Chance Me + Match Me (Finance or Econ Major + Extracurricular Advice?)

Chance Me / Match Me
, , , , , , , , ,
1

MODERATOR NOTE: OP is a current sophomore. Much of the information below is projected, not actual.

I’m not looking into “flexing” or anything; I just need a genuine opinion. I feel I do have a pretty good hook into business, but I feel as though I’m too finance and business-focused and must include other nonbusiness things. I believe that on paper, it looks like I’m faking everything, and it seems ungenuine even though I’m passionate about it.

Possible advice on my extracurriculars?

Demographics

  • international student
  • Texas (I’m an immigrant)
  • 5A Public High school
  • Asian
  • Out-of-school athlete (boxing + weightlifting) (State + regional Champ for boxing)

Intended Major(s)

Finance (preferred) or econ + minor/concentration in finance

*Grade Stats

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 5.28 /6.0
  • Class Rank: 25/ 600 (top 10%)
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1550 SAT

Coursework

17 APs by graduation/school offers 30-32 APs

AP human Geo (4), AP world hist (5) , AP European hist (5) , AP US Hist (5) , AP Seminar(5) , AP Research(5) , AP English lang (5) , AP English Lit () , AP Pre-Calc(5) , AP Stat (5) , AP Environmental Sci, (5), AP Physics 1 (), AP Comp. Sci. Princp. (5), AP Gov, AP Macro, AP French (+3 Years of French), AP Comp. Sci. 1, College Micro Econ.

Awards

BPA - Nationals for stock market competition
DECA - International for Financial Lit
Won a Stock market comp by Smithson Uni
AP Capstone
AP Scholar

Extracurriculars

10 Choices Included

  • StuCo - Parliamentarian - 3 years - raised 10k USD via school events in 2 months (7)

  • DECA - Nationals, Exec Member

  • Business Proff. of America - Nationals, Exec Member

  • Started my own Organic Coffee Company

  • I founded my own Financial/Stock Literacy Podcast with many references from leading business institutions (Deloitte, ICICI, Start-ups)

  • Assisted in founding a Financial Lit. Non-profit and expanded it to over 2k members in 8 countries (2)

  • Interned at an Investment Banking Firm, assisting them in their management of 900M+ valued client assets (5)

  • Interned at a Stock Brokerage (4)

  • National Honor Society

  • Research Assistant on a paper on finance for a professor (3?)

  • Published my own finance research paper with a friend and a mentor (highly regarded retired professor at Columbia) (6)

  • Attended Wharton for a selective summer Leaders of Business World program

  • Did a couple of business courses/programs at Harvard + Columbia

  • Founder and Vice prez of my school’s crypto club (8)

  • Profited $25,000< off trading stock derivatives (1)

  • Did weightlifting and Boxing for four years (Regional Champion for boxing) (10)

  • Founded a local charity org/school club and made it part of a well-known global charity organization. (9)

Essays/LORs/Other

A personal essay of a story of adapting to new locations and pushing through a sad, weird, and complicated childhood as an immigrant who’s lived in 5+ US states and two countries since the age of 9 and had to repeat the process of losing and making friends every 1-2 years. (8.5 - 9 /10 Essay)

Schools

  • Safety

  • Ohio State RE

  • University of Florida RE

  • Match

UMich, Ann Arbor RE
Cornell RE
Georgetown RE
Univ. of Virginia RE
Emory RE
UNC Chapell Hill RE

  • Reach

NYU Stern RE
Duke RE
Columbia EA
UChicago EA
Princeton RE
UPenn Wharton EA (ED?)
MIT EA (ED?)
Stanford EA
Harvard EA (ED?)
London School Of Economics
Oxford
INSEAD

2

If you want honest opinions, you need to be honest with what you have written here and on your other thread.

There seem to be many inconsistencies and embellishments.

For starters, did you really take all of those AP classes and those are your actual scores? Assuming you are a junior now, it doesn’t seem possible. AP Pre-Calculus is a new AP offering and the test won’t take place until May so there’s no way you’ve scored a 5 on this.

If you want people to take their time to give you feedback, please be honest.

