Current Penn Senior answering ANY questions!

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
61

<p>drnoeyedea- i totally agree with you in regards to the post-ocr feeling. i got into penn early decision and had never really faced the level of rejection that i faced during ocr. i applied for something like 60-80 jobs and got less than 15 interviews. i was forced to accept that i shouldnt take it personally, and in the end, i was incredibly incredibly thankful for the positions i did land (which turned out to not only be a few of my top choices, but also the best fits, which is more important in the long run). </p>

<p>if there is one piece of ocr advice i’d offer here, it is to focus your search and dont take it personally. do not apply for everything. rather choose 20-30 jobs that seem really great to you and write awesome cover letters for those. everything should work out!</p>

62

<p>@typdad, I wouldn’t worry too much about ‘complementing’ a business degree. Technically, you can find ways to argue that just about any subject can complement it (psychology=dealing with people via management, or marketing to consumers…there’s actually a consumer psychology major, and with history, you can argue that it helps your writing and analytical skills, which are critical for most jobs).</p>

<p>I would probably recommend trying to do two minors instead of a second degree from the college/a major. The problem with the dual degree is you have to fill these random college requirements that might make it harder to take the classes she actually wants to take. Two minors is still time consuming, but it sounds like it might fit her better. I’m personally thinking of doing two–I’ve always planned on doing a Japanese minor, but at this point I am thinking of adding an English minor as well.</p>

<p>I haven’t heard anything about employers preferring dual degree students, and I have no idea about the starting salary thing. My assumption would be that many dual degree students are just really hard workers in general (dual degrees definitely require more time than single degrees) which could then translate in the job search process.
In terms of starting salary, I have to say my opinion on this: I really wonder when anyone started putting so much weight on it. A job can be extremely high paying, but it might be terrible or a terrible fit, whereas a job paying half the amount might be perfect for a person and create more happiness. For example, many of my friends are going into banking (what many students in Wharton do) and have starting pay of 120-150k (that’s including bonus though, so starting salary is probably like 70-80k?) If I tried, I could probably get one of those jobs, but a) I like sleep and don’t want to work ~100 hours a week and b) I’d rather do something more worthwhile than moving around money to make more money. So I’m probably/hopefully going to end up getting a job I really enjoy that will only make a third to a half of that. Basically, I wouldn’t worry about starting salary statistics.</p>

<p>To whomever asked about fakes: I disagree with chrisw, actually. If you want to go to bars/downtowns, you need a fake. It sounds like his group of friends just didn’t do that, which is why he didn’t need one. I don’t go to bars/downtowns all that often (because most of my friends don’t), but I have found the fake extremely useful at times (I did use it more for when I was in DC last summer than I have in Philly, though). Despite the fact that I don’t use it all the time and definitely could get by without it, it’s <em>really</em> nice to have (especially if you do have upperclassmen friends). And no, I don’t think it’s that hard to find a fake. Usually you’ll know someone who knows how to get them. Oh, and most places in Philly are pretty chill about fakes if they’re not too fake-looking.</p>

63

<p>how hard is it to get out of penn during winter break? i heard a lot of people end up getting snowed in? if you live on the west coast, about how many times would you think you can actually go home?</p>

64

<p>Oh, and whoever asked about social stratification/Wharton–honestly, I think most of what you saw is probably just facetious (I hope, anyway). With I’m with certain friends we’ll joke about school-specific/related things/make fun of each other, but it really never means anything/kind of makes fun of the supposed stratification itself.
I guess there technically is something you will feel or experience on campus, but I wouldn’t say it should actually effect your overall experience in any way (like, I take photos for the DP, which is the paper, and every time people in the office found out I’m in Wharton, they were pretty surprised). Or like, my good friend in Engineering dated a College boy for a few months, and that was something she/I would tease him about (though we knew he was working just as hard as, if not harder, than us).</p>

65

<p>How bad is the dreaded Management 100</p>

66

<p>WHARTONITE! </p>

<p>I am currently going to SEAS for Chemical Engineering however, during the school year, my future plans have changed (long story) and I now want to study finance at Wharton. </p>

