FREE ESSAY ON NYU ESSAY

NYU ESSAY

"Experience is what you receive when you don't get what you want. I remembered my father's
words as I tried to postpone the coming massacre. Like during the fall of the Roman
Empire, my allies became enemies and my foes turned into partners. In fast and furious
action with property changing hands again and again, I rested my fate on the words of one
man, hoping he would rescue me from this dangerous tailspin. Don't these experts realize
the heartbreak they're inflicting on my young life? While the uncertainty of tomorrow's
attire is the most pressing concern for many seventeen-year-olds, I must worry about much
greater issues! It's August 31,the market is down over 300 points and the value of my
stock portfolio is falling fast. 
Usually, whenever I mention the words stockbroker or investment other students snicker
that I'm actually interested in "that stock market stuff. My interest in investing began
when as a naive freshmen I learned that my assistant JV basketball coach Tom Wingfield
worked with Dean Witter as a stockbroker. Over the course of the season, I expressed
interest in his job, and we became inseparable. Tom became my mentor, and I absorbed
every word he spoke. Almost immediately, I became infatuated with the market and wanted
to invest every penny I have. To the delight of my fifteen-year old brother, before
school I even found myself opening the newspaper directly to the business section, giving
my brother first rights to the sports page for the first time in his life. 
Hoping to soon enter the market, I worked at a nearby retirement home for several months
and earned a little money. To help me buy more stock, my father agreed to match any
amount of money I invested. I told Tom about the plan, and he thought it was fantastic.
The next day, I had a stock portfolio and dreams of retiring by age 30. Three years have
elapsed since that fateful November morning, and every two weeks I religiously place part
of my retirement home paycheck into the market. 
Every small-time investor probably dreams of making a million dollars; I was no
different. I pictured my meager investments taking off and my becoming a professional
trader. August 31 quickly jolted me back to reality, and I was reminded of that infamous
expression my father told me. No one really plays the market for experience; that's just
what people say after losing money. Nevertheless, even though I'm not a multimillionaire,
the experience and knowledge that I gained investing in stocks and following the
financial markets is priceless and helped me define my career ambitions. Living in
Charlotte has exposed me to the single largest banking merger in history, which made the
city one of the world's major banking centers. The combination of my personal financial
involvement, late night conversations with my dad, and observing first hand the sheer
magnitude of the banking industry inspires me to turn my current hobby into something
much greater! I've decided to become an investment banker.