Applying to Penn, need some help

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>I am going to be applying to Penn for the class of 2015. I am very torn between the Engineering school and Wharton. My parents and I have had discussions on this issue many times over and we seem to change our minds the next day anyway.</p>

<p>I really have no clue what it would be like to major in a business-related field from a business-emphasizing school such as Wharton. It sounds very interesting and the education (without a doubt) is excellent as are the networking opportunities and potential for future job recruitment. The big question is, will I like it if I do indeed end up going to Wharton?</p>

<p>I'm also considering the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). I have taken many math and science classes at my school and I've always been interested in these subjects and I've been good at them. I have a feeling of what I'll be getting into if I go to SEAS at any college because most of the people I know are engineers. The only real issue for me is, what if I decide by my sophomore year in college that I want to pursue a career in finance? If I go to SEAS, I'm mostly interested in Bioengineering. Is it even possible to get a good job in the financial industry with a BS in Bioengineering? This isn't a big issue at a school like Columbia, where SEAS has Industrial/Financial Engineering as a major in addition to Bio/Biomedical Engineering.</p>

<p>I'm applying for the Fisher M&T program, but I know that there are candidates out there who have had much greater opportunities than me to do research, explore both fields, etc. I need to know what to put for my second choice: Wharton or SEAS?</p>

2

<p>I know I could always take classes at the Wharton School as a SEAS student and I could minor in Engineering Entrepreneurship, but I’m posing the question as a matter concerning the major, which I’m assuming is what job recruiters look at most.</p>

3

<p>Have you considered the new (SEAS) Market and Social Systems Engineering major? It seems to have quite a bit of what you’re looking for, although I’m not sure if you can choose it if you don’t apply as a freshman. Like M&T, it requires a different essay (not additional, but in this case different) from the other freshman applicants. I would contact the admissions department to ask whether you can, for example, apply to M&T, specify SEAS as your backup, and then choose this major later on.</p>

<p>In addition, I’d look up the Information Systems track of the OPIM concentration in Wharton, and maybe the Systems Science and Engineering major in SEAS.</p>