<p>I am a rising sophomore (CAS student) who has recently decided to change career paths and have recently looked into banking careers. However, I took mostly science courses freshman year; I only have econ001 credit toward the current course requirements, and have to complete econ101, acct101, and stat101 next semester in order to apply for a mid-year transfer. The latter 2 courses, I hopefully can take care of, but I do not have the econ002 prerequisite for econ101.</p>
<p>From what I have heard about econ101, it would be pretty difficult and risky for me to attempt it especially without having taken Penn econ courses, let alone obtain permission from the department. However, if I wait and take econ002 first before 101, Ill have to delay my transfer application (plus the uncertainty Ill even be accepted) until next spring/summer. Ultimately, would the Wharton transfer have any effect on my new career goals? Any thoughts would be appreciated.</p>
<p>You don’t need to take ECON101. BEPP250 is the required intermediate microeconomics course for Wharton students.</p>
<p>If you have taken BEPP250, could you give me a general overview about the class? I’m particularly interested in how much in-depth knowledge of microecon is required to for the material (I just have AP background at this point), the grading, and the workload. The reason I’m asking is that I have to be extra careful about my GPA in order to transfer into Wharton, since I will also be taking ACCT101 and STAT102 on the side.</p>
<p>BEPP250 is basically microeconomics with calculus involved. AP background is sufficient enough for the class (given you know it reasonably well/review it briefly). The content, however, is quite in-depth and can be challenging. In general, if you study a fair amount you should be fine but it is a difficult to do well. Grading is standard Wharton curve, averages are low enough for you to distinguish yourself (not volatile like acct). And the workload is basically a problem set every other week (which takes an evening or two to knockout but are completion grades). I would definitely call your upcoming semester a risky one, but I think it’s worth taking so that you can transfer in to Wharton as per your plan. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you for the overview about BEPP250. Could you clarify how ACCT grading is volatile? I’m used to science course curves and have never taken a course where the averages are high. </p>
<p>I’m actually rethinking my decision to try to transfer; I would like to break into banking but am not sure if it’s necessary to go this far, given the GPA risk.</p>
<p>For a class like ACCT, the averages are generally high, so you need near perfect on the exams to do well. Basically, a few silly mistakes could have a big impact on your grade. I’ve taken a couple science courses. The Wharton curve is definitely less harsh than for science classes but at the same time science is less risky if you study because the exam averages are so low that you have room to beat the average. A lot of times in Wharton courses, your performance won’t come down to how well you study rather how few silly mistakes you make. BEPP 250 and STAT 102 don’t have this issue as much but ACCT 101, OPIM 101, MKTG 101, MGMT 101 etc. all have very high averages so are volatile. Wharton curve is such that 50% B+ and above and 50% B and below. In terms of breaking in to banking, it’s all about networking. In terms of GPA, if you were in Wharton you’d need around a 3.5+ for banking and a 3.7+ from the college. If I were you, I would pin my decision on how well I think I could do in the respective schools. Good luck and let me know if you have further questions.</p>
<p>Ah, I see. I will not transfer, then, given how prone I am to making small mistakes. In fact, freshman year, I found myself thankful for the science class curves for the very reason you mentioned, the low exam averages. </p>
<p>If I could ask you a few more questions, I would greatly appreciate your insight (I’m not allowed to send PM’s yet, apparently):</p>
<p>My initial motivation to transfer was based on how various people have told me that CAS is overshadowed by Wharton in terms of recruiting, and that alumni tend to prefer helping out Wharton students. To what extent is this true? </p>
<p>I don’t even know how to get started, to be honest. I’m already late into the game, having spent freshman year and a good part of this summer on pre-med requirements until it finally occurred to me that this is not what I wanted to be doing. How does one exactly ‘network’ effectively? I have been in contact with an alumni, but just for the purpose of asking basic questions about banking</p>
<p>Would really like to receive input on my last few questions; could anyone help?</p>
<p>If you network, have relevant (finance) work experience and have a good GPA (bar set higher for CAS) then it should not disadvantage you in any way. Networking really kicks in the semester before recruiting. See if you can find CAS alumni in banking, otherwise Wharton alumni work fine. In the months before recruiting, e-mail a couple alumni at each bank, expressing your interest and asking them questions about their experience and the firm. Right before recruiting, ask your contacts how you can secure an interview and that’s when they generally help you out in getting you the interview, flag your resume, etc. Make sure you really get the finance experience before junior year summer though because this will be crucial. The main setback you have is your science background. You’ll have to be able to convince recruiters that your passions have truly changed and that you now seriously want finance. Good luck!</p>
<p>By junior summer, did you mean the time when I am a rising junior (next summer)? </p>
<p>Right now, it is too late for me to secure an internship or finance related work, so I am reading up on finance and relevant current events in the mean time. I also will begin networking.</p>
<p>Anyway, the information you have given me has been extremely helpful; thank you very much.</p>
<p>What I mean by junior summer is the summer after junior year. Recruiting for summer analysts happens in junior spring for that summer. This means that you can secure a finance related internship next summer and still be in great shape. In addition, some things you can do right now is join something like Wharton Undergrad Finance Club and also participate in some finance-related case competitions. You can point to those as evidence of your interest. Good luck!</p>