Accepted to Wharton and Duke, opinions PLEASE

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
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<p>I've only visited Penn for about an hour, and didn't get the chance to visit Duke.</p>

<p>Here's where I stand:</p>

<p>Penn:
I am slightly worried that the Wharton courses may be too concentrated for me.
The practical business opportunities Wharton offers are unparalleled. (WLV, SBDC, VIP etc.)
Research opportunities (behavioural labs)
Wharton's prestige (and alum network). I hate to admit its a factor, but it is.
I know lots of people on the east coast, and 4 others from my school are going to Penn (3 to Wharton dual-degree programs!) and only 1 to Duke.
My family will worry about me 24/7 and will be reassured to know that a family friend is only an hour away (NYC).
Possible cut-throat atmosphere at Wharton.</p>

<p>Duke:
I'm from a London, and will probably end up working in a city when I graduate, it may be fun to take a break from the urban life (while I can).
Duke students have more school pride and seem to love their school more.
Dan Ariely is at Duke, I really like his work.
I think Duke MAY be more suited to me in terms of passion for sport.</p>

<p>PLEASE post your opinions, decision has to be made in 8 days!</p>

<p>Thanks,
Chelseaboy</p>

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<p>I don’t think it’d help if we just blindly made your decision for you, but here are some things to consider: Cost - Is this a factor in your decision at all? Wharton is not as competitive as you’d think; it fosters a cooperative relationship between students to work together in projects, etc. Wharton students take the majority of their courses in the college (I think it was close to 60%), so don’t get too caught up in the idea that you’ll be going to a business trade school at Wharton. Wharton’s prestige and recruitment and employment opportunities are superior to those of Duke, particularly if you’re looking to go into the financial industry. And as for overall school atmosphere and spirit, I’m not really sure, and it sucks that you haven’t visited Duke yet cause socially you’re the only who could determine if the school’s a good fit for you.</p>

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<p>^ Just to correct one detail, Wharton undergrads can take up to 40% of their courses outside of Wharton–i.e., 60% of their courses are Wharton courses. But that still gives them a lot of flexibility to take non-Wharton courses. Also, 30% of Wharton undergrads pursue dual degrees from Wharton and one of Penn’s other undergraduate schools, including the College of Arts and Sciences:</p>

<p>[Wharton</a> Undergraduate | Top 10 List](<a href=“http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/undergrad/why-wharton/top-10-list.cfm]Wharton”>Your Future - Undergraduate)</p>

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<p>Fortunately, cost is not a factor to consider.
Yes, I’ve heard that from the go you are working with others, especially in MGMT100.
If you went to Wharton, how did you like that course? I’ve heard some people love it and others absolutely hate it.
Yeah, up to 43% can be outside of Wharton.
I have no idea what I want to do straight after University, but one day I’d like to set up my own business.
I know, I’m really bummed out I couldn’t go to either the Penn Previews or the Blue Devil Days.
Such a difficult, important decision to make.
Barry Schwartz of Swarthmore questioned whether choice is always a good thing.</p>

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<p>@45%er, yeah I didn’t apply for a coordinated dual-degree and doing an uncoordinated degree would probably be too much work.</p>

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<p>^ Many of the Wharton undergrads who pursue a dual degree in the College are NOT in a coordinated dual-degree program. Is it more work? Certainly. But it’s definitely feasible.</p>

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<p>Technically at Duke, you can graduate with a very similar degree/experience as from Wharton. See the following: </p>

<p>BSc in Economics, Finance concentration
<a href=“http://econ.duke.edu/uploads/media_items/worksheet-financeconcentrationbs-major-s-12.original.pdf[/url]”>http://econ.duke.edu/uploads/media_items/worksheet-financeconcentrationbs-major-s-12.original.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Markets and Management Studies certificate
[Duke</a> University | Markets & Management Studies: Certficate Requirements](<a href=“http://markets.duke.edu/certificate/requirements]Duke”>Certificate Requirements | Markets Management Studies)</p>

<p>Duke in NY - Financial Markets semester program
<a href=“http://studyabroad.duke.edu/home/Programs/Semester/Duke_in_NY_Financial_Markets[/url]”>http://studyabroad.duke.edu/home/Programs/Semester/Duke_in_NY_Financial_Markets&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If you like other majors more than Business, both schools have several opportunities. At Duke, you’ll be taking about 50% of your classes outside of Finance, Econ and Business (if you do the aforementioned major/concentration and certificate) and at Wharton, about 40%.</p>

<p>I won’t deny that Duke is more traditional a college experience, but Penn definitely has its strong traditions as well (Spring Fling, Hey Day, etc.).</p>

