Match Me Please! [3.3 UW, 1360 SAT super score, math/econ]

It is unlikely that you will be placed in Kelley in Bloomington. But I think you meet the requirements for the Kelley program at IU Indianapolis. They still do direct admission to the program. You would need to apply by May 1st for consideration for fall admission.

2 Likes

My oldest son struggled a bit with his adhd in high school, got into TCNJ for finance with a 3.4 30 ACT. He applied ED because it was his #1. Four years of a language, about 5 AP classes plus the rest honors, AP AB calc. He managed to get an internship during COVID which lead to a job after graduation (he found the internship himself just like his siblings at other universities). My nephew had a similar gpa as the OP, 35 ACT, he’s a junior at Pitt and doing well.

5 Likes

In terms of what you’re looking for, it seems as though accessibility to internships, job placement, and prestige are important to you.

In looking at which schools you put asterisks by, they were generally all large schools, most with a lot of athletic enthusiasm.

I’m going to recommend that you look at the U. of Cincinnati. There are about 31k undergrads here and a robust school culture around intercollegiate athletics. It has a long history of co-ops within its educational model (co-op info). For students in their business school, students are required to complete at least two full-time equivalent co-ops (two part-time co-ops equate to one full-time co-op) (source), and they are pretty transparent about the co-op wages and undergraduate salaries by major by sharing the low, mean, median, and high (source). The business school has its own career services department with one-on-one coaching available. And the way its business school sets up its first-year experience helps to form strong relationships with a group of less than 20 that students then take classes with and work on projects with UC’s company partners. I think this school would be a likely admit for you, a category that is missing from your current list.

Since prestige is important to you, you may want to look at applying to Baruch College in NYC. It’s not the big ra-ra experience that most of your preferred schools have, and it’s probably more of a commuter experience. But it’s very well-respected in the business world and it does have graduates who end up in very prestigious positions. I’d call this a toss-up for admission, and I believe it’s a free app this week as well.

4 Likes

With the new process (starting Fall2026) it’s going to be basically impossible to go from Econ to Finance.
Students are either admitted to Smeal directly or to DUS.
Those in DUS (or Econ switching to DUS, or perhaps straight Econ
) who have completed all the Smeal premajor requirements (in addition to their original or fallback major’s) can be selected for whatever Smeal major still has places once the Direct admit students have sorted themselves out. Finance is always the most popular so there won’t be any place left.

Students with sub-3.5 GPAs are typically offered a branch campus. This is compounded by the fact you only have 2 years of French when Smeal or CLA really want 3, 4, or AP. Penn State doesn’t superscore so they’d only consider the 1310. In short, unless you plan to start at Abington or Altoona, Penn State is not happening.

@TheRealMango: if you’re serious about Penn State being one of your top choices and if you can afford it, your best bet is to check Summer (not Fall, just Summer ) and choose Agribusiness as a major - it’s a collaboration between Agriculture and Smeal, with excellent professional outcomes, and they don’t mind if you only had 2 years of a Foreign language. You’d start in July with the LEAP program - check out the 2025 Penn State thread about it, or ask questions, I’ll gladly answer. You may still “be branched” but Agribusiness/Summer probably your best shot at attending University Park. The likely outcome beside LEAP/Agribusiness is your being admitted to a branch campus, where you spend the first two years, then if you meet the basic requirements you automatically transition to UP for Junior and Senior year. Students at Altoona, Behrend, Abington, or Harrisburg are in the 3.2-3.5 range. You could even start as pre-Smeal there. What would be best from your point of view if you had a choice?

Seconding @AustenNut’s fantastic UCincinnati recommendation above. Sounds perfect for everything you want. :crossed_fingers:

4 Likes

100%

2 Likes

for those who got here late
 Add Drexel, C of NJ, U Cinci as safe schools, and select from the reaches based on preference, and the list is not bad at all. With respectable tests and classes, and just a hand full of C’s - you might pull a reach.

1 Like

It’s free app week for SUNYs and you’d definitely have a shot at some that match your criteria:
SUNY Albany, very good for business in general, lots of internship opportunities. It’s a high target not a safety but worth adding to your list.
Another high target would be SUNY Buffalo business: the university is known for its strength in STEM and all quantitative fields, it has co-ops and a solid finance program.
SUNY New Paltz would be a target, with a solid business program, a good environment, and relative proximity to NYC.

