Need help with realistic chances at Wharton ED

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Location: southern California School: Public, high ranking 10/10 on college lists
I'm a rising senior applying next year, and I really need help on realistic decisions for schools. My father, a surgeon, passed away my freshman year and my mom isn't really school oriented, so I need advice for my chances at some schools I'm looking at.
I am dead set on investment banking, private equity, and hedge funds for I truly have a passion for finance and love the industry.... From what I understand, prestige is everything in the finance world. I hope to attend a top target university for banks, but I am a little unsure of if I'm "elite" enough...
Freshman GPA: UW/W: 4.0 classes: Eng Honors, Bio, Alg 2 Trig, Spanish 2 Honors, and elective requirement class.
Sophomore: Gpa UW: 4.0 W: 4.2 : Pre Calc, Eng 2 Honors, Chemistry, Spanish 3 Honors, Weightlifting, World history
Junior GPA: UW: 4.0 W: 4.6 : AP Calc AB, AP Chemistry, AP Language, Physics, US History
Senior Schedule: AP Macroeconomics, AP Stats, AP Env. Science, Modern Literature, Elective requirement, and ROP Entrepreneurship</p>

<p>1st sitting ACT Scores: cumulative: 32, Writing: 10/12, 34, Reading: 34, Math: 31, Science: 28(low I know)
SAT 2: Math Level 2: 730</p>

<p>I wish I took AP US and World history, I feel like it weighs down my GPA...so far my cumulative 9-11 is 4.35 but I've never gotten a B, my 10-11 weighted is 4.40. I have excellent letters of rec from my English teacher who has a phD from USC, and my counselor whose known me forever and is a strong writer. Additionally, I plan to get a letter from either my AP Econ teacher senior year or AP Chem teacher from 11th. </p>

<p>As far as Extracurriculars, they're not as strong as they could be. I've been in CSF all 4 years, however no other clubs.
I have been tutoring students in algebra I and II, as well as geometry all four years. This year I'm starting 2 clubs at my school, each already with 100 members, called Financial Leaders of America and the Environment Club.
My freshman and sophomore summer I volunteered a ton at a water polo camp helping watch the kids attending, setting up matches, working the snack shack, etc. </p>

<p>My essays are extremely strong, they briefly mention my father's passing but are entirely about my character and how vocal I am, always motivating others and pushing my peers. I am very active in class and I believe my teachers will highlight that in their recs. </p>

<p>As far as now, I attended an Experimental Economics Workshop at Chapman University that I got accepted into, not paid into. Right now I have a paid internship at a huge mortgage investment firm that has an office in NYC. I've been working all summer, 5 days a week. I hope this internship will demonstrate my passion for investing and finance and somehow be my hook, as it is rare to achieve an internship at this young of an age. I manage assets and help sort through electronic records, as well as participating (observing) bids of large pools of homes and financial modeling of these homes. </p>

<p>Thanks for reading through this, I hope to apply to around 20 schools (all ivies), but My #1 is Wharton UG with Finance concentration, and I am applying Early Decision here. What are my chances? Idk if this matters, but my family has the finances to pay for Wharton, I know they're not need blind. </p>

<p>My other top match schools are : UC Berkeley, UMichigan, Northwestern/CMU and NYU (non Stern)</p>

<p>What are my chances at these schools?</p>

<p>Do I have a shot at HYP? I am a powerful writer and am certain I will have powerful letters of rec. </p>

<p>Thank you! </p>

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<p>Your ecs are not good enough for Wharton – not by a far reach. Also, if you’re Asian, a 730 in math is not good enough. However, if you can weave your father’a death into a powerful essay, then that can have a good impact.</p>

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<p>Scores are low, ECs are “meh” at best and your GPA is good but so are most of the other applicants. I’d say it’s not going to happen at Wharton for you.</p>

