How difficult is to transfer to Penn from another school?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
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<p>45 percenter - maybe I’m reading the statistics differently than you? I focused on the survey focusing on the Wharton classes of 92, 97, and 2002: <a href=“http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/wharton/surveys/WhartonAlumniSurveyReport2007.pdf[/url]”>http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/wharton/surveys/WhartonAlumniSurveyReport2007.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It’s important to note that these surveys that track the long-term outcomes of the various classes only had about a 25% response rate. I didn’t focus as much on other surveys of earlier classes, because the response rate for those surveys was even worse (around 15-20%). </p>

<p>In either case, it seems like about 65% of the Wharton Class of 92, 57% of the Wharton class of 97, and 41% of the Wharton class of 2002 went back to get graduate degrees of some sort (and with the W classes of 92 and 97, about 40% went back to get MBAs). </p>

<p>This indicates that, overall, the majority of Wharton grads (at least 55%+) do wind up going back to grad school, but they may go back later than their peers in the college. So this study was published in the Fall of 2007, so the Wharton undergrad’s class of 2002 numbers were a bit lower on the grad school front. </p>

<p>There’s nothing to indicate that Wharton’s class of 2002 is different from the W class of 1992 or 1997, so it would be feasible to think that, maybe after 2007, even MORE of the class of 2002 went back to grad school, no? Especially with the economy plummeting after the survey was conducted, it seems as if you’d find lots of Wharton undergrad '02 grads in grad school.</p>

<p>So overall, if you speculated even conservatively for the Wharton Class of '02, and kept the numbers for the '92 and '97 grads in mind, it seems as if roughly 60% of wharton undergrads go on to grad school, and generally at least 35-40% get an MBA. </p>

<p>Again, since Wharton undergrads have plum job opportunities, I’m assuming they go back to grad school LATER than their peers in the college. Nevertheless, given the stats, these W undergrads do seem to go back to grad school quite often. </p>

<p>Overall, this indicated that most Wharton undergrads (at least around 60%) ultimately view their wharton ug degree as a terminal degree. They may be going back later than their peers in the college, but they’re still going back to school at a pretty high clip.</p>

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<p>45 percenter - Note, the career service plans for the Classes of 2005, 2006, 2007, etc. only included the immediate post-grad plans for Wharton undergrad graduates. Not surprisingly, with all the job opportunities available, many Wharton undergrads did NOT immediately go to grad school, and joined the working world instead.</p>

<p>I would assume, though, that, say, 7-9 years out, many of the graduates from the classes of 2006, 2007 etc will wind up back in grad school. The surveys for the classes of 92 and 97 seem to back this up.</p>

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<p>The overall external transfer rate is 16%. Does anyone know if SEAS is harder or easier than average? My guess is that it’s easier since that 16% includes people applying to Wharton, which is notoriously difficult.</p>

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<p>Finally, regarding what Wharton itself had to say about it’s UG degree, of course it’s going to slant the numbers to make it sound like the ug degree is more of a terminal degree. So they’ll state that “only a third of our graduates go on to get an MBA, even up to 15 years after graduation.”</p>

<p>Well, the writer didn’t talk about, as the survey reveals, the 6-10% of Wharton grads who go on to get a law degree, the 5-10% that go on to get a non-MBA masters, the combined 5-10% that go on to get either an MD or a PhD or a JD/MBA, etc. If you add all the numbers up, what do you get? The majority of Wharton grads going back to grad school of some sort.</p>

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<p>But the most important point is that an ug Wharton degree is good enough as a terminal degree if you stay in finance or a business related field. No MBA needed.
So, don’t underestimate those “dull” Wharton courses. You may have to pay dearly to take them later like ilovebagels plan to do.</p>

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<p>cbreeze, that’s true, a Wharton UG degree is probably good enough as a terminal degree. At any elite school, having only 55-60% of a class go back for some sort of grad training is a bit on the low side, so that means there are a sizable chunk of Wharton undergrad grads very content with their ug degree.</p>

<p>I don’t think it’s fair to knock either the College or Wharton ug. Again, it’s all about fit for the individual. There are lots of kids that could major in econ at Penn undergrad, get the same jobs that the Wharton kids get, and not need any further schooling. At the same time, there are Wharton grads who go right back to get their MBA after a few years of work. It really just depends on what an individual wants to do.</p>

<p>I just think it’s important, though, to note that Wharton undergrad is not the sort of terminal degree a lot of people think it is. It’s not like 75% of Wharton undergrad grads just sit with only their UG degree. If you go to Wharton thinking it’s the end of the line for both you and most of your classmates, that’s an inaccurate assertion.</p>