West Chester (in PA), Manhattan University (NY), Wagner college (NY) could be other solid targets. Look into them, run the NPC. They’re different from your big school/big sports original list but all three offer solid professional outcomes.

Your new list could look something like this
NJIT*
Drexel
Manhattan U or West Chester U
SUNY New Paltz*
UCincinnati*
TCNJ*
SUNY Albany*
SUNY Buffalo*
UDel
Pitt*
Stevens
Bentley
PSU UP/Summer/Agribusiness or Abington/Smeal*
+1-2 other reaches

Asterisk= needs to be completed within the next two weeks, including STARS/SRAR where necessary (meaning you need to submit the basic app this week).

3 Likes

The short answer is no.

For the longer, answer, I want to expand on the two major types of quant companies that I mentioned above. For simplification, I will call them “New York-style” quant and “Boston-style” quant. Note there are some exceptions to this, such as Arrowstreet in Boston which is very much New York-style, but overall the pattern holds true.

New York-style quant shops don’t care about finance knowledge and seek the strongest math or CS candidates in existence, and are willing to bid for that talent. When high school students mention “quant”, this is usually what they mean.

Boston-style quant shops care a great deal about finance knowledge going in, and often want significant experience as well. People can have great careers in these companies, but the pay scales don’t compare to the New-York style companies. For the record, I worked in a Boston-style, whereas my child is in a New York-style.

There is still significant competition among the Boston-style companies for what are considered “quant roles”, which would be in portfolio management, research, or risk control. If Stevens undergrads can get junior positions in these roles, they are doing very well, and I suspect they would hold an advantage over the other colleges on the list.

Then there are a number of what I call “quant adjacent” roles in these Boston-style quant companies, where math skills are not critical. These include the computer science people who build the software infrastructure, marketing, performance reporting and portfolio administration roles such as reconciling trades. For most Boston-area quant firms, this also includes trading. This is because most Boston-style shops are investment firms, not trading firms, and therefore the trader role doesn’t require strong math. Graduates from all types of colleges can get these roles if they demonstrate proficiency.

6 Likes

I will add to Hebegebe’s fine post (and recognize expertise when we all see it) that MOST kids who think they want a job in quant discover that they don’t.

It all sounds like fun and games (no coincidence that a lot of quant folks are expert bridge, chess, poker players
) until someone gets up close to the work.

For any high school kids reading this- do NOT pick a college based on “I want to be a quant”. For “NY style quant” (which used to be called “rocket scientist” for a reason) unless you live and breath math– and are one of the top math folks in your region– the odds are really against you. Anyone can get an interview- the first round is just testing your quant chops, logic and speed. But the knock out rate is very high. For “Boston style quant”, many kids discover there are lots and lots and lots of finance careers which are just as (or more) interesting and require a lot less blood, sweat and tears.

Pick a college that is going to increase your intellectual capital– academically, artistically, or whatever. Finance is not econ, math is not finance, even though there are some overlaps. You love rocks? Major in geology. The career path will be there for you
.

5 Likes

@hebegebe do you think the quant landscape, as described, is likely to see significant change during the next several years before the OP (and others applying to colleges right now) would be graduating?

Yes, I do expect it to change.

AI is already making employees in trading, research and software more efficient, causing fewer people to be hired into those roles. I also expect AI to affect the other “quant adjacent” roles, but to a lesser extent.

3 Likes

I agree with others that you are putting way too much pressure on yourself. I know it’s really difficult to feel like you’re going to a “lesser” school than other peers. Everyone is comparing outcomes and wanting to feel validated, and nobody once to be the one at whose expense other people get to feel superior. But trust me when I say that all of this drama will blow over. If you actually go to college at Pitt, for example, you will be surrounded by smart and ambitious students who will most assuredly not be walking around feeling “less than” for being there. And a whole world of opportunities will be there for the taking; what you do with them will be up to you. Don’t sour on a potential college because other insecure teenagers have decided to look down on it to bolster their own egos. They don’t matter, and in the long run they’ll know better
 and in the meantime, they won’t be in your daily life anyway. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Pitt, or U of Cincinnati (excellent suggestion since you sound like you would value a co-op model), or UDel or Drexel. Of course it’s stressful that you have schools you’d really like to attend but may or may not be able to get in. But honestly, even your “worst case scenarios” here are pretty great.

