<p>I have been contemplating this for a long time and I realized who would know the answer better than fellow CC'ers! Therefore, I'm wondering how you think majoring between the premed course and the economics course (I'm playing on doing dual degree after a year and applying to wharton) would be in the future job wise. Would pursuing a job such as a specialized surgeon be better than pursuing one as risky as economics working somewhere investment banking or vice versa?</p>
<p>Well… Are you talking about your studies at Penn or a future career? They’re definitely different questions, lol. You could always major in econ while fulfilling premed requirements and apply to medical school…</p>
<p>For the future job wise! But I was just wondering if there is a chance that I graduate from Wall Street as a top student, but still fail to find a job anywhere.</p>
<p>i think it’s very unlikely if you work hard that you will fail to find a job. all of the penn undergrads I talked to have said that EVERYONE who tried in college ended up finding a job (from CAS and wharton). Just do what you think will make you happy. If you think the fast paced life of business will suit you, go for it. If you want to dedicate your life to helping others, maybe you should become a surgeon. (note that both of these career paths are infinitely harder than what I made them out to be)</p>
<p>My son is contemplating the same thing. Anyone at the college can take 4 courses at Wharton I’m told. He is thinking of doing dual degree of BA in Biology from CAS & BS in economics from Wharton.I think you can apply for this in Spring of freshman year?</p>
<p>It sounds like your son’s interests align with the Vagelos LSM program. Students get a Biology related degree from the college and a degree from Wharton with the concentrations of their choice. The sole issue that I’ve heard about from those in the program is that you cannot do only buisness/finance or science related summer internships, you are required to spend at least one summer doing each.</p>
<p>^ Thanks for the input.I forgot to note that he’s been accepted to Class of 2017 CAS.I think he’s gonna feel his way first semester & decide whether he sticks with biology/pre med track or applies for the dual degree. He will of course have to do very well GPA wise to be competitive,if he applies.</p>
<p>I have to say it is much more worth your while to major in Econ at Penn than to do pre-med. Penn supports Econ majors by providing them with ample networking so that getting a job is easier. Furthermore, Econ at Penn is quite well taught and popular. </p>
<p>If you want to pursue pre-med on the other hand, I only recommend you do so at Penn if you consider yourself very, very strong in the sciences. Pre-med at Penn is particularly difficult because you will be competing against immensely intelligent students, against a curve. One of the main reasons why Penn’s medical school acceptance rates is so high is because they aggressively weed out weaker applicants in the intro classes. </p>
<p>Pre-med classes were poorly rated because they are so cutthroat. </p>
<p>Med schools do not care about the college you went to very much. They primarily focus on your G.P.A. It is much easier to get a good G.P.A. and do relevant extracurriculars if you go to a less-challenging college. </p>
<p>That said, if you do choose Penn, clinical research and volunteer opportunities are very abundant.</p>
<p>It looks like my son will probably find out just how cut throat it is. I still believe that being a Bio major has to give you a leg up on MCAT’s/ Med school.I’m not worried about him handling the work. He was admitted ED as an unhooked white male who needed big time fin aid.</p>
<p>^How does he do on standardized tests? I assume very well. The med school admission process is not much different than what you just went through. Yay.</p>
<p>GPA, MCAT score, ECs, leadership, research, internships, etc are all looked at. Not all med schools are as elite or competitive as others so there is a range just like with colleges. Also, I recommend no matter what he does undergrad that if he has the time to take biochem, anatomy, physiology and any courses on disease like pathology. He needs bio, organic chem, physics and calc to do well on the MCAT but the other courses will make the first year or two much easier. He may want to skip those but when he gets there and half the kids already know that stuff, he will find himself working twice as hard to keep up with his peers. Seriously, been there, done that.</p>
<p>^ He got 2240 on SAT, AP Bio(5),APUSH(5), APEng(5). This year taking AP Stats,Calc,Physics,Eng Lit,& Govt.Thanks for the tips I’ll pass it on to him.</p>
<p>rebel, OTOH, if your son does well in pre-med at Penn, a lot of doors can open up for him like full ride medical school tuition.
My niece graduated from Penn, bio major and was offered full rides tuition at 4 medical schools including Penn. She did not try to take short cuts like taking Ochem at less competitive state schools during the summer(was advised against it from her pre-med advisor). You hear about medical schools admissions are all about grades and the quality of the college being unimportant but her path indicates otherwise.</p>
<p>She was elected Phi Beta Kappa jr year, Rhodes Scholar finalist, captain of track team. She was admitted to all the top schools and she chose Harvard. She’s the type who, when told of the competition from being a pre-med at an Ivy, will say “Bring it on!!”</p>
<p>Thanks cbreeze, My boy isn’t the smartest kid on the planet but he’s among the hardest working. Perfect UW 4.0 with the same “bring it on mentality”.I just like to help him try to make the best informed decisions. Doing our homework has paid off so far. My daughter’s process is next. She’s been invited by Kelly Writers to come to campus next week and sit in on a class. They are very helpful folks.</p>
<p>People often think that getting into medical school is the be all end all of their career, but in reality it is only the beginning. It won’t get any easier down the road so you might as well go to the place that gives you the most opportunities to educate yourself so you can make the most out of your career. Penn provides a lot of great opportunities for that.</p>