<p>I will most likely be a freshman in CAS this fall (Cornell and Emory are my other two options). I am 75-80% set on going into business/finance/banking/consulting, but like many, I wanted the broad, well-rounded liberal arts education as well as the obvious concern of getting rejected from Wharton and Penn altogether.</p>
<p>What is the best major/minor possible combination to get banking/finnance/consulting opps? I was thinking Econ/Actuarial Science or Econ/Math, but I'm not so sure. Also, am I correct in thinking that Penn offers no sort of guidance for CAS students interested in the financial industry? As in, no minors, certificate programs, seminar programs, etc. Can someone please correct me If I'm wrong?</p>
<p>Is going to Penn CAS gonna hurt in trying to get lucrative or diverse job offers in New York or otherwise?</p>
<p>Being in the College is in no way an impediment to going into business later. Wharton may lure big name firms to Penn’s campus, but the students that pull job and internship offers come from all areas of study. Many of my friends have done well for themselves even though they are not Wharton students.</p>
<p>I’m in the college majoring in political science and am working at MBB this summer so it is definitely possible to get business jobs/internships if you’re in CAS. Finance jobs are more difficult to get if you aren’t in Wharton but if you do econ/math and have a good GPA you’ll get some interviews. </p>
<p>Also, if you are set on Wharton, you can always try and transfer in sophomore year. If you’re already planning on taking econ and math classes you’ll have all the prereqs it would just be a matter of having around a 3.8.</p>
<p>So I understand it is possible. Do you have to be cream of the crop, well-connected, and a good networker to get a good job?</p>
<p>I was thinking about possibly trying to transfer into Wharton at the end of freshman year. But I can’t rely on that right? A 3.8 is insanely difficult to get I’m assuming at an Ivy League, especially taking Econ and math classes. Also, I heard taking Wharton classes freshman year to demonstrate interest helps? But that would kill the GPA…</p>
<p>Honestly for positions at top consulting firms and banks through OCR, yes. But this goes for Wharton kids as well. And this means you can either have a great GPA, good experience, or network well (I wouldn’t say you necessarily need all three). And again, this is only for OCR jobs, there are tons of finance positions out there that don’t recruit on campus. </p>
<p>As far as transferring to Wharton, they don’t care if you express interest or anything. The requirement is that you take Econ 001 and Econ 002 as well as Math 104. Then they decide who to take based purely on GPA, meaning you could theoretically take those 3 classes and then pad your GPA with the easiest classes at Penn (risky if you don’t end up transferring). And a 3.8 is difficult, but certainly not impossible if you work hard.</p>
<p>Thanks for the I’m assuming good news. I know for sure I will be attending Penn over either cornell or emory now.</p>
<p>Hmm…I got a 5 on Calc BC, which means I get Math 104 credit. I’ve also taken Calc2 and Calc3 at Georgia Tech if that counts for anything. and I’m taking Macroecon in May. Say I get a 5. that gives me Econ 002. </p>
<p>If I take Econ 001 and get an A, and then pad my schedule with the ABSOLUTE easiest joke classes imaginable (and get A’s), am I guaranteed into Wharton?</p>
<p>I mean you are guaranteed to get in if you get above a 3.8 (that has consistently been the approximate cutoff). However, since you haven’t taken any Penn classes yet, theres no guarantee that you will get As even in easy classes. Keep in mind that even if you got straight A-s that would leave you below the cutoff and one B would also bring you down a lot. </p>
<p>I would say that your best plan of action would be to take classes you would take normally first semester, and if you still want to transfer and have done well in classes (well enough so that you could pull off a 3.8), then maybe pad your schedule a little bit and try to transfer. I think it would be too risky and just not smart overall to go in planning to transfer because one bad exam and you put yourself in a tough position</p>
<p>Oh geeez. I totally forgot. In my high school, any A is a 4.0. Whether its 90-100. So an A- is what, 3.6?</p>
<p>Okay, so first semester take regular classes and try to do well. If I do very well, then pad my schedule second semester? Then hope to transfer…</p>
<p>So why would padding a schedule be bad (if I happened to not be able to transfer and stay in Econ)? Would it look bad to employers to see what courses I took?</p>