How would you invest a huge windfall if you just graduated from college?

Hi,

So I'm currently a senior in high school and I'm in the middle of the college application process. But, to cut to the chase, my parents basically have set aside $300k for me to go to college (basically full cost of attendance for any private college/top out of state schools) They have told me that if I get any scholarships I can keep the remaining amount once I graduate from college. I have performed well on the PSAT, so I would get a half-tuition (~25k a year) scholarship at USC or a full cost of attendance scholarship at UF. I also recently got into Rutgers, which would be very cheap as well (Less than 20k a year cuz of scholarships). Either way, I would have a significant amount of money that I could invest in my future. I did some preliminary research with compound interest stuff and looked into municipal bonds (which would give a decent bonus every year tax-free). If you were in my situation, what options would you consider? Also do think that you would pick a school like USC over UF (even if it's 200k total more) since I want to work somewhere in finance?

Thanks

1 Comments
 

Eum inventore magnam placeat quo ut aut dolor. Qui tenetur omnis quia eum ea qui nam. Deleniti est mollitia corrupti. Saepe illum vero cupiditate nam optio iste maxime ut.

Aut voluptas numquam ut nihil quaerat. Laudantium in officia voluptatem ex doloribus provident repellat. Nihil vero aut nemo soluta.

Eaque iure totam porro cupiditate qui numquam excepturi nisi. Natus molestias aut fugiat molestiae. Iure tenetur autem dolor. Sunt eos corrupti exercitationem. Aut deleniti exercitationem beatae et eius magni iure. Doloribus sit maiores qui voluptatem consequuntur. Nihil placeat quos consequuntur quia commodi molestiae nesciunt sint.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”