Incoming HS Senior Looking for Honest Guidance: Where Do I Stand?
Hi everyone. I recently discovered Wall Street Oasis, and I have already learned a lot just from reading through different discussions here. I am an incoming senior at a public high school in Illinois, and I wanted to ask for some honest guidance about where I currently stand and what I should realistically be doing next.
A little about me personally: I am someone who genuinely enjoys business, math, public speaking, teaching, leadership, and building things from the ground up. I am ambitious, but I also know that I am still young and have an enormous amount left to learn.
Right now, I am interested in pursuing and trying at a career in high finance, management consulting, or possibly corporate law. My current college goal is to study finance alongside data science, ideally at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (I am an Illinois resident), and I have also considered attending law school afterward.
I want to acknowledge upfront that I do not know nearly as much as many people on this forum. This is my first time living through any of this, and I am trying to make the best decisions I can with the information available to me. I am grateful for any honest advice people are willing to give, even if it is not necessarily what I hope to hear.
My biggest concern, by far, is my GPA. I genuinely believe it is the weakest part of my application, and I am extremely worried about how much it may limit me.
My current unweighted GPA is around a 3.5, with a weighted GPA around a 4.2. I attend a competitive public high school, but I understand that these numbers are still below the typical range for many of the schools and programs I once hoped to attend.
It is difficult to explain how much I think about it. I wake up worrying about my GPA, and it is often the last thing on my mind before I fall asleep. I know that allowing a number to control my life is unhealthy and irrational, but I struggle to stop thinking about the mistakes I made, the opportunities I may have lost, and how much better I believe I could have performed.
Throughout high school, I have taken a fairly rigorous schedule that has included honors mathematics through precalculus, AP Calculus AB, AP Statistics, honors biology, honors chemistry, honors physics, AP Computer Science A, AP English Language, business courses, engineering courses, and other advanced classes. For senior year, I am planning to continue with courses such as AP Calculus BC or a higher-level calculus course, AP English Literature, AP Macro & Micro, AP gov business law, and the honors Business Capstone class, as well as additional advanced STEM or business coursework.
I believe my extracurricular involvement is the strongest part of my application. I have tried to pursue activities that reflect my interests in leadership, business, service, communication, and quantitative work rather than simply joining clubs for the sake of listing them.
My ten primary activities are approximately:
- Founder and President of a Global nonprofit educational organization
I built and led an organization from the ground up that provides free math and now business and STEM tutoring and educational programs to kids across the world. It has served several hundreds of student registrations, recruited hundreds of student instructors, developed original curricula, and expanded through multiple chapters in the United States and internationally. Currently we stand at 8 chapters distributed across the United States, One in Canada, One in Dubai, One in the UK, and Two in India. I have built an international NGO, and I have worked on this for 3 years. We have impacted 850+ students across the world and have garnered a team of 250+ high schoolers willing to manage, lead and teach. - (BPA) Business competition leadership and national achievement
I serve in a leadership position within my school’s business organization. Similar to DECA (which I believe is the more popular choice), My team placed first at the state level in a business management event and later placed second nationally in BPA (Business Professionals of America). Our event was very similar to the concept of consulting where we would come up with an extensive and detailed business plan a corporation can use to maximize revenue and cut costs. - University economics research assistant
I assist a university professor with economics research involving labor-market discrimination and employment data collection. My name will be published alongside the professor. Some tools I've worked with is Excel, and I have become certified in this online software. I use modeling, data visualization, and learn about econometrics. - Corporate financial analytics internship
I have Interned on projects related to financial analytics, auditing, data collection, and business operations. The company is a very large Consulting Firm out of Asia, and I am very grateful to have worked in this prestigious company as a high schooler. At this internship I developed a banking fraud-detection project involving thousands of simulated transactions, geospatial data, Python, dashboards, and financial-risk analysis. UIUC Data Science & CS Summer Program
I was selected for a competitive summer program, which reportedly had an acceptance rate around 8-10%. Through the program, I studied data science, computer science, and computational thinking while working with UIUC alumni, professors, graduate students, and other industry mentors. I also completed collaborative projects focused on applying technology and data analysis to real-world problems. The program is affiliated with the University of Illinois System and is said to strengthen participants’ preparation and competitiveness for admission, while further developing my interest in combining finance, business, and data science.