<p>What is your advice on getting there? I know it will be hard but other than that what should I do? </p>

<p>Thanks so much :)</p>

67

<p>I think all you have to do is take the wharton transfer prerequisites, and then get the highest GPA you humanly possibly can, a 3.8+, then you should be set, or so I have been told. Its pretty much all GPA, nothing else.</p>

68

<p>Hello guys, thanks for the thread. I have a couple of questions for Wharton. I will be a freshman next fall in Wharton, and I am curious about some things I have heard.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Wharton Curve-- Good or Bad?
I heard some wharton classes have notorious tests, and some told me that Wharton curve can be beneficial. However, the curve itself is a killer; I heard the assigned % of As and Bs are around 60-70%. Is that true at all? Wharton has 500~700 students in each class, and I believe each one of the students will be brilliant. Considering that, I wonder if the Wharton Curve will hurt by the time I start looking for jobs through OCR due to a lower GPA. </p></li>
<li><p>Math 104-- to take or not to take?
I took Pre-cal my freshmen yr. I tried to take BC my sophomore year, but my school did not allow me to do so. Therefore, after taking Cal AB and Stats during my sophomore and junior year, I am taking Cal BC right now. Let’s assume I get a 5 in the BC AP exam. Do you recommend me to stick with Math 104? Do you recommend me to go above math 104? I heard Wharton’s Math 104 can be very challenging in terms of GPA. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you very much! and GO WHARTONITES!</p>

69

<p>Hey i need to write 5-6 pages Essay on this book called “Free to choose” by Milton Friedman for my economics class Can u please help me out of this if you can?
Thank You</p>

70

<p>How do internationals (Canadians, specifically - since our visa requirements are not as stringent) fare during OCR? Do international students have a harder time landing interviews? Presumably because recruiters don’t want to have to deal with paperwork and additional fees?</p>

71

<p>Another question - I want to express my interest in the UScholars program in addition to having submitted my essay, but I don’t have any reason to e-mail the director other than to just introduce myself…could I possibly come across as too much of a keener trying to get accepted into the program if I e-mail her for no other reason than to say that I’m very interested?</p>

72

<p>kmg6404, it looks like you have some faulty information. I may be wrong about this (Wharton people correct me if I am), but I believe the Wharton curve is set for individual sections, not for entire classes. So, if we use MGMT100 as the example, since there are multiple professors teaching sections of 150ish students, it would be unfair to grade every freshman on a single scale, meaning that in your section, the split will be 30/30/30/10 for A/B/C/D, even if your particular section is stronger than every other section.</p>

<p>As for job hunting, be realistic here. The curve is there for EVERYONE in those core classes, so it really isn’t like the curve is going to hurt your job prospects; if you don’t work hard, THAT will hurt your job prospects.</p>

73

<p>scribbler91 </p>

<p>It was a great advice! Thank you very much.</p>

74

<p>iamabeast- last year sucked because there was a terrible snowstorm. it really depends on when your exams end (the earlier the better), but it’s totally based on what the weather is like each year. usually, theres no problem. if youre a west coaster, i’d say thanksgiving (maybe), winter vacation, maybe spring break, and summer are your best bets.</p>

<p>advertisinggal- mgmt100 is not that bad. ive never heard that it’s “dreaded”, more that it’s just your first exposure into how wharton operates so theres a bit of a learning curve. really, youre in it with 60 other freshman who have no idea what’s going on. for me, mgmt100 was a great intro to wharton. it taught me some awesome presentation skills (and fyi, mgmt100 is the only class youll take where they critique every aspect of your presentation- aka the status report. higher level courses couldnt care less about your movement/posture during a speech). its also a great opportunity to make some close friends in wharton. relax, its a lot of fun!</p>

<p>liveforit- not totally sure, but from what i’ve heard, it’s based almost 100% on gpa. i dont know the exact cutoff, other than the fact that its pretty high. talk to an advisor about that! good luck!</p>

