Huntsman vs Princeton

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<p>What an awesome decision your son has to make. I had the exact same decision to make last year (except it was for single-degree wharton), and it was very, very difficult. As a freshman I don’t have much to say that should be a suggestion on how to go about picking between the two, but I’ll just add a few things. </p>

<p>Seriously, how different can job placement and quality of academics between the two schools? So many things are indistinguishable between the two schools. Of course, I have no experience with this yet, but I can’t imagine Wharton or Princeton opportunities will be any different, if at all. </p>

<p>I would highly suggest that your son visit both campuses during their preview weekend and try to meet and interact with as many people as possible. With honestly so little difference, might as well go to where you feel you will be the happiest. Princeton’s preview weekend is what helped me choose Penn. A lot of the people I met at Princeton (mostly all prefrosh who already decided on princeton) just were a complete turn off. That’s not to say that this is the case for everyone…more of that Princeton wasn’t as good for me as Penn. I liked the Penn vibe more and the idea of living in a city.</p>

<p>I also have to add that I have really enjoyed my courses in Wharton departments so far (more than the CAS courses, with the exception of worthless MGMT 100) and I look forward to taking many more in the future. There are tons of classes to choose from, so you can make Wharton as hard (or easy) as you want to. I just wish more people weren’t so sucked into protecting their GPA at the expense of taking more challenging classes, but whatever…that doesn’t mean you have to be like them.</p>

62

<p>Cool Parent</p>

<p>Wharton is a good program; however the best graduate business schools prefer students with undegraduate non business degrees. If your son studies business for four years he can obtain a great education at Wharton.</p>

<p>However, many if not most undergraduates change their major before they graduate. Princeton’s administration actively tries to get students to consider majoring in the smaller departments. One question you should discuss with your son is the strength of the other departments at Penn that he might choose to major. The undergraduate years should be used to explore all your interests and not limit your options. I would hate to see your son choose a university based on the perceived difference in getting a job after graduation. Job opportunities will be good after either university. </p>

<p>I find it sad that this discussion has digressed to placement in investment banking. Both schools will provide an entry. After your son graduates he should consider Harvard, Standford, CMU, MIT, Chicago, and yes Wharton for an MBA. However, he may decide to be a physician, a college professor , an attorney or other career. He should not be forced into making that decision in the next 30 days. He should enjoy college and take fun courses that have nothing to do with his future career. I am glad that my roommates and friends majored in different fields and all had different interests. Learning from a diverse set of friends in far more important that networking as an undergraduate.</p>

<p>Princeton encourages undergraduates to go to other graduate schools even if Princeton has the best graduate program. Students should be exposed to other ideas and philosophies.</p>

63

<p>As a Princeton student on this board has noted: your son got into Huntsman, possibly the most selective program on earth along with M&T. With Huntsman, you have so many opportunities to expand your mind, (you have a liberal arts degree in international studies after all), you immerse yourself in another culture and language, travelling and studying abroad is mandatory part of the program. I would choose Huntsman in a heartbeat. . There is a reason the program has a near 90% yield. Huntsman’s opportunities are, frankly, unparalleled.</p>

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<p>Evidence please?</p>

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<p>[Huntsman</a> Program in International Studies and Business - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsman_Program_in_International_Studies_and_Business]Huntsman”>University of Pennsylvania - Wikipedia) </p>

<p>I realize that this is wikipedia, but I think that the page is updated by people with the school itself. I highly doubt they just made up that number, plus it seems intuitive tht Huntsman would have an out-of-this-world yield.</p>

66

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I’m in the same situation as geekmom’s son - choosing between Princeton and Huntsman @ Penn. From last year’s HS class, I have 5 friends at Princeton and 2 at Penn (1 in M&T, 1 econ major in CAS), and I’ve also done a lot of reading and some participating on the Huntsman & Penn facebook/admitted students forums. Those are my sources, no articles or stats, but hopefully the following info will be helpful. Before I post though, I wanted to really thank kafkareborn, as well as other Penn & Princeton students/alumni for their positive contributions. I think CC is about helping each other and sharing info, and yes, trying to back up w/ sources/be as accurate as possible, but not necessarily about the need to be 100% accurate, and definitely not to challenge others who are posting what they know with good intentions.</p>