- President and Founder of STEM education and discussion organization
I co-founded and currently lead a student-run STEM Research education organization at my school that has engaged more than 65+ students through interactive presentations, student-led discussions, workshops, and educational events. I help oversee the organization’s leadership, programming, outreach, and event planning while creating opportunities for students to explore fields such as engineering, computer science, mathematics, and emerging technology outside the traditional classroom. - Speech and debate (Varsity & IHSA)
I compete at the varsity level in speech and debate, where I have reached seven tournament finals, earned three top-three finishes, and won first place in Radio Speaking at a major invitational. As a team leader and mentor, I have strengthened my ability to think under pressure, communicate persuasively, and present complex ideas clearly—skills directly applicable to leadership, negotiation, and client-facing business roles. - Technology education instructor (Job)
I work as a student instructor teaching younger students subjects related to coding, technology, and STEM. I've worked at this job long enough to be promoted to lead instructor and I work on marketing the opportunities and finding more people to work there especially high schoolers along with managing and helping teach children coding and web development. - Finance and marketing internship (Startup)
I support a growing startup across financial analysis, marketing strategy, business development, and day-to-day operations, gaining firsthand experience in how an early-stage company attracts customers, manages growth, and makes business decisions. - County government GIS internship
I work with a county government on geospatial data, digital mapping, and web-based GIS projects, helping transform complex public data into accessible tools for planning, analysis, and community use.
I have also participated in robotics, engineering competitions, Science Olympiad, student government, economics-related organizations, and other academic programs. I do not mention these to sound impressive or inflate my profile. I am simply trying to provide enough context for people to evaluate where I stand honestly.
My current ACT score is a 31, and my SAT score is a 1430. I have one ACT attempt and two SAT attempts remaining, and I am actively trying to improve both scores.
At one point, I had ambitious dreams of schools such as Michigan Ross, NYU Stern, Indiana Kelley, and other highly regarded business programs. I always understood that schools like Ross and Stern were extremely difficult to enter, but I at least felt that I had a chance worth pursuing.
After my GPA dropped, much of that confidence disappeared. I have started to feel as though I wasted some of my potential, especially because I know I was capable of performing better academically. It hurts to compare what I once imagined for myself with what now seems realistic.
I am trying not to approach this with entitlement. I know there are thousands of applicants with stronger academic records, incredible accomplishments, and difficult personal circumstances. I also know that success in finance or law is not determined by one college admission result.
Still, I genuinely have a strong drive to succeed, learn, and build a meaningful career. I want to reach a high level professionally, not simply for prestige, but because I enjoy challenging work, want financial independence, and hope to eventually support my family and create opportunities for other people.
I would sincerely appreciate an honest review of my profile.
Is UIUC’s business school still realistically possible for me as an in-state applicant, particularly for finance or a finance/data science-related path? Would applying to a different major at UIUC make more sense, or would that create difficulties when trying to enter finance later?
I have also recently been researching Baruch College. From what I have read, it seems like a potentially strong and affordable option for someone interested in finance and hoping to work in New York. Would Baruch be a sensible choice for my goals, and how would it compare with UIUC for recruiting into investment banking, corporate finance, or related careers?
More broadly, what should someone in my position focus on from this point forward? Should I prioritize improving my test scores, strengthening my essays, networking, learning technical finance skills, targeting certain colleges, or reconsidering my intended career path?
I am not asking anyone to reassure me or tell me that everything will automatically work out. I would genuinely value realism. At the same time, I would appreciate advice delivered with the understanding that I am a student who is trying, learning, and sometimes becoming overwhelmed by the pressure I place on myself.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this. Any perspective, criticism, or guidance would mean a great deal to me.