<p>kmg6404: the curve, from my experience, has been super helpful. if you do really well in a course, professors dont have to stick to the curve 100%, so more often than not, youll get a bump up in grade rather than be harmed by the fact that tons of kids do well. however in a few courses like mgmt101, the curve sucks because everyone does really well on the exams, and they stick to the curve very strictly. however, in some courses, you will love the curve more than life itself. in acct101, the average for our final exam was 19 (out of 90 i think). so if you got a 19/90, that bumps to a b or b+. if you average it out across all your classes, the curve will likely make your gpa about .1 or .2 higher than it would without it. you’ll get hurt by it in a few classes, but mostly itll help.
BIG TIP: participate in class a **** ton. most kids overlook this, but a high participation grade will push you above the curve easily. </p>

<p>For your other question, i’d say if you get a 5 in BC, DO NOT TAKE 104. it’s a horrible horrible class. the math dept at penn is not great, so i’d say do not take any math classes at all if that’s an option. to each his own, but that’s my opinion. take an extra stat/finance class instead, or get a jump on the Core.</p>

<p>ravipatel: haha not sure what you want me to do. if this is a high school class we’re talking about and you got into penn, i’m sure you’ll do fine.</p>

<p>powerbomb: no harm in emailing her. just dont seem needy. say youre interested in the program, why youre interested, and a quick reason why you might be a good match. maybe ask a question to tie it off. make the email short. as for intl during ocr, i think it has no effect. it may only have an effect if you get an offer and they wont sponsor a visa or something like that. if they like you, i think most firms will try to accomodate you tho!</p>

75

<p>“How do internationals fare during OCR? Do international students have a harder time landing interviews? Presumably because recruiters don’t want to have to deal with paperwork and additional fees?”
Could someone please respond to this.</p>

76

<p>On the curve: “I believe each one of the students will be brilliant.”
First of all, there are many students at Penn/in Wharton who aren’t brilliant (though you had to be somewhat intelligent to get in), and second of all, a lot of students don’t work, or don’t have the time to put in the necessary work for a class. Just because most people were overachievers in high school doesn’t mean they are in college. While I think you do get a few people who do actually study a lot and still end up getting terrible grades, most people with terrible grades in certain classes deserve them. The curve almost always helps (except in classes like management 100).</p>

<p>Also, on the topic of mgmt100, it really depends on your team and your project. Some people are pretty much best friends with the people they had on their team, whereas I rarely see/talk to the people from my team.</p>

<p>“in acct101, the average for our final exam was 19 (out of 90 i think). so if you got a 19/90, that bumps to a b or b+” …wow, the tests have changed <em>a lot</em> in the two or three years since you’ve taken accounting 101. The averages on our exams last semester were between 79 and 85 (out of 100, and I forget the std’s)</p>

<p>For internationals: I’m not really sure, but my upperclassmen friends advised (to my other friends, I’m not international) to only put your Penn address on your resume and not your international one (even if you’re a citizen and just live abroad). Interviews a lot of times are based solely from recruiters looking at your resume, so it should be irrelevant for getting at least your first interview. Anecdotally (which apparently isn’t a word according to spellcheck?), the many international students I know haven’t seemed to have trouble getting jobs/internships.</p>

77

<p>Would you mind listing the top 8 houses in order of preference in your opinion? I would appreciate input for my housing application.</p>

78

<p>I’m sorry if this has already been asked, but how dominant is the drinking scene. Obviously fling is a different story, but does it really feel like most people get wasted every weekend?</p>

79

<p>Would you mind giving me a copy of your resume when you’re a high school students, if you still have it? I want a general guideline of what to follow in terms of having ECs and awards, in addition to sports. You can censor out any private info, though.</p>

80

<p>I am currently going to Chem Engineering at Penn. How hard is it to do a dual degree with Finance in Wharton?</p>

<p>Could someone perhaps give me a sample schedule of what I would have to do?</p>

<p>Thanks so much</p>