Undergraduate Stock Pitch Challenge Frequently Asked Questions
Applications for the 2024 competition are now closed. Please contact us at cornell_ug_spc@cornell.edu to be put on the mailing list to be notified of when next year’s applications open (which typically happens in the spring semester preceding the event). We encourage you to monitor our website to see if the application link is live.
For the Undergraduate Stock Pitch Challenge, we ask that teams be comprised of 3 individuals. Teams can be a mix of sophomores, juniors, and seniors and must be from the same university. The event is designed for sophomores and juniors though seniors can participate.
We ask that all applicants commit to attending the entirety of the event and designate 1-2 students as backups in case of unforeseen circumstances. We understand that circumstances may arise, but it is important to note that we have turned away other teams that could have taken advantage of this opportunity. If something comes up after your team has been accepted and a team member can no longer attend a portion of the event, please let us know as soon as possible.
We send out emails on application statuses from late April through mid-May. If you have any questions about your application status, please send us an email.
- Confirm or decline your offer by filling out the form (link included in the email). Please think carefully before committing as our planning and costs hinge around every student commitment.
- Review all pages on the Undergraduate Stock Pitch Challenge website.
- Keep an eye on your university email for communications on details and logistics from organizers during early August.
Organizers will assign you a choice of stocks from which to select the stock you will pitch. You will have approximately a week to research your stock and put together a pitch as a team.
For lodging, Cornell provides a shared room (where appropriate). We will send rooming assignments a few weeks ahead of the conference.
We provide a reception and dinner on Thursday evening and breakfast and lunch on Friday. Teams are responsible for their own travel to campus. We encourage reaching out to your student services team at your university to see if they have funding available to support your travel.
There are a few ways to travel into Ithaca depending on your university’s location. There are buses that connect Ithaca to many of the East Coast metropolitan cities. There are flights to and from the Ithaca Tompkins International Airport (a 10-minute drive from campus) and Syracuse Hancock International Airport(approximately 1.15 hours’ drive from campus).
The top 2 teams receive prize money and certificates of award. Event organizers will follow up within a few days after the challenge to collect the winning team members’ information for processing awards.
We discourage switching out team members unless absolutely necessary. Switching team members results in the correct team members’ resumes not being included in the resume book sent to sponsors. That said, if this is unavoidable, please email us as soon as possible to request a team member switch.
Around August, event organizers will email team members a deadline to submit an updated resume. If you do not submit an updated resume, the resume provided to us in your application will be included in the resume book. After that deadline passes, we cannot guarantee that your updated resumes will be included in the book for event sponsors.
If your team can no longer participate, please let us know as soon as possible, as we can turn to our waitlist. Last-minute cancellations are strongly discouraged and may be flagged to your school’s administration and to event sponsors. Please let us know at least three weeks ahead of the event.
On Thursday, the dress code is business casual. There is might be the opportunity to be outside during the reception portion so please dress accordingly.
On Friday, the dress code is business professional.
No, the event adjourns following the Friday lunch and awards announcement.