<p>Also, I find this interesting…</p>

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<p>These are three different businesses. Sounds like you don’t really know what you want, as long as you can wear nice suits and be a “player.” I’ve been it the industry for 30 years and get contacted by <em>way</em> too many kids like you.</p>

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<p>So… you want to go to Wharton, but you also want to apply to NYU but <em>not</em> Stern? Again, it seems you really don’t know what you want (although you probably think you do).</p>

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<p>@soze I appreciate your response, and the harsh criticism. It’s all good. I’m sorry, maybe I should’ve been really specific for technical guys like yourself. I hope to break into IBanking as an analyst fresh out of college, and after a few years move into private equity and private wealth management. After experience in private and public banking, I hope to move into Hedge Funds. I excel in calculus and have drive like no other. Please don’t compare me to other kids you’ve met… you don’t really know me. </p>

<p>As to why I wanted to go to Wharton and not Stern, I am applying Early Decision to Wharton, which slightly increases my chances, whereas I am applying RD at Stern. I am not so egotistical and ignorant that I think I can get into Stern, which has a 7% acceptance rate. Why apply to Stern and not get in, when I can apply to NYU for Economics and transfer into Stern? </p>

<p>Do you think I would have a better chance at ED UPenn CAS Economics instead of Wharton Finance? </p>

<p>I hate to come off indecisive like most kids my age, but I really am not! I do know what I want, and I have researched the schools I need to attend to get there. This is why I listed some other more realistic schools, despite me saying I wanted to go to Wharton. You know what they say… always gotta have other options. You cannot put all your eggs in one basket. </p>

<p>@HvePassion‌ I am a white male. I plan to retake the ACT and SAT Subject Tests, and I’m confident I can get a 34 this next time around; I’ve been testing at 35 in my practice tests. </p>

<p>Thank you guys for taking the time to look at all this and I appreciate the advice. How do you guys think I look for UC Berkeley, considering I’m in state? UCB would be awesome, but ideally I’d want to go to an Ivy League like UPenn, Dartmouth, or Cornell. HYP is out of my league so I’ve been told…</p>

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<p>First of all.
Don’t call Investment Banking “I-Banking.” NOBODY who’s actually working in the industry calls it that and it makes you look like a poser when you do.</p>

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Because transferring into Stern is much harder than apparently you think it is.</p>

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Yes, but you do realize that you don’t apply to particular departments at UPenn CAS, don’t you? </p>

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Again, these are two very different business that pretty much only have the word “private” in common. Which do you want to go into? I’m betting dollars to donuts that you haven’t the slightest idea what each of these businesses actually <em>do</em>, so you might as well just pick one at random.</p>

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But you <em>do</em> think you can get into Wharton? </p>

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I’m not convinced you know what a hedge fund is. What sort of job would you like to do at a hedge fund (there are dozens)?</p>

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<p>Oh, you excel in calculus? Why didn’t you say so? That makes all the difference. P.S. You’re <em>exactly</em> like the kids that reach out to me all the time except most of them have 34’s or 2300’s.</p>

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You understand wrong. Competence is everything in the finance world. It’s one of the last few pure meritocracies left. Smart people do very well. Not so smart people don’t do so well. Now lots of smart people gravitate towards “prestige” schools, but there are plenty of non-so-sharp guys graduating from the “best” schools that don’t last six months once they hit the trading floor while the hard working genius from brand-X state U excels.</p>

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<p>…
ED Wharton >>>>> RD Stern in difficulty</p>

<p>Do you know how many legacies/athletes/rich developmental kids want to become ibankers?</p>

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<p>I believe that you have a better chance than others^ have said…I think that essays are a very crucial piece of the application, and you feel passionately about yours. However, I am worried that you only have one subject test</p>

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<p>They don’t count nearly as much as you’d probably like them to and will not make up for lackluster GPA or test scores. </p>

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<p>Your combination of GPA, test scores, and true passion is amazing. I think you can get in anywhere, for sure. </p>

