Opportunities: CAS Econ vs Wharton

Which is a better option in terms of internship opportunities and job placement?

better with regard to which internships and job opportunities? There isn’t really evidence to say either is “better” as both place their students into the positions that they want to go. Wharton has more students who want to go into business than CAS Econ. Consequently, more Wharton students go into business than CAS Econ students. That’s not a reflection of it being “better” though- it just represents the very obvious preferences of business school students vs liberal arts students. If it’s a tech startup, one might expect the engineering school to be the best option of them all. Or if it’s a healthcare startup, maybe they’d prefer a nursing student who has taken some marketing courses in Wharton and some creative writing courses in the College. When employers come to Penn they don’t look to hire “wharton students” or “CAS Econ students” so much as they’re looking to hire the best Penn students to fit what they need.

All Penn students have access to the same on campus recruiting, career services, clubs, resources, etc. as every other penn undergrad, regardless of which program of study you follow. I was a student in the College (and I didn’t study econ) who ended up in a more business oriented position that Wharton students tend to covet more than students from the Liberal Arts & Sciences divisions. Some employers, however, want you to have a business background which would mean that you would be at an advantage if you studied in Wharton. Consider the places you want to work and the types of educations they prefer. You’ll find that more than specific skills or knowledge, most of these places just want students from the Ivy League to populate their incoming classes.

@ayakobi26 you should be thinking what you want to study as well as what your desired career is, when making that choice. But don’t feel enormous pressure about it, you will have access to the same resources at Penn either way and you are able to break into most industries one way or another. Plus you can take as many classes in the other school as you ca fit in your schedule.

Your major is only one factor in getting internship/job opportunities. Other factors will include your GPA, how well you interview etc. For that reason I’d suggest that you should study what interests you and go from there. It is important to understand that economics and finance are very different majors. Economics is a liberal arts course of study and gets very theoretical at the upper levels. In contrast if you go to an undergraduate business school you will take a business core with introductory classes in subjects such as accounting, finance, IT, marketing etc. and then you will major in one of those disciplines. I’m not saying that one path is better than the other, but they are different. I would take the time to look at the coursework (can be found online) for both a finance and an economics major and see if one path is preferable to you.

@PennCAS2014 @Penn95 Do you think CAS Econ students that end up wanting to go into finance are overshadowed by Wharton students? I’m not exactly sure what I want to do yet, but I might want to go into finance.

If you want to do finance then apply to Wharton. CAS Econ is completely different. That being said, college students for the large part also end up in consulting/wall street.

@ayakobi26 no they are not overshadowed. If you are interested in bmfinance and have a good GPA and relevant ECs and /or work experience you can easily break into investment banking etc.

@aoeuidhtns The problem is I’m not 100% sure if I really want to go into finance. I’m hoping CAS Econ + some Wharton classes will help me decide what I want to do and prepare me for it.

^ @ayakobi26 the econ major is 32 credits, so there is plenty of room to take many Wharton classes. Also you can get involved in wharton clubs which will also give you a lot of hands-on business experience.

@Penn95 Thanks. I think I have a good feel for what I want to do now.

I agree with @Penn95 100%. You won’t be overshadowed as a CAS student and it would give you the flexibility of curriculum to test the waters and shift gears with greater ease if that’s what you decide.