<p>I have been accepted to Wharton to start as an undergraduate this fall. Obviously, I am amped at the opportunity to study at and eventually earn a degree from the best business school in the country. However, I was awarded no financial aid and my parents are only willing to contribute about half of the school's total cost. This means that I would have to take at least 120k in loans to afford Wharton. My second option is a half tuition scholarship to USC Marshall school of business where I would graduate with roughly 20-25k in loans......what should I do? Will the opportunities that Wharton can give me make it worth taking so much in loans? How much will a Wharton degree help me versus a USC degree? Let me know your opinions.</p>
<p>I don’t feel comfortable giving anyone on here financial advice, but if I were in your shoes, I’d go to Wharton.</p>
<p>That said, don’t take my word for it. Seek advice from adults and mentors</p>
<p>Email, call, or visit Penn Student Financial Services and tell them about the package you got at Marshall. Tell them you really want to go to Penn but can’t afford the cost and need some help.</p>
<p>I used this strategy to get Penn to match Dartmouth, Brown, and Johns Hopkins, and it worked. It’s definitely worth giving it a shot. If you were accepted to other Ivies that gave better packages than Wharton, share those as well to get more leverage.</p>
<p>I’m assuming the OP is speaking of the President’s Scholarship, which is merit-based. Penn would only consider matching if it were need-based. To the OP: I would probably go to Wharton, but I hope you choose USC! (I’m on the waitlist at Wharton).</p>
<p>At this point I’m thinking that Wharton is worth it… I’m going to try and call student financial services and see if there is anything they can do to help me but either way I think Wharton may be the better choice</p>
<p>If one school in the nation is worth the debt it has to be Wharton. The career opportunities and the alumni network is unparalleled. If you go the I-banking/PE route you should have not problem paying off the debt in full with in 5 years. If you live frugally you might even be able to pay it off in 2 years.</p>
<p>As of now i see myself going the PE route, or ibanking or consulting. If I want to get into PE would that seal the deal with Wharton? I have heard that the top PE firms recruit solely at Wharton and HYPS, does anyone know to what extent this is true?</p>
<p>Wharton students are by far the best recruited for finance and consulting jobs. Approximately half the class goes into financial services of some sort and close to a quarter into consulting. If you go to into these fields after graduation, you shouldn’t really have too much trouble with the debt (unless the economy tanks again). </p>
<p>Not all top PE firms (e.g KKR, Apax) recruit undergrads, but if a firm does it definitely values Wharton students highly. Firms where undergrads have gone before include Blackstone and SilverLake (only recruits at Wharton). </p>
<p>If taking on the debt does not overly worry you, Wharton’s the best school for what you’re interested in. I chose the M&T program over Trustee at USC for similar reasons. That being said, Marshall has a great community too apparently and in the short run not having the financial burden would of course be great. But in the long run - even 4-5 years out you would most likely not regret if you choose Wharton.</p>
<p>No debt is the worse not worth it.</p>