<p>So you're probably thinking I'm high or something (I'm actually not at the moment) to compare UPenn and Penn State. They're in totally different leagues, perhaps even more so for business. And I agree. They are.</p>
<p>However, there is a scenario that isn't so easily agreed upon...
What if I attend UPenn but NOT Wharton. Is that better than getting a B.S. in Finance degree from Penn State's Smeal College of Business? After all, penn state's smeal is ranked #21 best for undergrad biz programs by U.S. News in 2009.</p>
<p>in essence. my question is
UPenn (college of liberal arts) vs Penn State (Smeal College of Business).</p>
<p>Which is more likely to land me a better job afterwards in the field of finance or consulting?
What about getting into a prestigious MBA program?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t go to Penn State, but I might be unfairly characterizing it. Don’t they make most of their undergrads study at branch campuses for the first year or so? I would never do anything at a branch campus, but that’s just me.</p>
<p>Is this actually a decision you’re trying to make or just a hypothetical? There should be some middle ground between Penn and Penn State. If you can’t get into Penn’s business program maybe try Vandy or another respectable university.</p>
<p>Usernames like Gordon_Gekko and BMWdude…this is why business gets a bad rap as a major. And TC, I thought you were a student at PSU? Did you even get accepted to Penn as a transfer? It’s an extremely competitive process.</p>
<p>Oh, there are sooooooo many more reasons why the biz major gets a bad rap.</p>
<p>But anyways, keep in mind undergrad business degree is not particularly vital for somebody seeking a career in business… unless you want to do accounting or maybe marketing.</p>
<p>I actually wasn’t a business major. I am considering a couple business related masters programs though so maybe you can still group me in with the others… What’s wrong with my username?</p>
<p>That’s only for those who don’t make it onto the main campus academically (I think one or two of the branch campuses are now 4 year programs as well).</p>
<p>Hmm… I think either choice would be a good one but it comes down to the type of lifestyle you’d prefer. Penn State, while strong academically, is huge on sports / greek life. </p>
<p>Penn, however, is an Ivy League school in a large city. Not to fault Penn State, but you’d probably find more of an intellectual and competitive environment at Penn.</p>
<p>“I actually wasn’t a business major. I am considering a couple business related masters programs though so maybe you can still group me in with the others… What’s wrong with my username?”</p>
<p>Well, your name is based on a heartless/sociopathic movie character…</p>
<p>I work for a global consulting group (you’ve heard of us). We do undergraduate and M.B.A. hires. </p>
<p>Undergrads - we look at mostly the top rated schools quite honestly and for many roles we don’t care that much about majors. I’m in Supply Chain Management where we do target schools strong in that area. We don’t have the time nor inclination to teach basic terminology so we target schools with strong supply chain programs in that area including PSU, Michigan State, Ohio State and UCLA. Regardless of major, work experience is key - even as entry level analysts - clients want to see that a kid has done something, somewhere before they want them around. </p>
<p>The failure rate of undergrad hires is very large in consulting, so that’s the reason we don’t invest much in these kids until they show they have a chance of making it in consulting. After that, we invest a lot of time and money into their development. It is tough for some kids to enter the workforce and find themselves documenting meeting notes day after day after day. It is a learning experience that some would kill to have and others last no more than a few days or weeks. Candidly, it’s very hard to tell whether a kid will really commit to a very difficult (and often tedious and long hours) role or whether they feel they should already be shaping the world. Quite frankly, management is about 50/50 divided on the question as to whether our hiring process adds much value. The only thing we definitely notice is that successful consultants are often left-handed, MUCH more than the national average (i.e., percent of total). So, if you are left-handed, it would be a plus to be taking notes during an interview.</p>
<h2>Ray192 wrote: "… undergrad business degree is not particularly vital … unless you want to do … maybe marketing. "</h2>
<p>I don’t know… if it’s classical brand marketing, then the fields that would be applicable would be psychology, sociology, basic accounting, basic econ, but more than anything else, Statistics and Math.</p>
<p>If I were hiring, and needed an immediately functioning marketing person, I guess I would prefer a person with an undergrad business degree. However, if I had a year to develop the person, I’d prefer a really, really smart person (generally found at Top 20 or 30 universities) who is good at math, over a moderately smart person (Penn St. in this case) with a business degree.</p>
<p>It really depends. Unlike a lot of other graduate programs, MBA programs (especially the very top ones) do lean on the prestige of your undergraduate degree and the prestige of your job for admissions.</p>
<p>And if you want to work at any of the top firms, a Penn degree will far outweigh a Penn State degree. Management consulting firms like McKinsey & Co. and Deloitte don’t give a hoot whether your major was finance or English or philosophy or underwater basketweaving – they’re more concerned with where you went to school. They go recruiting at the top schools for graduates. Honestly, I think that a degree in anything from Penn would probably be an advantage over a business degree from Penn State.</p>
<p>DunninLA, really, really, smart people aren’t necessarily “generally found at top 20 or 30 universities.” The prestige and selectivity of the university you choose has nothing to do with your intelligence. There are a lot of highly intelligent people at Penn State who wanted to go Greek, or cheer for D-I sports (REAL D-I sports…Ivy League doesn’t count, lol!), or couldn’t afford an Ivy or wanted to stay close to home.</p>
Good times in that “Why undergraduate business school” thread huh?</p>