<p>As you can see, these schools are more similar than they are different. </p>

<p>As for post-college opportunities, I would have to give the nod to Wharton, but only just barely. Duke has amazing placement as well, especially in Finance and Consulting. Duke grads are in the most elite firms all across the world, and a simple linkedin search of your dream firm/location will show you that. </p>

<p>Some cons two be aware of: As for diversity of student body, at Duke your classmates will be more intellectually diverse (pre-meds, engineers, arts, etc.) than at Wharton, for sure. Lastly, I was in two Wharton classes this semester, and can tell you that it was immensely cut-throat. However, to a lesser extent, so were college classes like Math 104.</p>

<p>Both schools are absolutely fantastic and you honestly can’t go wrong with either choice. Good luck with the decision.</p>

<p>PS: Personally I feel Penn doesn’t give much attention to undergrads. Can’t comment on Wharton specifically since I’m in the College.</p>

<p>PS2: You must have an AIS-assigned international mentor by now. Speak to him/her.</p>

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<p>Yeah I know I could do business at Duke, but if that’s what I ended up doing, I’d probably regret not going to Wharton.</p>

<p>Are you enjoying Penn? Any bad things to tell me (other than undergrads feel marginalised)? Also, do you know if any Wharton freshmen have the same fear as I do (that Wharton is too specialised)?</p>

<p>There are a few notable differences for me including business school vs CAS and Rural vs Urban.</p>

<p>Of course Duke has fabulous employment opportunities, but yes, they aren’t quite those of Wharton.</p>

<p>Such a difficult decision because by going to Wharton I risk possibly sacrificing a small amount of happiness for definite long term gain.</p>

<p>Which student body do you think is more intellectually engaged?
Regarding diversity, I would be socialising with students from the other 3 UG schools though, right?
On the “cut-throat” atmosphere, some Whartonites who I’ve spoken to have said that it isn’t like that, so I don’t really know which to believe.</p>

<p>They’re both great, I just need to try to figure out which is the best for me.</p>

<p>“PS2: You must have an AIS-assigned international mentor by now. Speak to him/her.”
Yes I’ve been allocated one who is biased towards Penn, I thought CC would give me a more objective view.</p>

<p>Thanks to all for replying!</p>

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<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pennsylvania/902457-wharton-mythbusters.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pennsylvania/902457-wharton-mythbusters.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Wharton = Chelsea, Duke = Fulham. Understood ? He he. Very close to each other and technically in the same league, but Wharton is a cut above.</p>

<p>I’m a Chelsea fan too btw, we’ve got supporter clubs here. Fill the bars downtown during games, great fun. Best game ever vs Barca yesterday eh ? I still have goosebumps. Message me, I’ll be in London for the final with a friend of mine from London who is also at Wharton, we should meet up. TBH, you really dont have a decision to make. A large number of my friends turned down Yale, Harvard, Princeton for Wharton let alone Duke.</p>

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<p>

This really varies tremendously among undergrads at Penn, as it does at any fairly large school. You’ll find many Penn undergrads–including among those posting on CC–who have had wonderful experiences with professors, including small seminars, individualized attention and mentoring, and fabulous research opportunties working closely with professors. It’s really dependent on an undergrad’s major, non-major courses, and individual initiative. It also often requires that an undergrad have gotten beyond freshman year, and beyond some of the larger introductory classes into the more advanced classes and seminars.</p>

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They’re very comparable. Both univerities are large and diverse enough to house students of varying levels and types of intellectual interests, and you’ll easily find your niche in that regard. Of course, both schools also have highly selective admissions, so most of the people you’ll meet will be quite bright and academically accomplished.</p>

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<p>Wharton undergrads are completely integrated into the wider undergraduate student body at Penn. They live and eat with undergrads from the other schools, are in extracurricular activities with them, and socialize with them. And of course, they also take many classes with non-Wharton undergrads (around 40% of their classes, as discussed above).</p>

<p>Don’t get the erroneous impression that Wharton undergrads are somehow segregated from the rest of the Penn undergraduate student body. They simply are not.</p>

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<p>Wharton!!! Enought Said.</p>

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<p>I have heard a lot of good things about Wharton. On the flip side, Duke is also very highly acclaimed. Its a tough decision no doubt, attend the school that you feel best suits your individual needs. Are you dead set on business? How much of a factor is weather? etc.</p>

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<p>Also keep in mind that if you go to Wharton and decide that either it or business is not for you, you can most likely transfer into Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences, which is as eminent a liberal arts program as Duke’s.</p>

