Key Highlights
- Finance-focused education: Krish Malpani is pursuing an undergraduate degree at Claremont McKenna College, known for its strong finance culture and small-class learning environment.
- Real-world investing: He is part of Sagehen Capital Management, a student-run investment fund, and recently became a Portfolio Manager overseeing a portion of the fund.
- Research experience: Krish worked on a project with CMC’s Keck Center, exploring Arctic geopolitics and the implications of climate-driven change.
- Campus life and growth: From orientation camps and lacrosse to beach trips and student clubs, he has embraced a wide range of academic and extracurricular experiences.
“Being in a small college pushes you to be more social and outgoing, more so than at a large college because you’re constantly running into the same people,” smiles Krish, in a chat with The Global Indian.
Why CMC
Krish ultimately chose CMC because it was the right fit for many reasons. “It’s a small school of about 1,400 students with an extremely tight-knit community and a strong finance culture,” says Krish, who has just completed his second year of the four-year course.
He says the class sizes are small, typically 12 to 20 students, which means more engagement, more access to professors, and a much richer academic experience overall.
First day
Krish’s parents flew with him to the US and dropped him off at the college. “The first day involved unpacking, setting up my dorm room, touring the campus, and meeting a few other new students.”
The entire first week was orientation, which was followed by an off-campus trip with the incoming class. “We were divided into groups, each led by upperclassmen, and went to different locations.”
The fun of camping
Krish’s group went to a campsite in the mountains called Ronald McDonald, where they stayed in cabins and participated in many team-bonding activities, including fishing, archery, swimming, pickleball, basketball, card games, and a bonfire at night. “We were asked to leave our phones on campus, and I had an amazing time and got to know so many of the people in my group.”
A warm gesture
One moment from that first week really stuck with Krish. He was at the gym and asked someone nearby if he knew where the resistance bands were kept. “He showed me, then introduced himself as a senior, and without me even asking, handed me his number and told me to reach out if I ever needed anything. It was a small gesture, but it said a lot.”
Krish says that kind of warmth and openness is something almost everyone who went to CMC will emphasise. “Experiencing it firsthand in the first week made me feel like I’d made the right choice.”
Smooth transition
The transition was smoother than Krish expected. He settled in fairly quickly and made some amazing new friends. The area where he faced some friction early on was breaking into the professional finance clubs. “CMC has a number of highly selective clubs, and getting those opportunities took a lot more effort than I expected, but it was a good lesson early on in putting myself out there.”
Coursework
He says a lot of the project work is embedded directly in coursework. “I had projects for courses such as Financial Statement Analysis and Macroeconomics.” However, Krish undertook an external research project with the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies at CMC, which explored the geopolitics surrounding the Arctic’s vast untapped resources and the implications of rapidly melting ice.
In the club
He joined a club called Sagehen Capital Management, an entirely student-run investment fund that manages $1.3 million of the college’s endowment. “We conduct in-depth research, build financial models, and put together detailed pitch decks to present stock recommendations to the broader fund, with the aim of investing in and holding these stocks in our portfolio.”
Krish recently got promoted to Portfolio Manager of the Consumer Industry Group, where he will be co-managing roughly $300,000 of the fund, which he describes as an exciting opportunity.
Modelled after Oxford
Claremont McKenna is a member of The Claremont Colleges, a seven-college consortium modelled after Oxford University. The institutions are situated right next to each other, share resources, and allow students to enroll in classes across campuses. “This also addressed my concerns about the social scene being limited due to CMC’s small size.”
New experiences
On a completely different note, Krish also joined the Claremont Men’s Club Lacrosse team for a while — a sport he knew nothing about back in India. “I joined purely to push myself outside my comfort zone and have new experiences.” Despite having played only for a semester, Krish made some solid friendships that he wouldn’t have made otherwise.
STEM-certified degree
The cherry on top, points out Krish, is that the finance courses fall under the Economics major, which is a STEM-certified degree, unlike at most other schools offering finance programs.
“A STEM degree legally authorizes international students to work in the US for three years after graduation instead of just one,” says Krish, highlighting that he has always thrived in tight-knit environments and that CMC felt like exactly the right fit.
Comparative analysis
Before finalising CMC, Krish was considering Emory University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Michigan, all of which had strong finance programs. “Apart from academics, a vibrant campus life was equally important to me. I wanted to be genuinely involved with my community and make the most of my college years.”
World-class research
Renowned for its expertise in economics and government, Claremont McKenna features accomplished scholars who are committed teachers in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences.
The school is distinguished by eleven world-class research institutes and centres. Exceptionally high numbers of undergraduate students conduct research with professors and get to know them as colleagues.
The highlight
The College’s Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum brings world-class leaders, thinkers, artists, and visionaries to speak publicly, engage in small-group discussions, and dine with students. The Athenaeum has previously hosted former US President Bill Clinton, Salman Rushdie, former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak, among a host of other dignitaries.
Mentoring
CMC’s Soll Center for Student Opportunity provides all students with advising, mentoring, and networking support that is tailored to each student’s professional goals. Many Claremont McKenna graduates go on to receive prestigious post-graduate fellowships and degrees in business, law, medicine, and many other fields. “CMC excels nationally in post-graduate job placement, satisfaction, salaries, and career success.”
Proximity to the beach
Krish enjoys going to the beach regularly. “There are some beautiful beaches around, such as Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Santa Monica, where you can spend the morning in the water and the rest of the day exploring the town. It never really gets old.”
On campus, events and parties are always happening on the weekends. “We have three-day weekends, from Friday to Sunday, which gives us a nice balance between getting work done and having the time to go out and enjoy ourselves.”
The decision to study abroad
Krish’s parents were always prepared to send him abroad to study. “All of my older cousins in the family studied or are currently studying abroad. Hearing about their experiences really made me want to study outside of India too. My parents were really encouraging about this,” says Krish. His father runs a family business, while his mother is a stylist who works with celebrities and other clients.
- Follow Krish Malpani on LinkedIn
