<p>Yeah, I'm sorry, the title is misleading...refer to my actual question.</p>
<p>It's actually an AB at Harvard... but that's completely irrelevant.</p>
<p>At Harvard, you'd study theoretical economics. You'd have some great undergraduate business opportunities (Harvard Student Agencies, and my own Crimson Business), and you'll have amazing access to all the top internships/jobs (everyone recruits here). I know of a few people who have actually gotten in to HBS straight out of the college.</p>
<p>I know nothing about the other programs, but it seems like you'd be more locked in to a certain plan of study/career path. At Harvard, you could always be a... folklore myth and mythology concentrator... and still have access to the business opportunities + jobs/internships.</p>
<p>What are Harvard Student Agencies?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.harvardstudentagencies.com%5B/url%5D">http://www.harvardstudentagencies.com</a></p>
<p>It's a business run by Harvard students that does a number of things. One branch produces the Lets Go! travel guides, another runs a laundry service for (lazy) Harvard students. Check out the website to see all the different projects they have.</p>
<p>I made a similar decision between M&T, Princeton, and Stanford. </p>
<p>Stanford's Management and Engineering program (or whatever its called) is a systems engineering type program. You couldnt do any engineering you wanted, and I wanted to do Bioengineering. Secondly the management part is just like a couple classes, not the intense complete wharton degree. I visited the campus, and it seemed to big and secluded to me. It took me like 25 minutes to walk to a dining hall.</p>
<p>Princeton wasnt a good people fit for me; I didnt see myself blending in well in that kind of secluded social environment, and it didnt offer me the same benefits of M&T.</p>
<p>I couldnt get the two completely seperate full degrees in either place. In neither place would you go as in depth into business and engineering as M&T becuase you are a full student of both schools, taking just the same classes as a Wharton Student and a Penn Engineering Student.</p>
<p>My greatest pull to penn was the incredible diversity that neither Stanford nor Princeton have come close to achieving. It's an extremely interesting experience living in a big city: I love being able to walk anywhere I want to go in Philly. </p>
<p>Also, the two full degrees far outweigh a single engineering degree with a few finance classes. This program leaves so many options open. After I graduate, I will be well suited to do engineering entrepreneurship (biotech company), I could go to Wall Street or any kind of business setting, and I could even go to med-school if I didnt like the other choices. </p>
<p>Anyways, PM me if you want more opinions, but that was kind of my decision in a nutshell.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot upennm&t, I'll be sure to PM you if I have any more questions :).</p>
<p>howabout deciding between Stanford economics and Harvard economics... that's what I'm looking at right now; any thoughts? (sorry if I'm hijacking your thread californiakid, it's quite related your your topic, though, right?)</p>
<p>It's quite alright, mlee88, the more (semi)related responses the better.</p>
<p>Harvard's intro Ec course (Ec10, or officially Social Analysis 10) is pretty cool. It seems like the entire freshman class (except for myself) is in it. The prof, N. Gregory Mankiw literally wrote the book on economics (he wrote Principles of Economics, which is apparently very widely used). Mankiw only lectures about 6 times though, and most of the teaching is done in section. Still, I think most kids like the class a lot. I know that Harvard has a lot of big names when it comes to upper level economics classes also.</p>
<p>When it comes to employment and a tightly-knit alumni network, M&T (management and technology, the fisher program) and the Huntsman program trumps everything.</p>
<p>Alumni that are now emplyees at top financial firms usually contacts the students directly, and gladly help set up internships and jobs. It is not unheard of for students to get a couple of emails from alumni like that before school even starts.</p>
<p>Also, if you want to have a shot not only at the big names (like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey), but at the most succesful hedgefunds and private equity firms, like Blackstone and Citadel your only chance for that is one of the dual degrees or wharton - no other school provides the skills needed for that kind of work.</p>
<p>"Also, if you want to have a shot not only at the big names (like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey), but at the most succesful hedgefunds and private equity firms, like Blackstone and Citadel your only chance for that is one of the dual degrees or wharton - no other school provides the skills needed for that kind of work."</p>
<p>I don't think that's true.</p>
<p>Sorry, I should have been more precise:</p>
<p>If you want to have a shot at the absolute top of hedge-funds straight out of undergrad, your best bet is one of the joint degree programs between Wharton and another school at Penn.</p>
<p>You need a business and engineering degree to work at Blackstone and Citadel? Why?</p>
<p>"If you want to have a shot at the absolute top of hedge-funds straight out of undergrad, your best bet is one of the joint degree programs between Wharton and another school at Penn."</p>
<p>Again, I don't think that's true.</p>
<p>yeah, what do you mean? My impression was that if you only wanted to do hedge fund or i-banking stuff the plain wharton degree was good enough; the m&t is for more technical companies, etc., right?</p>
<p>that's what I think...</p>