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<p>Honestly, no. Then again, I stupidly turned down Stanford and Columbia to come here. Those whose only option was Penn or Wharton seem not to complain that much. </p>

<p>Interesting statistic though: Call CAPS (Penn psychiatry services) and you’ll be told to wait at least 3 months for an appointment. So, there clearly are quite a lot of unhappy people here. </p>

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<p>Philly sucks. There was an armed robbery at one of our college dining halls while we were eating. But, that’s what you expect from here. </p>

<p>The weather is awful.</p>

<p>Too much bureaucracy. Have to go through 10’s of people just to get one measly thing approved.</p>

<p>Most dormitories are pretty bad. They’re falling apart.</p>

<p>On-campus food is downright disgusting. Off-campus options are pretty awesome though, will say that.</p>

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<p>I don’t think so. Most apply expecting to study business/specialize, I think. I’m not in Wharton, so can’t comment too much on this. </p>

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<p>Hm, I would disagree. Apart from Silverlake, there’s no firm that recruits at Wharton that doesn’t recruit at Duke. </p>

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<p>Penn does have a very anti-intellectual vibe, which has become a serious problem. Can’t comment on Duke.</p>

<p>[The</a> Daily Pennsylvanian :: Hayley Brooks & Ali Kokot | Bring back the banter](<a href=“http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2012/02/hayley_brooks_amp_ali_kokot_bring_back_the_banter]The”>http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2012/02/hayley_brooks_amp_ali_kokot_bring_back_the_banter)</p>

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<p>Sure. Although there is a ton of self-segregation by school, you can socialize with other schools.</p>

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<p>Yeah, some don’t notice it. Most do.</p>

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<p>Interestingly, one of the commenters in the article I linked to in the previous post has commented on Penn vs Duke. Maybe that would help.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>

Or, maybe they just like it at Penn and would strongly disagree with your ridiculously negative characterizations of Penn and Philly. The overwhelming majority of Penn and Wharton students had many other great options, and the overwhelming majority like Penn very much.</p>

<p>Take what iamanapp says with a MASSIVE dose of salt. He/she occasionally likes to come in here and ■■■■■ against Penn and Philly, and did so repeatedly under at least two other identities (PrincetonDreams and HafsaRox, both of whom also were from Pakistan and also claimed to have turned down Stanford and Columbia for Penn) before apparently being barred from CC under those identities.</p>

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<p>45percenter:</p>

<p>A quick addendum, at least about 50% of the student body at Penn applied ED, so they technically didn’t have other options they were considering, as they were bound to come to Philly. </p>

<p>The end result is the same though - the vast majority of the student body wants to be there. </p>

<p>To the OP’s question, I really think Wharton is the way to go. Wharton’s peers are Harvard, MIT, etc.</p>

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<p>

Well, technically, it was 48% for the Class of 2015:</p>

<p>[Penn</a> Admissions: Incoming Class Profile](<a href=“http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/profile/]Penn”>http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/profile/)</p>

<p>It’s never been as high as 50%, and for the Class of 2016 it will be even lower at 47%–very close to the percentages of ED acceptees in the entering classes at Columbia (45%) and Dartmouth (42%), and not far the percentages at Brown (37%) and Duke (38%):</p>

<p>[Early</a> Line on Early Admissions - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/2012-early-admission/]Early”>Early Line on Early Admissions - The New York Times)</p>

<p>The point, however, is that those who apply ED do have other options, but merely make their choices earlier in the process. And for most of them, by choosing to apply ED, they reveal an even stronger preference for their ED schools than those who apply RD. Further, admissions statistics for the applicants admitted ED at all of these schools–including Penn–reveal that their average SATs, GPAs, etc. are usually equal to or greater than those stats for the entire entering class. So again, those admitted ED students did have other options–or at least potential options ;)–but felt strong enough preferences for their ED schools to forego those other (potential) options.</p>

<p>But, as you wisely observed:</p>

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:)</p>

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<p>45percenter:</p>

<p>Absolutely. I only meant to distinguish the idea that a lot of Penn students actively consider other choices (i.e. acceptances) and then choose Penn. It’s roughly (note - roughly) 50/50 here (or, more accurately, around 47-48/52-53). </p>

<p>Again though, as ED allows, it creates more of an atmosphere where the school truly is the “100% first” choice for the applicant, rather than the 50/50 choice, or even the 60/40 choice. This strategy has served the school very well, and the student body is probably more content overall as a result.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all your help.
It was a really tough decision.
I’ve chosen to go to Wharton
Thanks again,
Chelseaboy</p>