Dual Degrees Worth It?

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>Well, I have kinda been inquiring alot recently about the LSM program at UPenn because fankly I didn't expect to get into this program. However, I geniunely am thrilled with this opportunity but am questioning its value in what I want 2 do. As of now, I kinda am on the fence between Ibanking, Healthcare management, and Medicine. Would this program really beva boon if I did decide I wanted to go into Ibanking? Additionally, how are my career prospects (generally speaking) in terms of salary and stability in Healthcare management out of LSM? Sorry if this questions sound crazy basic again guys!</p>

<p>Robbie</p>

<p>Anyone know much about this?</p>

<p>There are some reports here that show what Penn students with dual degrees (and those without) have done after graduation.</p>

<p>[Career</a> Services, University of Pennsylvania](<a href=“http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/surveys.html]Career”>http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/surveys.html)</p>

<p>And here are the career surveys from the Wharton side (lgreen’s link is for the Engineering School surveys):</p>

<p>[Wharton</a> Undergraduate Career Surveys](<a href=“http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/wharton/surveys.html]Wharton”>http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/wharton/surveys.html)</p>

<p>I know plenty of LSM kids who have great jobs in banking, management consulting, and health care related fields. It’s a great way to differentiate yourself from other Wharton students when recruiting. Always start in the dual/joint degree and drop after a few semesters if your interests change.</p>

<p>So, LSM kids have a distinct advantage over Wharton kids for Ibanking? My concern is that LSM causes my grades to become very bad and that it will ultimately render me unmarketable for banking. Additionally, I love bio but I feel that half my classes won’t do any good for me/my career because they aren’t grounded in finance. Are these valid concerns?</p>

<p>The people I know in lsm have strong grades and are really bright. If you got in you’ll probably be fine. </p>

<p>If everyone who loved a subject but realized it didn’t translate into their final career, there would be a fraction of the liberal arts majors. If you think bio is a waste because you won’t use it in the real world please don’t come to penn. We don’t need people at that level of preprofessionalism. It’s bad enough that there are 17 year olds who don’t really know what banking is but really want to do it.</p>

<p>No, I ABSOLUTELY dont think that Bio is a waste. I absolutely love that stuff and spend a significant fraction of my think studying it. However, because Wharton is so difficult by itself, I was just wondering if one has time to indulge in those subjects that really aren’t “career-necessary.” Hence, I was just curious if LSM kids get an even bigger boost than normal Wharton kids if they do apply to major IB or consulting firms like Goldman or Mckinsey.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Wharton isn’t <em>that</em> difficult by itself. </p></li>
<li><p>Plenty of Wharton students have extra time to pursue their passions inside and outside the classroom. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>LSM won’t give you a free pass (as in your grades still need to be high) but most of the lsm kids i know do well durig recruiting. Maybe they would have done equally well if lsm didn’t exist because they are all very bright and motivated. Chances are you’ll do fine. I wouldn’t tailor your education too much towards the career. There is enough variability when recruitig that even a 4.0 and experiences that look perfect on paper still don’t get people their top choice for jobs. Just don’t stress about lsm until you experience it for a semester or two.</p>

<p>I think that the expectation of LSM is that biology will be “career-necessary” for you.</p>

<p>^ yet for some reason plenty of them go into banking and consulting. I know one girl who is hardcore about bio and life science and actually going into pharmacy consulting. It’s like how most of my m&t friends aren’t going inti engineering or startups like you’d think.</p>

<p>My sister goes to Michigan and she’s a double major (economics and chemistry). She’s had great internships and tells me that when she interviews against other candidates the fact that she is a double major draws a lot of attention from interviewers. She’s got a lot of friends who haven’t found good internships so she must be on to something. If that is true in Ann Arbor its gotta be true at Penn since Penn is a higher ranked school with Wharton and stuff.</p>

<p>a dual degree will always put you ahead of the curve</p>

<p>Dual degrees will definitely give you an edge, especially the specialized programs (huntsman, lsm, m&t). Just getting a dual degree in anything will put you ahead, although admittedly the difference is not by that much compared to if you just decided to focus on one degree and pull a 3.8 etc. I would definitely take the offer to try it out since the specialized programs offer alot of unique perks but if you don’t like it, you can always drop one of the degrees later on and go deeper in one of the subjects you’re interested in.</p>

<p>You’ll find that the dual degree pool is a bit self-selective. Many who try the duals but dislike it will drop it. Those that stick with it tend to have good grades and would have done well with job recruiting anyway. Dual degrees are only “worth it” if you have a genuine interest in both subjects and want to learn things more in-depth to strengthen your knowledge base (and THAT is what will give you the edge).</p>

<p>So what jobs does the average person from an M&T, Huntsman, or LSM program normally branch into? I know this is a crazy broad question, but I never have found an answer to it.</p>

<p>Honestly, the same jobs the single-degree dudes get.</p>