How difficult are the academics at University of Pennsylvania - Wharton to be specific

I am very interested in attending UPenn this coming Fall 2017. It is between UPenn and Drexel for me, both schools offer incredible opportunities and I absolutely love Drexel however, UPenn is my dream school. I was wondering how extreme are the academics for the Wharton Business School? I have completed 60 credits in one year thus I am definitely capable of a heavy work load, I just need to know how rigorous the work is.
Thanks!

" between UPenn and Drexel for me"

Not comparable.

You are actually ZERO help.

Are you a transfer applicant? Have you already been admitted to both schools?

If you are transferring from a community college the academic demands at both Pen and Drexel will be much more difficult.

Yes, I am a transfer applicant. Some information about me would include…

I am on Deans list
I am also in two honors societies
I am involved in two volunteer clubs in school
I spend my summers doing volunteer work as well
I have created and been running my own club as President at my college
I am currently taking a 22 credit course load
Will have 60 credits completed (this is my first year of college-I will be taking summer sessions on top of the winter session I have already completed)
Currently I have a 3.7 GPA

I have been accepted into Drexel’s accelerated program and have received a very decent academic scholarship. I am still waiting on Penn because they take a little longer when deciding who their incoming students will be.

There’s all those rumors about a grading curve at Wharton - making it way more competitive to do well in.

@sjae19 All you can do is wait to hear if you get into Wharton and if it is affordable. If Wharton is a possibility I’d jump at the chance to attend. Admission is very competitive so if Wharton accepts you, the school believes you have the background and capability to succeed at the school…

@philbegas Don’t believe rumors. I did not find that to be the case when I went to Wharton (years ago) and from discussions with parents of current students (who have high GPAs), I don’t believe that to be the case now.

It seems as though Wharton leaves it up to individual teachers, but:

“The Wharton School adheres to grading curves and is known for its competitive culture, its students receiving the highest aggregate competitiveness index score in the Princeton Review’s study of 295 business schools.[81] In order to promote a more collaborative atmosphere, the Wharton Graduate Association maintains and annually reaffirms a grade non-disclosure policy, consisting of two main principles.[82] The first is to “refrain from disclosing GPAs, specific class grades, class ranking, or transcripts to potential employers until a full-time position has been offered”. The second principle permits and encourages students to disclose general academic honors and distinctions. All employers adhere to this policy throughout the recruitment process at the Wharton School.”

@philbegas
That is not the reality I have experienced and current students I know are experiencing. Yes, the school is demanding, yes the students are extremely smart and motivated but I didn’t find grade deflation or a competitiveness between students.

And it is important to keep in mind that even with less than perfect GPAs Wharton graduates are very much in demand in the marketplace.

In addition, what your referenced refers to the “Wharton Graduate Association” and the OP is looking at the undergrad division of Wharton. But FWIW, my friend’s D is currently a first year student in Wharton’s MBA program and while she is working hard, she is doing fine and works with other students collaboratively . And even with a less that perfect Wharton GPA she has a summer internship at a major consulting firm (which has her target).

I don’t want to go further off topic, but I would recommend that if the OP has the chance to attend Wharton and it is affordable that he/she jump at the opportunity. If Wharton doesn’t work out it sounds like the OP has an alternative that he/she is happy with. So congrats to @sjae19 who seems to be in a very positive situation right now.

Oh you’re right, but @happy1 they haven’t actually been admitted yet if you look at the original post. Either way Wharton with a lower GPA still > a nontarget school I imagine, purely based on the OCR that happens there.

Yes, I saw that the OP was not admitted to Wharton yet (which is why I said "if the OP has the chance…). And of course any comparison of Wharton with a lower GPA > non target school with higher GPA would depend on specific facts and circumstances (ex: is the Wharton GPA a 3.0 or a 1.0? what are the two schools in question? etc.), the career etc. (ex. accounting casts a wider net in terms of colleges the profession recruits from as compared to IB).

@sjae19 The academics at Penn are not extreme, but of course you can expect it to be much more rigorous than Drexel and the quality of students much higher, so you will have tougher competition.

There might be some info here:

https://www.niche.com/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania/reviews/