U of Maryland's Undergrad Fund Earns 'Street Cred'

How much money did you manage in college? With the Lemma Senbet Fund, undergraduate students at the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business have the opportunity to manage over $100,000. Here's a look at what they do with those six figures.

Now in its second year, the student-run Senbet Fund was designed to be the undergraduate version of the Smith School's $1.2 million MBA-run Mayer Fund. Smith Professor Sarah Kroncke, the faculty advisor for both funds, explained that the Senbet Fund is managed by a 12-member team (two portfolio managers and 10 equity analysts ) of senior finance majors who represent the school's top tier of students.

Becoming a member of this fund is no small task. What's involved? Most students spend around 10 hours developing their application package, which includes an analyst report offering a buy, sell or hold recommendation on a stock. Once selected, fund members are required to serve for one year in the fund, including meeting on a biweekly basis. At the end of their one-year run, fund members earn six undergraduate credits toward their degree.

The Senbet Fund considers itself a long-term growth fund that invests primarily in stocks , but has the option to put money in other financial instruments like bonds and derivatives if the student managers decide to do so....