1 Like
3

I agree; some haven’t been done yet. Something you must consider is that I’m actually a sophomore, and this is a brief blueprint of things I’ll have completed by graduation. While I haven’t taken some APs, I have allocated some grades due to my prior experience + teacher opinion on what my score will most likely be.

4

Then it’s too early to give honest feedback. And too early for you to be deciding if you should attend Harvard or Penn Wharton, both of which are high reaches.

Come back after your junior year is complete and show us your actual grades and test scores along with your actual extracurricular activities.

2 Likes
5

My grades are the present ones I have; I took the SAT in December and, after months of prep, got 1550; same applies to Ranking; I’ve gotten nominated. 10% with my rank 25 due to my current GPA of 5.28. Plus, Most of my extracurriculars are confirmed to be done by then except for some. (Just DECA honestly.)

6

If you’ve taken that many APs 9or will) and have a 4.0 and will be 10% - then you go to a school with huge grade inflation.

I think if you’re a sophomore - than you are way too early and you are making a lot of assumptions -related to ECs you are claiming - because it’s highly unlikely you’ve done a lot of what you claim at 15 / 16 years old.

Also, your ECs should be what interest you and not what you game to impress.

Some will play sports or be in the band. Some will walk dogs at the shelter or work at McDonalds.

You’re a 10th grader - so - not believing. And you have a lots of grades to go. The weighted doesn’t matter - as every school weights differently.

It’s too early to chance you too - a school’s stats may change.

This wreaks of fantasy land.

Check back in a year with actual #s - and please ensure what you list is true. Schools will check.

PS As far as I’m aware, INSEAD is a grad school.

It’s almost like this entire post isn’t real…

That said, I’m glad you have other schools listed besides Harvard and Penn.

2 Likes
7

I have been super passionate about finance for the past couple of years; it’s not some act I’m doing for college. My school’s UW works differently. if all classes are above 90, it’s a 4.0; unsure why they use this, but ok. And I have to say, most of my extracurriculars are true, and I have proof as well, so that’s not an issue. + I just found out INSEAD isn’t a UG, thought it was because a teacher said it was.

8

So focus on what you like. Don’t worry about others.

So you’re 15/16, started a coffee company, are a champ in boxing and on your other thread said weightlifting,

At 15 you interned and had impact on $900 million of assets ?

Let’s not overstretch. How long did you intern ? How many hours a week.

You’re a 10th grader. You needn’t be thinking about this. You need to be a kid.

All of this is conjecture. Make sure you get As in school.

But your list above is fine for a student like you with tOSU a certainty and UF a likely. If both affordable and you’d like them, it’s great.

Do you like large schools ?

UNC btw has secondary admissions - junior year.

Good luck.

9

Yes, I started my B2B coffee company with my dad (started in Jan 2023), located in Asia (I am not gonna reveal where), where I started selling premium organic Arabica coffee beans to regional suppliers; within the first year, I generated roughly 6k in revenue. Regarding the internship, it’s a small wealth management company located in Ft. Worth (roughly 10 employees). It’s unpaid (for obvious reasons); where I use valuation metrics like DCF and DDM, I’m supposed to inform them of the intrinsic valuation that they use to…

  1. Inform the client in their quarterly reports
  2. Determine whether to buy or sell this specific stock after the earnings reports
  3. To give me some work to do

I never said I impacted $900M; It involves working closely with the executives (due to the low employee count) who’ve, on many occasions, decided to buy or sell their client holdings. Thus, I played a role in “assisting in managing” their fund, which is extremely small compared to most wealth management firms.

Lastly, I’ve been doing both boxing and weightlifting since childhood (roughly 4 years); I’ve won regionals and state championships for boxing and regionals for weightlifting.

I agree, but I’m an international student and have much more work to do due to my background. Plus, some ain’t even work; I’m genuinely passionate about it and am interested in learning more.

10

In order to be ap capstone both research and seminar has to been completed.
With the scores you reported for AP classes taken, the AP award does not match.

No investment firm would charge a 15 year old with what you are describing. It just sounds inflated.

One thing you should be aware of is admissions will deny an application they find inconsistencies and exaggerations They are trained at this sort of stuff, they have seen everything especially the ivy schools. You’ve worked hard. When the time comes, be accurate on your application so you have the best shot possible.

