I’ve had sort of an identity crisis and what I want to have a career in. Before, I was almost always positive that I was going to be an engineer. However, after I looked more into Wall Street, I thought a Quantitative Analyst (aka “quants”) was a very interesting field. I would like to go to Wharton as they have one of the best programs for Quantitative Analysis, and I absolutely love their campus.
As a junior in his spring semester with one more summer left, what can I do to show UPenn that I want to go to their school?
http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/academics/lbw.cfm
Leadership in the Business World is a summer program designed for high-performing rising seniors. See the link I’ve posted above for more information. You’ll find that ~35% of the kids who attend this program end up going to the Wharton school. I attended last year and was accepted into the Huntsman program under ED (that’s business and international studies). This is definitely a good bet for you if you want to show your interest in Penn, but realize that there is no direct correlation between attending LBW and going to Wharton.
Alternatively, you could pursue an internship in something based upon quantitative analysis. I did a summer internship at a boutique private equity firm in my city, but you’ll likely need connections in the industry (through parents, friends’ parents, etc.) in order to do so.
Both options will work nicely and there’s a vast range of other stuff that you could try (more university summer programs, start doing stocks and make a portfolio, make an investment algorithm or an investment blog (see Raging Bull Investors for a good example of this), or start a club of sorts at your school, although the last option won’t be too viable since this is your last year of high school). At the end of the day, do something you’re interested in. Good luck.