About the Wharton competition
The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is an opportunity for students to use and build their analytical, teamwork, and communication skills through the world of investing. This investment simulation runs for 10 weeks. Teams who make it to the finals are invited to Wharton itself.
The teams will compete against more than 5000 students around the world. Their challenge is to prepare a portfolio that meets the needs of the client and win their business. Teams are able to trade against a limited number of stocks to win their client's business. They will apply all the knowledge they have learned and some more to get the business!
Wharton team members
The Explorer Hop team interviewed Wharton participants on their experiences to help prepare future students and offer them insight into what it's like to compete.
Read on for a written version of our interview with Michael.
EH: How was your experience with the Wharton Competition?
Michael: It was definitely a challenge like the name suggests. I found it really fun, working with different people and expanding my knowledge on investing and dealing with money as a whole. I wasn't very proficient in that field beforehand so I found that this entire experience was very transformative, learning new things like time management and investing.
EH: What are you thoughts on being the team leader?
Michael: It was a challenge because normally I don't take up leadership responsibilities in a group setting. But I thought why not try it this competition since it was such a big one, it was definitely a new experience and very fulfilling.
EH: What is your favorite trade?
Michael: I wouldn't say I had a favorite, but the process of trading every time and waiting for everyone's opinion and having that sense of organization and trust was very important to our overall team success.
EH: What was your favorite thing about the competition?
Michael: Getting to know new people and developing teamwork, a synergy between members of the team. We developed a lot of trust with each other and developing those relationships was fulfilling.
EH: Was there anything you disliked about the competition?
Michael: To be honest I thought the competition was a lot shorter, it's not necessarily a bad thing but just an observation. Things were moving a bit too fast, in the beginning we were a bit laxed, and the first five days we didn't do much trading. We didn't feel the urgency until later on but we overcame that initial set back.
EH: What is your biggest takeaway from the competition?
Michael: I have a couple I touched on earlier. Improving my financial literacy, leadership, understanding investing and my teamwork skills.