Georgetown SFS or Wharton?

<p>I really need help deciding between the two. Unfortunately, I don't really know what I want to do after college, which makes me apprehensive about committing to business by choosing Wharton. However, I'm not sure what I could do after going to SFS (where I'd want to major in International Economics).</p>

<p>People keep telling me that the skills I could learn at Wharton would be useful even if I don't decide to do business, so that's a plus. However, I'm not really into the frat scene that would be very prevalent at Penn. At the same time, I loved the location of Georgetown, the more intimate feel, and the possibility of interning in DC. I see myself happier at Georgetown, but perhaps I'm not giving Penn a fair shot, and I still worry about turning down the opportunities Wharton has to offer.</p>

<p>Any opinions?</p>

<p>You can do anything you want after Wharton. Whartonites become doctors, Profs (Gene Falk at Princeton) and even Supreme Court justices (Brennan). Remember, business, finance, management skills, and all of the other things you get out of a Wharton education are essential in every field. Penn Med School is the oldest med school in America, and part of the med school HYP (Harvard Hopkins Penn), a few Whartonites end up there and at other top med and law schools every year. You lose nothing by attending Wharton since half of your courses are liberal arts courses, so you can still get a broad based education and study what he is most interested in. Any employer worth working for knows the strength and prestige of the Wharton program, any grad school will want you if you do well there. Whartonites are also at the top of the recruiting pile in Wall Street. </p>

<p>Actually, going to Wharton is beneficial because it allows you to then go on and get a law degree or another degree of your preference outside of business. You already know everything the top MBA students know and your degree is respected as much as an MBA, most Whartonites do not go back to get an MBA because it is useless to them. BUT, if you do go to an MBA program, going to Wharton also allows you to place out of basic courses in an MBA program and lets you take more electives, essentially giving you a super MBA. </p>

<p>No door that is open to a Georgetown SFS kid is closed to a Wharton kid; but if you want to get directly into Private equity or hedge funds, the reverse is not as true since kids with a business background are strongly preferred in such firms due to their size.</p>

<p>Since Penn has a “One - University” policy, you can easily replicate the SFS curriculum by taking IR at the college. But you can also take courses at the Law school or the communications school (Annenberg) to supplement that knowledge, that is unique to Penn. Penn’s IR department is incredibly strong so there is not much of a difference there. Penn is also close enough to DC that internships should not be a problem. </p>

<p>Look at this:</p>

<p>As you can see, some Whartonites end up in many varied fields. You can do everything you can do at Yale at Wharton. Wharton does not pigeon hole you, that is a myth. This list, that shows you where Whartonites go right after undergrad, proves that. </p>

<p>Business and Public Policy
Harvard University - Kennedy School, MPP (Public Policy-Social Policy & Inequality)
Finance
Harvard University, MPP (Public Policy)
Harvard University, JD (Law)
MIT, PhD (Financial Economics)
Stanford University, MA (International Relations)
University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School, MBA (Private Equity, Strategic Management)
University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School, MBA (Finance)
University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School, MBA (Entrepreneurial Management)
University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School, MBA (Finance, Management)
University of Southern California, JD (Law)
Finance/Bioengineering/Biotechnology
University of Pennsylvania, MS (Biotechnology)
Finance/History
University of Maryland, JD (Law)
Finance/International Studies and Business
London School of Economics, MSc (Economics)
Oxford University, MSc (Economics for Development)
Finance/International Studies and Business/East Asian Languages and Civilizations
Peking University, Fulbright Scholar (Economic Development)
Health Care Management & Policy/Bioengineering
University of Pennsylvania, MD (Medicine)
Management
Tulane University, JD (Law)
Marketing
University of Pennsylvania, M.S. Ed. (Higher Education Management)
University of Southern California, MFA (Producing)
Operations and Information Management/Chemistry
Harvard University, PhD (Chemistry)
Real Estate/Individualized Major (SEAS)
London School of Economics, MSE (Real Estate) </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/wharton/surveys/Wharton2008Report.pdf[/url]”>http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/wharton/surveys/Wharton2008Report.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

It may not be as prevalent as you think. Only 30% of undergraduate men and 27% of undergraduate women join fraternities/sororities at Penn:</p>

<p>[College</a> Search - University of Pennsylvania - Penn - Housing & Campus Life](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)</p>

<p>In other words, more than 7,000 of the 10,000 Penn undergrads are not involved in Greek life, but still participate in an extremely robust and diverse social scene.</p>