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<p>I think you’d be better off looking at UCB and UMich. In-state your chanced at UCB are pretty good and if you bump up your ACT a little UMich is likely.</p>

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<p>@soze‌ I don’t have a lackluster GPA, thanks. UW 4.0 in top classes at a top school in California not some school in rural Ohio isn’t lackluster, damn you’re pretentious. You make Wall Street look bad. And while I don’t have excellent test scores, I didn’t study for my ACT. I still got a 32. Math, which I excel in, is what I messed up on. When I study hard for it, I plan to get a 35 or 34. My SAT 2 subjects will be high as well. Stop belittling me, I’m curious to where you went to school. What year? College admissions is FAR harder than 10+ years ago when about half as many kids applied, a**hole</p>

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<p>@forthebrosef‌ you think I have a solid chance at UCB? Should I center my essays around my maturity and self discipline since my father passed away abruptly and the roles I had to take on, or should I focus on my passion for finance and my internship?</p>

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<p>@jsteeezzz‌
I didn’t say your GPA was lackluster, I was talking in general terms. </p>

<p>Your test scores are low for where you are looking, but if you read my posts my biggest issue with you is that you’re trying to pretend you know something about an industry that you clearly don’t know much if anything about.</p>

<p>Tossing random terms like “private equity” and “hedge fund” around doesn’t impress anybody and will not serve you well. Again lots of kids reach out to me about breaking in to the business, about 5% know what they are talking about. You’re solidly in the other 95.</p>

<p>You need to do a lot more research on both college admissions and the industry you supposedly have passion about as you have misconceptions about both. E.g. Stern is NOT more selective than Wharton.</p>

<p>As to me, well I graduated from HS 35 years ago, so I’m not sure it matters but I had >95 average (no weighting back then) was co-valedictorian of my class had a 1550 SAT (old 1600 point system). I went to Brandeis where I double majored in Computer Science and physics and then received an MS in mathematics.</p>

<p>Good enough for you?</p>

<p>Ps, I know you are just a kid, so I’ll ignore your closing remark.</p>

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<p>@jsteeezzz‌ Yeah, I think you have a decent chance at UCB just based on GPA and classes. Parent dying and your internship also work strongly in your favor.</p>

<p>I would stick with father’s passing rather than passion for finance. The best way to write a college essay is to tell a story and a parent dying is a much better story (because saying you like finance isn’t really a story). Writing about your love for finance won’t tell the university any more about you than a check box indicating your intended major, but telling a story about your father dying will show them that you are (hopefully) a good writer, and that you have a strength of character. </p>

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<p>Thank you @forthebrosef‌ for the constructive answer, I appreciate it. @soze‌ sorry for misinterpreting what you said, but you’re so negative with everything. I respect your intelligence and seniority, clearly ur sharp. However, I do know the industry as far as what I want to do and what they deal with, I know numerous people in finance in LA. I described the path I hope to take and you disregarded it and continued to say I’m uneducated. Whatever, you’re entitled to judge since I kind of asked. Thanks anyways for the criticism, it helped. Upenn CAS ED it is. </p>

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<p>Best of luck to you. </p>

<p>And btw if you think I’m being tough, unfair or overly critical, just wait until you interview for a job on The Street. :)</p>

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<p>I think you need to apply to a few good safety schools. None of the schools you mentioned are safety schools. The thing i think might be a problem for top colleges is the rigor of your coursework. Some years you only took 5 courses and the rigor seems to drop back a bit senior year by taking modern lit instead of AP lit, AP statistics instead of AP calc BC, and AP environmental instead of the more rigorous AP physics or AP biology. I assume your school offers a lot of AP courses since it is ranked 10/10. For Wharton you will be competing against students who took 12-15 AP courses and some who were dual enrolled in college. I think your internship is very impressive and maybe it will help you get into a top college but just in case i hope you have a safety school to fall back on.</p>