<p>That being said, here’s what I’ve learned/am feeling so far about Princeton and Penn:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Curriculum. Penn has much more pre-professional focus. You have pre-meds, pre-laws, and Wharton’s infamous pre-business. In Huntsman, like in Wharton, you are on a pretty rigid business track. You have the intl studies major at CAS which definitely strengthens the liberal arts component of the program, BUT you have many requirements to fulfill (not undo-able, as several classes count for 2+ requirements), so it’s not really like a traditional liberal arts (freedom, exploration, random amazing classes in obscure subjects etc) that you might find at Princeton. Hence, Princeton, on the other hand, really emphasizes the “liberal” aspect of liberal arts, haha. From alumni, I get the feel that Princeton really encourages you to try all different subjects, and that these subjects are often presented in interesting/disguised ways as well. lol. And from videos, it seems like EVERYBODY is always changing their major at least once -.- but maybe thats just videos…? I feel pretty set on what I want to study (econ/business/intl relations), but then again, who knows right? Because many of these people in videos/blogs etc (Princeton that is) seem to be driven, motivated people, so I’m assuming they had plans for themselves as well, and STILL were persuaded to change/discovered new interests. So that’s something to think about - how interested/set you yourself (/child) are on pursuing business as a career. </p></li>
<li><p>Academic resources. Professors at Princeton are undisputed-ly top notch, with a low faculty:student ratio and of course, the many Nobel laureates. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>** *I do have a question here - how easy is it to get access to these professors (the top scholars, politicians, Nobel winners), especially in freshman/sophomore years? And relating to a previous point - what percentage of students actually switch majors? Why do they switch? Is any consideration given to career interests, or do most students go by “interest” level? **</p>

<p>Anyways, back to what I was saying; I initially wondered why I hadn’t heard that much about Penn’s Nobel-winning faculty and text-book-authors. I asked a friend (current Penn '13) and I think he put it really well: Penn professors, especially Wharton professors, do not win Nobel prizes. They do not write text books. They are not often politicians. But they teach you how to be successful in business and how to get a job, and when you are ready to graduate from Wharton, you will. get a job. </p>

<p>To me, it makes sense - Wharton graduates go on to run businesses, to engineer (accidentally? by turning a blind eye?) financial crises, but at the end of the day, that Wharton education can get you to a lot of places you want to go in the business field. (And of course, it’s up to individuals to decide with what morals they want to use that opportunity). I’m sure that many Princeton undergrads go into successful business careers as well (financial sector is actually 2009 graduates’ most entered industry -<a href=“http://ocsweb.princeton.edu/pro-flip/Main.php?MagID=1&MagNo=1”>http://ocsweb.princeton.edu/pro-flip/Main.php?MagID=1&MagNo=1&lt;/a&gt;, as cited by others) , but I think Wharton and esp. Huntsman really prepares you specifically for finance/consulting, since you’re actually getting a practical business education. (Princeton offers a “certificate”, similar to minor, in finance, but no business).</p>

<ol>
<li>Location/atmosphere: Philadelphia is a bustling city. Princeton is a quieter town. I think there’s quite a difference there. I’m visiting both next week (Princeton’s first Preview weekend, and then Huntsman Day @ Penn) and while there are definitely advantages to both Philly AND Princeton, I think most people prefer one location to the other. In terms of people atmosphere, I’d say that Penn is definitely more career-focused, whereas many students at Princeton may be more interested in really learning and broadening their knowledge. Princeton’s student body is smaller (4900 undergrads?) than Penn’s (9700 undergrad alone), but Huntsman is also a special program of 40-45 students per class (160 to 180 total), in which I think you get more personal attention in terms of advising. </li>
</ol>

<p>** *Question about that (mostly to Princeton students): would you say it’s hard to stand out amongst the ~1250 undergrads in your class, especially when it comes time for job applications/grad school/summer opportunities? I’d imagine it to be greater competition from similarly educated students. Additionally, how easy is it to receive personal attention (academic counseling, career preparation services, etc?) **</p>

<p>That’s all I have to say (haha). Hope it’s not too long that it becomes tedious, but it’s definitely a tough decision. Parents - if you wouldn’t mind sharing your son/daughter’s names (perhaps privately through PM), I’d love to get to talk to him/her on facebook or even better, at preview days!</p>

<p>Additionally, Princeton/Penn students - I would really LOVE to hear your opinions/responses to any of my comments and especially questions. Thank you very much! </p>

<p>Just a note, all this information is posted to the VERY best of my knowledge =P. If you’re able to clarify/correct something, please do! But I will not reply to any posts that are unnecessarily negative or attempting to challenge some point - my sources are cited above :)</p>

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<p>At princeton, a LOT of the famous professors teach intro level and/or non major classes. Plus the freshman seminars give you a chance to really interact with the professors. In my department (biology), two of the most famous professors, Eric Weischaus (nobel prize) and Bonnie Bassler (MacArthur grant), teach MOL101, which is the class for non-majors. David Botstein came to princeton in order to set up the integrated science curriculum, which is for freshmen and sophomores. Additionally, for most humanities/social sciences classes there are no hard prereqs- I took some 300/400 level classes as a freshman because I was interested in the subject matter. So you definitely do get to be taught by the famous professors that you have heard of. </p>

