<p>Hi everyone. It will be a bit long'ish post, but please take your time. I am really not sure about the issue and your opinion is very important for me.</p>
<pre><code> I have a question which really bothers me. I am a junior right now, thinking of applying to Ivies/top business schools. I would not say I have much of a chance for such as Sloan(MIT) or Princeton. However, what makes me unique is the fact that I have started playing poker (wait before you laugh, it's actually not gambing in a long run, it is pure math of probability and possible dispersion/variance) being 15. Right now I am 17. I have made over $100,000 by playing poker, being financially independent for 2 years right now. It wasn't a lottery, net profits were growing exponentially. I have paid for my very expensive private, kind of magnet school, I have paid for everything what I have consumed over the past 2 years. One of the reasons being for me to play poker was that my family was unable to pay for the school anymore. I am curious on whether you think I should write about poker thing and the fact I earned some money (in fact, I have earned well over $80k before turning 17). I think this is the thing which could kind of boost my application. Otherwise I don't think there is much of a chance for me. My SAT is like 2250, maybe could improve that, GPA is ok and not that many EC's except doing maths olympiads.
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<p>The worst part about poker is the fact it is illegal to play under 18. I have been playing online with a permission of my family of course. I viewed poker as a way for me to learn how to handle the money. It taught me money-management skills, emotional control and deep quantitative analysis. It is exactly what I will need in future for trading. Is there a way for me to write about poker as a good thing, or do you think top Ivies will see it as a strict NO on application and reject me straight away? Thanks a ton.</p>
<p>P.S So should I try to make an unique essay out of it? If you actually look up wall</a> street hires poker players - Hledat Googlem or go to an interview for top proprietary trading shops, such as Jane Street Capital, you will find out they are really into such things. They ask you questions on game theory/probability. So please, don't call it pure gambling.</p>
<p>Um…saying you participated (for years) in something illegal is not a good idea. And do your tax returns show the taxes paid on your winnings? You could be opening up a huge can of worms. Just sayin. :)</p>
<p>I don’t know your GPA, so I cannot accurately chance you.</p>
<p>Your Poker EC is very interesting. It’s very cool that you used statistical analysis, per se, to win that 100K - however, it is illegal. Immediately adcoms will know. They will be impressed by your winnings no doubt, but they’re not going to like the fact you were under 18. You could pay taxes but it is just a rule of general gambling. And if you say it was under your parents name, it becomes iffy - BUT I think if you want to write it you need to say “With the permission and help of my parents, I used ____ to conceptually win ___” - if you write how you used real life statistics and probability to win, and write in a smart, interesting, almost “cunning” way, I think you have a good chance of dispelling the rumor about gambling and all the traditional negativity it has. Remember - you need to first check that you had your parents permission and help.</p>
<p>But…</p>
<p>First and foremost, what is your course rigor and GPA?</p>
<p>I am doing full IB now. We don’t have the GPA system as the grades we get are only on Ib scale from 1 to 7. </p>
<p>7 equals to like Weighted GPA 5 I guess.</p>
<p>We have just started, right now it looks like I will achieve 40+/45. (6 subjects + 3 core points for 2 huge essays).</p>
<p>Obviously they will know it is illegal :). And the fact that dad gave me the permission, it is because in order to play online, you pretty much need to have a valid ID, which I didn’t. So I asked my dad and since he is good at trading/markets and knows that poker is not gambling but maths in a long run, he allowed me. </p>
<p>Why should I write with help of my parents? No one helped me with it. I mean… if it sounds better… But there was nothing my dad could help me with in poker. It all came down to my own mindset.</p>
<p>P.S. Our school can be called a magnet. Every year, out of 60 people about 5-6 get to Oxbridge/LSE/Imperial/UCL/King’s. So basically we are UK oriented. Those 5-6 people usually have 40-43 points.</p>
<p>OK, let us assume I was 14. It is like saying “With the permission of my parents, I drove a car.” </p>
<p>You need to dispell any rumors that it was illegal in all means. If your dad gave his ID it’s his account, you made the $$ but adcoms will think you just asked and registered with a fake ID.</p>
<p>It is kind of a repeat, because I am still a Junior (last time I was technically a junior, or I should say sophomore visiting junior classes) and I am interested how would look given that I apply to a finance course. I want to do trading which is very similar to poker in many ways and I was curious whether I should state that in my essay as well.</p>