What to do with a year of time?

[VictorS]

I'm a recent high school graduate, who has to take a gap year through some unfortunate circumstances. This basically means that I have ten months of free time on my hands, and I want to spend this time usefully. I have ambitions of becoming a quant (or at the very least entering the world of mathematical finance), and I plan to double major in physics and mathematics.

My question is: What are some things that I could do with my time that will best help my chances of fulfilling these ambitions? In your answer, assume money is no problem, so you can recommend certifications and such too.

 

[daleholborow]

travel. travel. travel.

travel more. Read a little, if you must.

 

[Ole Bueker]

Well, since you have just graduated high school, there's not too much to suggest for your studies, as you will pick up all the essentials during your Bachelor studies. My advice would be to get on a level where you are confident you will do well in your first year courses and have no issues understanding them.

You also might want to start reading financial news and developing a "bigger" picture of what is needed in the quant field so you know how your curriculum should look like (i.e. you take the right electives and graduate on time) and can develop a "timeline" for your career. Also, creating a list of companies you might want to intern at during the semester breaks might be helpful. If you can get any relevant practical experience during your studies, it will set up apart from most other students.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

Look for treasure

'Captain Kidd's treasure' found off Madagascar