<p>Penn is Ivy League. If your goal is to impress people right out of (or even while attending) college, land super-amazing jobs and become part of the ‘elite class’, choose Penn! For every other reason, choose Georgetown. :)</p>
<p>I hope that helps.</p>
<p>P.S: DON’T take Wharton lightly. A student from my high school got into Yale (chose to attend) and Stanford but was rejected by Wharton and Harvard. lol, he’s actually thinking of transferring. So, keep that in mind!</p>
<p>Good luck with your selection, both choices are amazing btw, so relax! :)</p>
<p>If you go to GAAP w/e, there is a senior girl in MSB who chose Gtown over Wharton. She speaks during the MSB presentations. She is very knowledgable and it would be interesting to get her point of view. You will surely be successful whichever school you choose.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that you are choosing between the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University. I think you are (as many applicants do) over-exaggerating the importance of the particular program you are in within the school. A large percentage of the classes you take will be outside of Wharton and SFS at either school, and so the curve or competition (SFS is probably just as competitive FYI) that you are scared of in your program is not a universal thing. I honestly think you get a biased perspective about Wharton on a forum like this (I don’t feel like going into it but…there are a lot of gunners with narrow, traditional post-graduate interests that obsess more about the details of admissions and prestige that post here than you will find in the student body overall). Is Wharton competitive? Yes. But, there are lots of different kinds of people that go to Wharton from many different backgrounds and not everyone wants to do i-banking and management consulting at a large firm. Many don’t do business period after graduating. Overall, Penn as an academic institution is much stronger across the board than Georgetown and the student body is slightly stronger as well. A lot of people within those two programs and applicants overemphasize the fact they are in “Wharton” or “SFS” as opposed to Georgetown and Penn. My advice would be to think about the whole institution and what it offers. In my experience, I have met many people from my elite boarding school I attended that have been unhappy about Georgetown or have transferred because they thought it would be just like an Ivy but the same is not true for Penn. Georgetown doesn’t have the same endowment/money/library/resources as Penn and people underestimate the how Catholic it is. Georgetown has carved out quite a nitch for itself because of it’s very desirable location, good undergraduate teaching, a few celebrity faculty, layman’s prestige some of which comes from a cool-sounding name, Bill Clinton, and basketball, and very strong programs in specific areas like SFS/Government. Overall though, it is not a world-class academic institution that has strengths and resources across the board like Penn. US News ranked Georgetown in the twenties and Penn in the top five for a reason.</p>
<p>Comparing the two curriculums there are clear differences. They have completely different missions. Wharton is designed to develop skills used to operate businesses and they do an excellent job at it. At Wharton one gets world class business training. Your classmates are more likely to become a hedge fund manager or private equity analyst earning $$$$ bonuses on Wall Street. Of course there are exceptions, but generally people don’t go to Wharton to work on peace in the Middle East or become a supreme court justice.</p>
<p>SFS is more academic and doesn’t emphasize the development of technical skills as much as it develops a student’s critical thinking ability and general knowledge. It may be bit more intellectually stimulating than Wharton - which emphasizes accounting, finance and statistics. </p>
<p>SFS is more diverse than Wharton in the sense that students have a broader range of interests and skills. The post graduation data is evidence of this. Moreover, all SFS graduates need to be proficient in a second language by time that they graduate. SFS provides a world class education that prepares students well to adapt to a flatter world. Your more likely to have a future Rhodes Scholar from SFS than Wharton, but there are a fair share of Hoyas on Wall Street as well.</p>
<p>you sound like youre really into georgetown. you should go there if you like it because the most important thing is that you enjoy your time at college. either way, they are top-tier schools and you cannot go wrong</p>
<p>Wharton… you will get even better internship opportunities in Philly… (Im looking at schools in DC and the internships are mostly government)… Wharton’s reputation is impeccable and I think they take their studies very seriously and the frat scene can’t dominate everything. I visited Penn and I felt a strong campus vibe…I’d don’t think you’ll have much of a problem if you choose to go there…</p>
<p>okay… just read what you wrote above… i think you feel compelled to go to wharton but i think its georgetown that you want… and dont worry… everyone is nervous about what we’ll do after degrees and certain programs after graduation!</p>
<p>Power always trumps money. Goldman Sachs is the firm, probably above all others, that Whartonites (and even some SFSers) salivate to get hired by. If the fraud charge, the governement is bringing is proved, Goldman Sachs willl have a value of $0. Anyone who thinks businessmen are the prime players is mistaken.</p>
<p>I didn’t even start college yet and was just offered an intern at Deutsche Bank in Baltimore by an alumnus of GTown at an Inauguration Meeting for acceptees from Switzerland!</p>
<p>For all the kids saying power > money.
a) no
b) the government can’t do anything to goldman
c) even if they do, all the individuals will be still earn 5x congressmen salaries
d) takes tons of paper-pushers to do anything. takes 1 businessman to change the world.</p>
<p>SFS can’t even come close to Wharton. If you want gtown, go there but please know that Wharton is the better school on absolutely all terms other your own personal preferences.</p>
<p>The government can cancel Goldman’s security license in a nano-second for proven fraud. With the TARP precedent, they could then seize all Goldman’s assets.</p>
<p>Ask Arhtur Anderen how easy it is to do business without a license. Ask Ric Waggoner how quickly, a supportive Board can be overrun.</p>
<p>I don’t know why the discussion is over power and money.</p>
<p>If you’re interested in business, given these options, go to Wharton and don’t think twice. If you’re interested in a career in Politics, you’re probably going to be better off at Georgetown SFS.</p>
<p>Its not about how much money you’re going to make, just what you want to do. If you’re already leaning towards Georgetown, that’s probably going to be your best fit.</p>
<p>Again, you want to find the best fit for you and where you’ll be happiest for the next four years. Since you are leaning towards Georgetown anyway, go there and go to Wharton for your MBA but take business classes at McDonough while at Georgetown… it’s a win-win situation…</p>
<p>The decision is made (my father pretty much made the decision, since he’s paying completely and I wouldn’t have qualified for any financial aid). Wharton it is.</p>
<p>Honestly, there were so many things I loved about Georgetown. I loved the small campus, the location, the neighborhood (Georgetown Cupcake is great!), the views of the Potomac, and the campus feel. SFS seems amazing, and I liked the curriculum and study abroad opportunities. Upperclassmen townhouses sound really cool. I even liked my meal at Leo’s (and my GUGS hamburger).</p>
<p>But because I don’t plan on going into government, my dad didn’t see the point of doing SFS. He sees Wharton as a more practical use of his money.</p>
<p>I’m still excited for next year. Philly seems really cool (like a smaller, friendlier Manhattan), and I like the culture/restaurants there. Wharton will be a challenge, but I know I’ll learn a lot. Penn has such a large student body and so many clubs that I’m sure I’ll meet some great people, even if I’m not into the frat scene. Plus, besides Georgetown’s townhouses, I prefer the dorms at Penn. And Wharton’s curriculum is relatively flexible (especially with AP credits), so I can still try to double concentrate and maybe minor in international relations.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice. Both schools seem really great, and hopefully things will work out.</p>