He says that he and his fellow investors try to look for stocks where they, as college students, have a "comparative advantage" in their ability to predict a rise or fall in demand for the company's service.

Shah and Wu say CWF members have specific points in mind when evaluating potential additions to their portfolio.

"Some of us are committed to finding companies with superior technology," Shah writes in an e-mail message. "Others look to earnings and value, while still others turn to future growth prospects. The end result is that we find and invest in a diverse slate of companies that outperform the general market as a whole."

Wu says he especially likes the club's willingness to move quickly.

"We make on average one trade per week [and] we're not afraid to jump in and out of a stock in a short amount time," he says. "During last summer, we made over 100 percent on a stock that we held for less than three days. It turned out to be one of our biggest winners of the year."

To maintain their momentum, CWF and CRGF organizers stress the importance of recruiting insightful and dedicated new investors.

Wu says CWF recruits members by postering at the beginning of each semester and by relying on word-of-mouth to attract students. He says that although his group targets first-years in Social Analysis 10: "Principles of Economics," students concentrating in any field are welcome to join.