<p>Last night, to my extreme surprise, I was accepted into Huntsman. I was not expecting this at all. The thing is, I love Huntsman, but I have a lot of choices, and Penn is not necessarily my #1 school. In fact, without Huntsman, I don't think I would be considering Penn much.</p>
<p>I think part of the problem, though, is that I don't know enough about Penn or Philadelphia. </p>
<p>I'm looking for enlightenment. Why Penn?</p>
<p>I am interested in foreign relations/politics/debate, music, design, traveling, but I'd also like to hear about what it's like to live at Penn and be an undergraduate.</p>
<p>Also,
How hard is it to do other things while being a Huntsman student?
Could, I for example, go on to law school?
Could I have a creative major on the side?</p>
<p>Well I would have thought you’d know Why Penn by the time you were accepted, since it was one of the essay questions haha.</p>
<p>But seriously speaking, I can’t answer what it’s like since I am an upcoming freshman like you hopefully will be, but I’m pretty sure you can go on to law school and probably have a creative major on the side. Depends on work load I suppose. However, I think Penn is the best Ivy at combining your interests and getting multiple degrees.</p>
<p>Why would you apply to a program in the school without knowing about the school itself. But from my own knowledge of Penn it’s a wonderful school with a plethora of research opportunities, world class faculty, wonderful study abroad programs and my favorite the One University Policy which allows students to take a course in any of the schools at the university. My understanding is if you would like to take finance classes you can do so at Wharton. I’m not an expert just an obsessed junior waiting for his chance next spring!</p>
<p>Philly is a typical urban city in the US. It does have its rich history and culture also those cheesesteaks yum! However there is crime but I have read that Penn security is the best! Just stay aware follow campus rules!</p>
<p>Guys I apologize for being so unclear in my post. I know a lot about the school. I have visited and done everything I can to learn about it. My ‘why penn’ response was heavily hinged on Huntsman, though. The thing is, I also know a lot about other schools that I have been accepted to and am struggling to make a decision.</p>
<p>I know least about Wharton and going to business schools in general.
I am also wondering about debate and politics at Penn. I have never heard them mentioned.</p>
<p>What are your other choices? There’s only one really that I think you could choose over it; Harvard - and they are roughly comparable (Yield rate for Wharton I think is higher though). International Studies and Business, you can’t go wrong with either really. I’m an incoming Penn CAS freshman - and I was thinking of applying to Huntsman, but didn’t only really because of the foreign language requirement that would have harmed my application. </p>
<p>I think job prospects are probably the best for Huntsman (its average salary is about the Wharton average, though a much higher percentage go “Teach for America” or “for China” courses - so leads you do believe what those going into industry get). I don’t think Harvard can even match you for that, it’s name will open as many doors as possible - but the experience (and name of Wharton), and the career centre will take you further at Huntsman.</p>
<p>If you don’t like business, which might be the case, and may want to study something else - maybe Huntsman isn’t the right course for you. One of the reasons I chose Penn was the opportunities you get in IR (taking classes in intl trade/finance/law at the grad schools is a massive plus). The IR theory etc course itself is very small and it doesn’t have a grad school - so it’s not known as well - but hey, international studies includes everything (economics, finance, law, history) which Penn is all very strong at. You also don’t have to compete to take these course (can’t say the same at Yale or Princeton…)</p>
<p>Also, the MUN team is one of the best (if not the best) in the country. So things like speech and debate will take you really far (the Penn Intl Affairs Association is the biggest thing on campus). The student body is also far more international than any of its peers - so I mean, I think that is also a massive plus. </p>
<p>Your social life I think will probably be the best at Penn. It’s the social ivy for a reason, and my friends in the ivy league tend to think we’re most fun and the people they would most like to hang out with. So that’s a definite plus.</p>
<p>There is probably one drag of Huntsman as opposed to HYPS, the name doesn’t awe people on the street. The average person doesn’t know of the program, Wharton or even Penn. But you don’t go to college to incite awe from random people you meet. Job recruiters, on the other hand, tend to value Penn almost above all else for investment banking/consulting jobs - and you’re going to be in Huntsman, so I think that gives you an even greater edge.</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation. I was accepted to the Fisher M&T program without really knowing at all about business school. I wanted to do just engineering and then applied to M&T as a side-thought. I would not have considered Penn at all if it weren’t for the dual degree program I was accepted to. So, we are in pretty much the same boat.</p>
<p>I just put my deposit in for Penn on tuesday. I felt like I personally fit better at other universities but I could not turn down the opportunity to get two degrees. Basically I chose the dual degree program because I would have the greatest amount of options after college. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with my life so I chose to keep as many options available for me as possible - this meant taking the two degrees. Also, with an undergrad degree from wharton it isn’t really necessary to get a graduate degree so you are getting two degrees for the price of one. </p>
<p>Specifically for you, I know that Huntsman seems liek the most community-minded dual degree program. Everybody stays in the same dorm and does the residential program gig. Also, at my visit on Monday I learned that like the last poster said, the international affairs club(the Penn MUN club) has like 400-something people and is the biggest club on campus.</p>
<p>It is not uncommon for students in the Huntsman Program to not feel that Penn would be their first choice if not for the program. Many, if not all, turned down at least one of HYPS to be there. There is an amazing sense of community and of investment in the success of the others in the program. Cooperative learning and a desire to be collectively successful and not in competition with one another is not the norm at HYPS to the degree that it is in the Huntsman Program. For those in the know, especially graduate schools and job recruiters. Huntsman is the cream of the crop. Also, acceptance rates for Huntsman are less than half at the most selective Ivies, so the students that you are spending four years with are truly amazing, and all had plenty of choices but chose there, so that’s really where they want to be!</p>
<p>Penn’s dual degree programs are some of the overhyped entities in higher education. Going to Huntsman rather than any of the other top 15 schools in the country won’t confer you any sort of magical advantage in business/politics/government. You can set up a Huntsman-like curriculum at Dartmouth, Duke, or Brown if you so desire. The arrogance that someone would only even consider choosing HYPS over Huntsman is amusing.</p>
<p>Job recruiters know Wharton and of course that would help you but they could care less about M&T or Huntsman. If Penn isn’t at the top of your bucket list without the program, you probably shouldn’t go there. Don’t turn down Stanford just because Penn invented some bogus program to make you feel “more special”.</p>
<p>Huntsman specializes in international business. I highly recommend you visit campus and meet some of the coordinators of the program, who are always willing to speak with random students. </p>
<p>I’m also a Penn CAS admit, and I didn’t apply to huntsman because I’m not sure if I want to commit to international business. From what I understand, it’s business-heavy.</p>
<p>Huntsman does not specialize in International Business. It is a dual degree between a Business at Wharton and International Studies from the College of Arts and Sciences. Not the same thing! People leave the program and do all kinds of things, including attending the top graduate programs in the country.
goldenboy has no idea what he’s talking about. The resources afforded to students in the Huntsman Program are extraordinary, from preference in class registration to career placement and their own building with its enviable lounge. Also, recruiting starts with the Huntsman students. If the OP has been accepted to Huntsman, the folks who run the program have reached out directly and made all of the many advantages clear in the time since this thread started. Would love to hear how the process went. The community of exceptional scholars and the support they give each other are the best reason to accept a place there. There is good reason that the acceptance rate is as low as it is and that the yield is as high.</p>