Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore is really into crypto, complex algorithms, etc. he spends lots of time researching and tracking these things and I think he would enjoy a college where he can dig into this more with like-minded professors and students. He is a good student and will likely test well but I am looking for ideas of schools to look at for him outside the Wharton/ MIT/Stanford type places that are a lottery for anyone. We are in VA if that matters but willing to look anywhere.

Complex algorithms like "merkle trees" or like "candlestick patterns"?
There's a world of difference between these two things.
Ask him and report back.

I have heard him mention candlestick and fractal patterns.

Sorry to break this to you, OP, but it sounds like he's on a clown path, not a finance one.

Agree, is he also interested in tulip bulbs? GameStop?

Anonymous wrote:OP here- thanks for the ideas. He would hate being a math major. He is really most motivated when digging into areas of specific interest and precalc is fine but he’s not loving it. We could be full pay but would prefer not to be. I don’t see him enjoying Wall Street. He would likely be happier in a quirkier environment.

So the not liking math is going to be a problem. Obviously he'll need to get way beyond pre-cal to get into any school that might be a pipeline to a quant. And you don't think he'll like Wall Street. Which, good for him.

Maybe pursue other interests.

Crypto-bros are a thing among young men. It might just be a stage. A lot of boys feel like they're smarter than everyone else and have it all figured out. Let him trade with something you and he are willing to lose. And find other interests to pursue. There is no avenue in finance if he doesn't do well in math or goes to the right schools or dislikes the culture. None. It's just day trading. So keep it at that and find something else to do.

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore is really into crypto, complex algorithms, etc. he spends lots of time researching and tracking these things and I think he would enjoy a college where he can dig into this more with like-minded professors and students. He is a good student and will likely test well but I am looking for ideas of schools to look at for him outside the Wharton/ MIT/Stanford type places that are a lottery for anyone. We are in VA if that matters but willing to look anywhere.

Check out the Quant. Finance program at JMU. UVA/Virginia Tech don't have a similar program. Very small program, excellent placement. Stevens Institute of Technology also has a similar program and they are right across the river from Wall Street. Depending on your kid's stats (assuming he has very good stats and can aim higher), look for higher ranked schools that offer similar programs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Thanks for the information!

Plenty of online courses. Join an investing club in college (much more sophisticated than one might think upon first glance).

If he does not want to major in Finance, physics, electrical engineering, or math, then he is not going to be a quantitative trader, but he can use algorithms--as can anyone regardless of major.

Your son appears to be a likely finance major. Consider schools like Lehigh University & SMU.

(I wrote the above post.) Delete the bolded word "finance" as that is what he should major in if he is not a quant (math,physics, EE).

Anonymous wrote: Thanks for the information!

Plenty of online courses. Join an investing club in college (much more sophisticated than one might think upon first glance).

If he does not want to major in Finance, physics, electrical engineering, or math, then he is not going to be a quantitative trader, but he can use algorithms--as can anyone regardless of major.

Your son appears to be a likely finance major. Consider schools like Lehigh University & SMU.

Anonymous wrote:Places where the nerdy Quant guys are applying from my kid’s school:

Carnegie Mellon
Caltech
Harvey mudd

In VA, especially if you want to pay less than 70-80k, the top Virginia schools are generally a bargain for these majors. UVA, WM, Vatech and GMU all have great business, data science and similar programs.

They're doing a pretty terrible job. Not to rag on kids, but they have no idea where quants come from. Harvey Mudd has maybe 20 quant alum, nerds who are good enough to pass through these colleges and go on to PhDs become researchers and have the chops for professorship. The quant schools are the schools everyone would expect: MIT, Harvard, and Stanford

Thanks for the information!

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like he wants to be a quant. Math is a better major for that than finance. Illinois and St. Olaf probably have the strongest undergraduate math programs that are reasonably accessible.

Agree that St Olaf’s math department is very well regarded. Its a smaller school in a cold climate, but strong academically. They also have a particularly good music department.

For MD in-state, then UMD or UMBC. For Va in-state, then consider UVa / VT / VCU with a Math major and maybe a minor in CS or Economics.