<p>In terms of switching majors, you don’t declare your major until the end of sophomore year. Not a ton of people switched majors after that, although I did know some. However, a lot of people ended up majoring in something that they did not plan on majoring in when they enrolled. In my experience, engineers switched majors a lot more than ABs, because they have to declare freshman year. So they change their mind and switch majors, while ABs change their mind and just declare a different major.</p>

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<p>Hey,</p>

<p>I have compiled many of my arguments in favor of Wharton here: </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pennsylvania/902457-wharton-mythbusters.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pennsylvania/902457-wharton-mythbusters.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Do check it out, there are a lot of misconceptions floating around about Wharton, you would do well to be able to differentiate between the fact and the fiction.</p>

69

<p>what did this student decide?!? huntsman or princeton?
come on, after reading thru such a long and intense debate, i need to know the conclusion!!</p>

70

<p>Joined Hunstman program.</p>

71

<p>and does he/she like it or not? what finally made the decision?</p>

72

<p>Nadia: He loves it. Several factors. The decision was based on what he wants to do in his life. the program suits him very well</p>

73

<p>Congratulations. He really couldn’t have gone wrong either way. To the people who know what they’re talking about Huntsman is huge.</p>

74

<p>I’m currently struggling with this decision, and there have been many insightful comments, but I feel like a lot of people began debating Wharton vs. Princeton and not the Huntsman program. I really like Princeton, Harvard, and Columbia for their amazing opportunities, cities (NYC and Boston), and the countless other factors. I’m not as drawn at all to Penn undergrad as I am to undergrad at those schools. However, that being said, I find Huntsman very prestigious, selective, and an amazing opportunity. Two degrees, in Int’l Studies and Economics, plus intensive language study and term abroad – it seems bred to cater to a driven, creative applicant pool, not to mention to send its alums to practically any grad school they choose. Am I right that such a rigorous, expansive program seems more attractive to grad school (assuming one does well) than simply being an undergraduate at a slightly more prestigious university?</p>

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<p>I would kill to be in a situation to make this choice. If I got into both, however, I would go to Huntsman in a heartbeat. :smiley: I think the academic advantage of Huntsman is greater than anything regular Princeton undergraduate can offer, not just academically. I would so abandon being near NYC, for example, for Huntsman.</p>

<p>That being said… I didn’t even apply to Huntsman, so this post is quite pointless.</p>

76

<p>Huntsman is a professional school. Princeton is a liberal arts education. Apples to oranges. What do you want out of your college years?</p>

77

<p>If Huntsman is so prestigious and awesome…how come it isn’t ranked in Foreign Policy Magazine’s rankings? I’m just curious. From what I’ve read, Huntsman seems to be top-notch…but I can’t find it ranked highly anywhere.</p>

<p>2007 Top Undergraduate Programs in International Relations</p>

<p>Rank % Score</p>

<p>1----------48%----------Harvard
2----------46%----------Princeton
3----------30%----------Stanford
4----------28%----------Georgetown
5----------28%----------Columbia
6----------23%----------Yale
7----------21%----------U. of Chicago
8----------12%----------Berkeley
9----------11%----------Dartmouth
10--------10%----------George Washington U.</p>

<p>2007 Top PhD Programs in International Relations</p>

<p>Rank % Score</p>

<p>1----------65%----------Harvard
2----------52%----------Princeton
3----------45%----------Columbia
4----------45%----------Stanford
5----------30%----------U. of Chicago
6----------26%----------Yale
7----------25%----------Berkeley
8----------22%----------U. of Michigan
9----------20%----------U.C. San Diego
10--------12%----------Cornell</p>

<p>2007 Top Master’s Degree Programs in International Relations</p>

<p>Rank % Score</p>

<p>1----------65%----------Georgetown
2----------64%----------Johns Hopkins
3----------46%----------Harvard
4----------42%----------Tufts
5----------39%----------Columbia
6----------38%----------Princeton
7----------28%----------George Washington
8----------19%----------American University
9-----------9%----------U. of Denver
10---------7% ----------Syracuse</p>

78

<p>Maybe it’s because it’s a dual-degree program? Not sure.</p>

79

<p>Penn’s dual degree programs are gimmicks that they have to employ to try to get top students away from Harvard/Yale/Princeton without actually giving them any additional resources except two degrees (but why would anyone want two bachelor’s degrees lol, that’s like having two driver’s licenses in my opinion).</p>

80

<p>^At least they have kool names</p>

<p>“Huntsman”
“M&T”
“LSM”</p>