formatting issues, then obviously a book would be less useful to you. I can't really direct you to any good online resources because I myself, even though I've been through some excel courses, use a book. It's on my bookshelf and I reference it from time to time.

 
phillperry:
If I were you I would buy a good excel book, that way you can reference it from time to time. They can be had for relatively cheap (thank goodness since a new excel is launched quite often). I don't know what edition you have, so it's hard to say which book to buy.

PS This also assumes that you have only limited excel background.If you only want to brush up on a few formulas/formatting issues, then obviously a book would be less useful to you. I can't really direct you to any good online resources because I myself, even though I've been through some excel courses, use a book. It's on my bookshelf and I reference it from time to time.

Yeah, limited-ish. Like you say, largely need to brush up. I dont have any books at this stage but I will head down in the morning to see what i can find.

 

motion training on youtube.com

"Look, you're my best friend, so don't take this the wrong way. In twenty years, if you're still livin' here, comin' over to my house to watch the Patriots games, still workin' construction, I'll fuckin' kill you. That's not a threat, that's a fact.
 

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