The interest in teaching is interesting; it sounds as if you have some concrete experience in this area and might be interested in an education career, even if you’re currently thinking of it as a “plan B.” It’s probably a good idea to emphasize colleges that can help you pivot in this direction if you decide to. (Of course, you can pursue that pivot even after undergrad. My sense is that it might be easier with a math degree vs econ/business, though.)

Are all schools on your list affordable? Villanova full-pay COA is almost $93K/year. Would you qualify for any need-based aid there? (Even if you do, they don’t guarantee full-need-met aid.) If you like Villanova and can afford it, have you considered other Catholic U’s? Fordham would be a reach, but not an unrealistic one. Loyola Maryland would be likely, and they have a business school with a finance major, and a fast-track one-year MAT program if you were to pivot toward teaching.

How about Bucknell as a low reach?

You have done some great stuff in high school. You will do great things in college too. You have already experienced how no school can make you successful if your mental health isn’t good. So, your highest priority should be not letting all of the overblown drama around college admissions drag you down emotionally. You’re “so nervous”
 you’re “sad and scared”
 you’re talking about “Is it over for me?” This is a spiral you really don’t need to be in.

Identify at least one “safety” school that you could be happy with. Take the focus off of how peers will react to where you go; think ahead to actually being at that school, with other students who have chosen to be there too. Look at the available programs and extracurriculars, and get excited about what your life would look like after you got there.

Above all, if you’re discussing college admissions/plans with your peers, STOP. Everyone is stressed and trying to make themselves feel better, and it’s a zero sum game - for some to feel better, others have to feel worse. Don’t take part in this. Focus on leaving this whole scene behind and envisioning the college experience you want to have.

You may not be competitive for ultra-rejective colleges, but you’re in a fine position. You can evidently afford fairly-expensive schools, and there are plenty of excellent programs that you can get into. You have a wealth of options that most young people in this world would envy. Don’t get sucked into this gloom-and-doom mindset. It’s costing your quality of life, and gaining you nothing. You’re going to be fine. Apply to a balanced list of schools, enjoy your senior year, and let the process unfold as it will.

5 Likes

My school only has weighted GPA, I had 3 c’s my whole career in Honors Chem, Honors French and Honors english because of alot of stuff that happened my sophomore year. My junior year I ended with a 4.1 with a B+ in AP Physics, A- in Honors English and I didnt take another year of language. My senior year is all AP classes. I just wanted to put that out there, idk I talked to my counselor and she said some schools on my list arent all reachs, ig some are but idk alot of people are telling me a million other inputs idk what to belive now.

i have a 3.77 rn

1 Like

That is weighted, correct? Can you just calculate your unweighted gpa, core classes, 4 - A, 3 - B, 2 - C, add up and divide by the number of classes.

From OP, up thread


3 Likes

You have a 3.3uw with solid rigor (caveat: only 2 years of a foreign language), 1350 single sitting SAT, a unique essay.
The rigor and the essay will help with what we identified as targets (they would be reaches otherwise).

The chances/matches provided on this thread are done by experienced posters and are reliable.
An exception would be if you attend a prep school or Princeton HS :grin: in which case do specify.

How do you feel about the list in post #47?

I call it as I see it. I am usually a little less conservative than average on here. On the other hand, I think you might pull a reach. Note I am not someone who thinks a school with a less than 20% admit rate is a reach for all. That is too easy.

1 Like

I mean my hs is ranked top 40 in NJ, maybe higher in some parts.

You’re looking for people to say you’ll get into certain colleges. Maybe you will but people are giving you the best guess.

That you go to a decent public hs doesn’t change you have a 3.3 and a solid, but not top level SAT.

You’ve been given a few great ideas just in case.

The opportunities post grad at schools on your list and that were given like U Cincy will likely be similar - I don’t see any on the top of your list any better than those you deem safer. These are all solid names.

3 Likes