High school students listening to Mark Schild give a presentation in the Trading Room.
High school students have the opportunity this summer to take academically rigorous,
college-prep coursework at Seton Hall University. As part of the University’s pre-college offerings, students can study a favorite subject, get ahead in a chosen field or explore areas
not typically available in high school.
Held on Seton Hall’s South Orange, NJ, campus, these programs give students the chance
to meet with experienced faculty while engaging in subjects that spark their interests.
Among this year’s offerings was Investing 101: Managing a Live Financial Portfolio,
a week-long summer course designed to introduce participants to the fundamental principles
of investing through immersive, hands-on learning.
Throughout the program, students explored core topics such as financial markets, investment
strategies, risk management and portfolio diversification. Instruction combined interactive
lectures, case studies and presentations from guest speakers in the finance industry,
giving participants insight into the real-world decision-making process.
Mark Schild, associate dean and finance professor, noted that the course also emphasized financial
literacy at a foundational level. Students not only learned how to build portfolios
but also how to budget in order to create the means to invest. Drawing on more than
25 years of experience running an investment firm, Schild said the program was designed
to provide “valuable real-world knowledge,” enhanced further by guest lecturers from
Bloomberg and other institutions.
A central feature of the course is its use of Seton Hall’s Center for Securities Trading and Business Analytics, where students access Bloomberg terminals and industry-standard technology. Participants
applied classroom concepts by making investment decisions, utilizing simulated trading
platforms, and monitoring the performance of their portfolios over the course of the
week. Schild observed that students “immediately engaged in the stock trading simulations,”
which led to thoughtful discussions about the best ways to invest. He added that he
wished such an opportunity had been available early in his own career and hoped the
program would inspire students to continue investing for themselves.
Through this experiential approach, students developed practical skills in portfolio
construction, asset allocation and performance evaluation. The program is designed
to give participants not only foundational financial knowledge but also firsthand
exposure to the tools and practices used in professional finance.
Click here for information on how to enroll.
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