1 Like
11

I’m taking ap seminar this year and research next year, the teacher says i’d easily receive a 5 on both and have a high chance at the award. Not sure if you read the replies but this is a blueprint.

I agree with the client-facing tasks, my role at the brokerage firm is primarily focusing on their own investment division. It’s a relatively mid-sized broker extremely focused on providing institutions high-quality derivative trading facilities. But, since you last second edited to “Investment Firm” from “Brokerage” the wealth management I do does involve client work; because of my position, age, and other factors, there’s always someone shadowing my work and double checking if my input is right prior to meetings. This same person also overviews me to ensure my communications are factual and insightful.

I can agree with the admission part. I know they do focus on inconsistencies.

But since I’m being genuine and all is real, what’s there to fear?

12

You wrote this.

2 Likes
13

I know; I gave them my work and my insights. As the only intern (UNPAYED), I single handedly influenced their decision to manage client portfolios which just so happened to be valued at 900M+, thus “assisting in managing their 900M+ valued client assets” Not sure how this doesn’t make sense.

If you’re talking of “Investment Banking”

The firm’s primary work is Investment banking and connecting transactions but they also happen to do wealth management (just like every other investment banking firm)

1 Like
14

This!

I work at an investment management firm as well, and I find it extremely hard to believe that you, as an intern, “single handedly” influenced their investment decisions.

Please don’t say this in your app. It just sounds super inflated.

And is this real or fantasy? …

5 Likes
15

Well…I will start by saying…you are a sophomore so I have NO idea how you can know which colleges you have any chances of acceptance two years from now.

Having said that. This list has a HUGE amount of reach schools…huge. Add all of your match schools to the reach list, because they are all reaches, NOT matches. And that’s for just about everyone.

Ohio State and University of Florida are matches, not safety schools.

That’s now. What really matters is end of junior year.

4 Likes
16

I can tell you…as someone who has investments, I would be mighty unimpressed and actually would switch companies if I found out an unlicensed person was even helping with my accounts the way you say your are.

I will add…do the clients know a high school sophomore is handling their accounts in this capacity? If not, this is totally unethical. It’s probably unethical anyway because you would be practicing without a license.

7 Likes
17

So to be clear you don’t have a series 7 license but instead are being supervised by a series 24 who shadows and approves your input?

When you say you influenced were you making specific credit recommendations, portfolio weighting’s, timing, technical analysis? Please describe?

Lastly $900m AUM was that the entire portfolio at the firm or a sub account you were involved in?

I ask because at face value to someone in that world, your “tone” sounds best case “ambitious” and worst case embellished.

6 Likes
18

OP I don’t want you to feel discouraged or that we are beating you up here. You are obviously a hard working 15 year old who has dreams of attending a a top university. All the members giving you feedback are experienced and have a tremendous amount of knowledge in this landscape. The advice on waiting until junior year makes sense as by then you will have a better sense of what your actual grades were and ranking. Also what you want can change. My son changed from one major to a completely different field between sophomore and senior year. Also, the schools you choose should reflect the proper amounts of safeties and matches as realistically these may be the ones you end up at.

I worked for 4 investment banks and as well as E&Y for over 25 years combined, my work involved compliance and audit. I assure you that what you are describing as your duties are highly unethical and can point to significant violations with SEC rules and regulations. We are trying to convey to you to not put the wording you described in your application as it would do more harm than good for what you are trying to achieve.

Enjoy 10th grade, high school goes by quickly.

5 Likes
19

I’ll be more pointed…if you are asked to do unethical things…you need to learn to say NO.

2 Likes
20

You’re getting beat up here, sorry for that.

But its for a good reason. Most of us just don’t believe what you wrote. Its quite natural to instinctively embellish your achievements. Happens a lot with college applications. But believe me, the admissions officers reading your app will know. Resist the urge to inflate your achievements. Being humble will go a lot farther.

Interning at an Investment Bank at the age of 15 – most Wharton undergrads would have a tough time finding an internship like that. This reeks of nepotism, and suggests to me that you have family friends pulling strings behind the scene. This is what most admissions officers will assume. Some of the other stuff in your app also reads that way: starting your “own” company, “founding” a nonprofit, etc.

7 Likes