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<p>Cue7, as I said, my review was “extremely cursory,” and your analysis seems to be correct, albeit, as you indicated, based on only a 25% survey-return rate.</p>

<p>Actually, when I was in Wharton undergrad (DECADES ago), it was quite common for Wharton undergrads to go directly to grad school. This included at least 20-30% per year (including many of my friends and me) going straight to law school, if memory serves, and lots of others going straight to top MBA programs (Wharton, Harvard, Chicago, etc.). My own recollection is that those who went directly into the workforce typically went to the so-called Big Eight accounting firms, or to family-based businesses (e.g., Brian Roberts, a Wharton undergrad of that era, went to work for his family’s small-but-growing cable company–Comcast :)).</p>

<p>Apparently, it was the explosive growth of opportunities in investment banking and consulting in the '80s and '90s that made grad school a less-attractive option for Wharton undergrads immediately upon graduation. As you’ve indicated, however, the economy may force that to change yet again.</p>

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<p>My S, a 2004 Wharton grad still has not felt the necessity for a graduate degree. He thinks he can improve his skills and networking opportunities simply by being employed in his chosen (finance) industry. He doesn’t see any glass ceilings simply because he doesn’t possess his MBA credentials. A Wharton ug degree should suffice and any upward opportunities will be directly related to his abilities. At present, his title and his pay are on par with MBA grads with similar years of experience in IB. Among the peers that he still keeps in touch with, only 1 has gone back for MBA, and that is because of a lay off and wanted to sit out this economy. In addition, it is infinitely easier to go through recruitment through a school’s career office than to submit a resume blindly. </p>

<p>However, if someone wants to be a lawyer, doctor etc, then additional degrees will be necessary.</p>

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<p>cbreeze - just statistically speaking, your son is in the minority. Unless the Class of 2004 is an outlier and doesn’t share any similarities with the classes of 92 and 97, the majority of your son’s peers from Wharton (at least 55-60%) will go on to grad school of some sort.</p>

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<p>Does the current school you’re coming from make a big difference? I’ve got decent enough SAT scores (2260) and I’m ranked number 1 in my class with a GPA of 3.96! However, I’m at UC Riverside, which is generally considered to be the worst UC school. Would this make it harder for me to be accepted? It’s not like a plain terrible school, and it generally ranks in the top 100 national universities. I feel like most people are already transferring from like ivy league schools though, which would make it tough for me. Any input? Thank you.</p>

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<p>Please ignore my last question. For some selfish reason, I ignored the fact that the whole thread was about my exact question. Sorry about that.</p>

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<p>I’ll definitely let you guys know if it winds up being necessary. :P</p>

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<p>Wow~, JML98, you really did it.
I’m applying Wharton as a transfer now
I have 4.0 GPA, 2000+ SAT( just a little above 2000), and good recommendation letters. I play Saxophoe and was a debater for one year. Now I am in a student group which is formed by my friends and me. Some working experience.
Do you think I have a chance for Wharton?</p>

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<p>you have to take a whole bunch of required classes to get in to wharton as a transfer student. You have to have taken calc, econ, accounting, e.t.c and more depending on if you’re a sophmore transfer or a junior transfer.</p>

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<p>Hi, I’m a freshman at Vassar College applying to transfer to SAS. I’ve read this thread and there’s two questions that are unresolved in my mind. First, some of the posters mentioned peer institutions being places like Georgetown or Duke. What I’m wondering is whether Vassar (#11 LAC) would be considered a peer institution? Second, how much do college gpa and test scores matter relative to high school GPA? I got a 3.8 high school gpa on a weighted scale at an International school in Singapore taking 13 AP’s and 5 honors courses, and probably wouldn’t have gotten into Penn SAS as a freshman. On the other hand, I got 10 5’s and 3 4’s on those AP’s, 2240 SAT I, and 3.92 college GPA. Do you think that will be enough to mitigate my high school record, or am I doomed? Thanks to whoever answers.</p>

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<p>Back to future (or just the front page)!</p>

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<p>You have a good chance. I don’t know precisely how the admissions office weights and calibrates applications, so I can’t truly answer your questions - but again, I think you have a good chance.</p>

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<p>can i transfer into wharton after my sophomore year?</p>

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<p>You can transfer in after your sophmore year, but it’s even harder. There are even fewer spots and so the GPA cutoff is higher, in addition to the class requirements.</p>

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<p>are extracurriculars and being involved as important for transfers as they are for the freshman applicants?</p>