M&T Fisher Program

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I got accepted to penn to class 2014 to college of arts and sciences. My school advisor however told me that I could apply for any program I wanted in september which in my case was my dream course M&T fisher joint degree program between Wharton and engineering school. Apparently no one can transfer twice (which is what it would take to get there from college to seas or wharton and then to m&t)</p>

<p>I have straights A* (which is like an equivalent of about 4.0 in england) and really think I would be great in it. I know it's super competitive and that its selection process is finished but isn't there a way to change my application before fall???</p>

<p>Thanks for any replies.</p>

<p>it’s too late to change now; you’ll have to apply for internal transfer to m&t at the end of your freshman year</p>

<p>the sole criterion for internal transfer acceptance is gpa: if you have a 3.9-4.0, you’ll likely make it into m&t; otherwise, ~3.8 to wharton, or ~3.0 to engineering</p>

<p>Seems a bit pointlessly rigid, no? I mean It’s not unusual that students change their study field in the summer let alone make a mistake on the application (apply to the wrong school like in my case). I also got Benjamin Franklin Scholarship, Does that account for anything in considering it?</p>

<p>no, each school handles its admissions separately; hence, as you were accepted to the college, you will have to spend at least one year as a college student</p>

<p>bfs doesn’t play into it, since students in all four undergraduate schools can be in the program</p>

<p>the rule is also in place to guard against backdoor admissions (e.g., apply to nursing, then last-second-switch to wharton prior to first day of class)</p>

<p>Thanks for clearing that up. Sure some people might try to cheat their way through but I told them that I’m happy to pass any additional requirements (I wrote the essey and everything) plus I just wanted to be considered meaning I’d be happier if they said ‘sorry you’re not suitable’ rather than not looking at my app at all. </p>

<p>Anyway I got a reply from penn saying that if I want i can change into engineering school and then like you said at the end of freshman apply for M&T. </p>

<p>I must say That I’m a bit confused when they say I can still study any major I want being in college. So does that mean I can pick a major in say engineering school or wharton?</p>

<p>what that probably means is that you can take some engineering classes (so as not to be too behind for m&t coursework) and then you apply for internal transfer</p>

<p>college students are restricted to the college majors, but are free to take classes or take minors, where offered, in any other school - this is the “one university” concept</p>

<p>I say, if hypothetically there would be no way for me to transfer to M&T what other course , dual degree program is possible so that somehow I’d get a diploma from wharton?</p>

<p>UPenn is a big school and it sounds like they aren’t going to bend the rules for you. It has nothing to do with your qualifications, it has to do with their deadlines. The bigger the school the more they need to abide by their own deadlines. There is simply too much bureaucracy and structure at a school of this size to bend deadlines for anyone. I’m sorry.</p>

<p>You can always get dual degrees from CAS and Wharton. You would need to meet the internal transfer requirement for Wharton at the end of your freshman year or during your sophomore year, which is based purely on your GPA and the number of spots available (as tenebrousfire pointed out above, a GPA of around 3.8 is generally required).</p>

<p>Thanks that actually doesn’t sound bad. What’s the difference btw that option of dual degree between say, seas and wharton and m&t?</p>

<p>How hard is it to get a 3.8 or higher in cas? I’m ranked nr. 1 in my class but that’s my areas of interest. I don’t know if I 'd keen to work hard on some core curriculum that isn’t as interesting for me.</p>

<p>Word on the street is that 50 have chosen to matriculate into M&T '14, which means that unless there is some attrition, there won’t be any spots to transfer into.</p>

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<p>Is 50 high for the program? It’s a tough program, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some attrition.</p>

<p>That’s correct 50 + 5 open spots for transfers as it is every year. I know an M&T alumn told me.</p>

<p>~50 is the number of students they take per year.</p>

<p>I just finished my freshman year at Penn and applied for a transfer to M&T, so I feel I am qualified to answer some of your questions :)</p>

<p>Firstly, Bruce is correct in that they leave a few slots open for internal transfers every year (usually 5)…</p>

<p>To answer the question about the dual degree (SEAS + Wharton) vs M&T, I guess the first point is know that they are in fact different (similar, but still different). With the M&T curriculum, there are fewer classes that you end up taking (about 4-5 classes to be exact). Also, for the M&T curriculum, there is at least one required class that ONLY M&T students can take (MGMT 237 - Management and Technology). Curriculum-wise, those are the main differences. Beyond that, the other differences include the amazing network of alumni M&T students have access to, a possible advantage in the labor market due to the competitive nature of the program (though don’t quote me on this as I’m not sure), etc.</p>

<p>I also wanted to mention that the application process for M&T is a LOT more involved than the process for dual degree. Most people who apply for M&T transfer end up doing the dual degree application as a subset of the M&T application (the program is so competitive that if you don’t get in, you use dual degree as a back up). For the M&T application, you need 2 letters of recommendations from Penn faculty, a personal essay, need to list your EC involvement, the courses you took for your first year, and submit worksheets outlining ALL classes you will take for your entire undergraduate stay at Penn (getting them signed by advisors in both SEAS and Wharton). So it’s quite an involved application process. Honestly, it’s like applying to college all over again haha… But I do want to mention that for M&T it is not SOLELY based on your GPA as was stated earlier. Yes you do need a fairly high GPA, but the minimum required to submit an app is a 3.6… I know someone with around a 3.9 who has gotten in over people with 4.0s because of the weight they place on the essay… I want to say it is possible to get a GPA below a 3.9 if the rest of your application is stellar… I can’t say 100% for sure because I haven’t personally talked to anyone who has, but that certainly does not mean you NEED above a 3.9 to be accepted…</p>

<p>Anyways, I hope that cleared some of the questions up</p>