<p>you can’t compare an Ivy league school with a long-standing reputation with a state school. The only reason the two are that close is because there is a rather limited pool of respected universities that will offer an undergraduate degree in business. My friend, an investment banker on Wall street working in acquisitions and mergers, says that Wharton is in a league of its own --the school has no close comparisons. I believe him; you may choose not to.</p>
<p>Penelope01, why do you even ask the question, when it’s obvious that you enter this discussion with an intent to just bash Wharton and praise Ross?</p>
<p>It seems like you don’t mind the difference in recognition, so there isn’t much difference in that aspect. I suggest you look at the career report of both school, maybe you’ll see differences there.</p>
<p>This just hit me- most people at upenn know michigan. Most people at michigan think upenn is Penn state.
Not that it matters because it’s obvious which one is better for getting jobs. But I thought it was funny because of all the name recognition talks</p>
<p>There is a huge difference. </p>
<p>Mediocre students make it into Ross often (3.8, 1350/2000) whereas even the absolute pinnacle (4.0, 1550/2300) don’t have any guarantees with Wharton. </p>
<p>As much as we would all like to say that both schools will get you where you want to go, Wharton is most definitely more capable. I dont think its out of bounds to assert that most Ross students would go to Wharton if accepted and not financially overburdened. Most Wharton students wouldn’t consider Ross and instead would rather go undergrad at other top ivy schools such as Harvard.</p>
<p>@ MightyNick
"Let’s see…</p>
<p>US News ranking top schools:
- Princeton
- Yale</p>
<p>US news undergrad business school ranking:
- Wharton
- Ross.</p>
<p>Not analogous? psssh…"</p>
<p>PSSSH!!! You obviously don’t know how to read US News rankings…
US NEWS ranking top schools 2010:
- Princeton WITH A SCORE OF 100/100
- Yale WITH A SCORE OF 98/100</p>
<p>US NEWS undergrad business school ranking:
- Wharton WITH A SCORE OF 4.8/5.0
- Ross WITH A SCORE OF 4.5/5.0</p>
<p>2 points difference out of 100 is 2% difference.
.3 difference out of 100 is 6% difference.</p>
<p>With the 6% difference, Princeton should be compared to Caltech, MIT, Stanford, Upenn. Out of the four excellent schools, Princeton arguably has the most name recognition both nationally and internationally. A 6% difference compared to a 2% difference may not seem like much at the highest tier, but the difference becomes VERY noticeable with even (slightly) lower-tier schools. A 6% difference is analogous to comparing Stanford to Washington University in St. Louis… I think most people would agree that Stanford’s quality of education is generally a bit better; we don’t even have to talk about who wins the “name recognition” game. A 2% difference, however, is like comparing Columbia to Upenn in the national university rankings. Most would view those two schools as pretty much dead-on equals. All I’m trying to say is that Princeton:Yale::Wharton:Ross IS NOT a very accurate statement to make… </p>
<p>I can’t believe this thread even took place. Wharton >>> Ross in name recognition. Wharton >> Ross in terms of stats of the freshman student pool. In most business focuses/majors, Wharton > Ross in quality of education (Wharton >>>>> Ross in Finance). Anyone who would go to Michigan over Penn would be someone who is interested in getting a genuine education in engineering. Otherwise, the decision is a no-brainer whether or not you’re in-state. I’ve been told by many admissions officers/professors/deans that although US News rankings aren’t completely reliable, they do give a good general guideline. I ain’t blind; Penn (overall score of 93) vs. Michigan (overall score of 71) gives me a pretty darn good indication of which school is clearly “better” in overall quality of education.</p>
<p>I can’t even bring myself to think why one would argue that Michigan is comparable–or even superior to–Upenn. I read some posts saying that “Penn is as good as Michigan…” This statement is just plain wrong… it is indicating that Michigan has already been established as a very good school, and Penn needs “confirmation” to be accepted as a school of the same caliber. I can’t help but think that the people claiming Michigan is comparable/superior to than Penn are Penn Wharton/CAS-rejects. Don’t get me wrong. UofM Ann Arbor is a VERY GOOD university, but it simply doesn’t rival schools of Upenn’s caliber.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>as an overall university michigan is as strong/prominent as penn. it’s just not all that selective at the undergraduate level.</p>
<p>Ok just one question-</p>
<p>Why are we discussing this pointless question on the Penn forum.? The answer is obvious aint it?</p>
<p>Only Ross I know is the shi.tty department store a few miles away</p>
<p>^and thats why you’re uneducated. I would give an arm and a leg to get into either Ross or Wharton for grad school.</p>
<p>
And Michigan has an undergrad class twice the size of Penn while having to admit students to legit sports teams (football, basketball, hockey) and other requirements. Undergrad selectivity means next to nothing. Harvard is the best not because of the 17 year olds it gets to apply, but because of its academic programs. For academics, Penn and Michigan are about the same (Mich winning in some hard sciences/engineering)). Don’t be nitpicky.</p>
<p>For the haters in this thread:</p>
<p>Um, I’m sure the bottleneck in the education between these two schools is the education itself and not you 9_9</p>
<p>At the undergraduate level, we are arguing apples and oranges in terms of prestige and selectivity. Wharton is more difficult to gain admission into than Harvard College, or so many admissions officers would argue. Ross, while probably very comparable in terms of teaching quality, is relatively easy to gain admission into and will serve as less of an advantage in terms of finding a job. Let’s not try to disillusion ourselves with USNews rankings; I would venture that more people in the world can name only 1 undergrad business program than multiple undergrad business programs, with that one program being Wharton. Once again, this is not a reflection of teaching quality; this is merely regarding the issue of prestige, selectivity, and yes, probably job placement.</p>
<p>I do realize that Wharton has more name recognition but I know someone who turned down Wharton for Ross (with a full ride). Financial burden may have been a large factor in this decision, but I feel like she could have afforded Wharton anyway, so clearly the discrepancies in recognition/ranking didn’t matter that much (to her at least).</p>
<p>
There are always exceptions, and I really think financial aid was the deciding factor in this one. Wharton’s acceptance rates and yield rates are comparable to Harvard’s; with an equivalent financial package, I don’t think she would have turned down Wharton unless there were unique reasons. If she wants to become an investment banker or head of a company, you can’t get better in terms of opportunities than graduating from Wharton (Dartmouth might be an exception for early internships with its D-Plan).</p>