Penn Wharton or Princeton

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Hey guys/girls,
I got into Penn (Wharton), Princeton, Dartmouth, and Vandy (Scholarship) the other day, but I think I'm definitely choosing either Penn or Princeton. I'm not sure if I really want to do business or not at Wharton, but if not I figure I'll just transfer to the CAS. I have absolutely no clue which one to choose.
I really want a school that has the top academic resources and can provide me with the best post-graduate opportunities, but at the same time I want to really be able to have a good time in college and meet a lot of unique people that I can have fond memories of and stay in contact with for the rest of my life.
I feel like I'm letting down my family and my peers sometimes if I don't go to Princeton, but all I keep hearing is how terrible the social scene is at Princeton. In that aspect Penn seems like a much better fit for me even though Princeton supposedly has like the best academics in the country...</p>

<p>I'm usually pretty outgoing and lively, but at the same time, and more importantly, I am always very thoughtful and down-to-earth. I'm intellectual but also very unselfish. I'm not a big fan of any form of pretentiousness (which unfortunately seems all to prevalent in the ivy league). I know I'm speaking in abstractions here, but maybe this can help you get a view on who I am. </p>

<p>Please give me any advice possible on my decision!</p>

2

<p>It seems like you like Penn more. Follow your heart. You will succeed where you are happiest. The caliber of Wharton and Princeton students intellectually is identical. </p>

<p>I discussed this topic in detail here:</p>

<p>The thread is supposed to be about Huntsman VS Princeton, but it is mostly just about Wharton VS Princeton. </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/princeton-university/896715-huntsman-vs-princeton.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/princeton-university/896715-huntsman-vs-princeton.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>For what it’s worth, the pretentiousness factor at Penn is slightly lower than at Princeton, though indubitably greater than at a lot of other schools. Also, at Penn you have the city to spread out into and explore if the campus scene is feeling too stifling. There’s certainly no shortage of great things to do on the weekends between the Philadelphia Orchestra, indie film scene, clubs, restaurants, &c. &c. &c.</p>

<p>Do let us know what you choose!</p>

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<p>I’m basically copying and pasting this from a comment I wrote to a similar post, but the same holds true for you:</p>

<p>Last April I chose between Penn (CAS) and Princeton (among other schools). Ultimately, given my area of interest, I knew Penn would offer me more opportunities, and it has- I’m beginning my M.A. next fall, as a sophomore. (This hasn’t disappointed my family and peers, but made them exceedingly proud). </p>

<p>We have top academics without grade deflation. This is a major research-oriented university, so we put our knowledge to good use. </p>

<p>The atmospheres of Penn and Princeton also factored into my decision: Penn is a very friendly, welcoming place, where we enjoy both a tight knit community and the resources of the city. And although all students work hard, Penn is a blast. </p>

<p>If as you prepare to embark on your college career, you are hoping to make these next years the best ones of years of your life, I can guarantee you that Penn will not disappoint you.</p>

<p>I hope this has helped.</p>

<p>Best of luck with the rest of your senior year!</p>

5

<p>Seem you already made the decision and are looking for reinforcement. Here’s one:</p>

<p>Princeton hurts post-grad chances by demolishing your GPA. Wharton is so unique of an educational facility that any field’s grad schools will be more than happy to take you (that includes Medicine and Law as well as the classic MBA)</p>

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<p>The implication is obvious – do you have any support for it at all, or is this a totally subjective decision? What led you to these conceptions? Given the strength of the claim, as a responsible poster you are obligated to back it up.</p>

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<p>Data please. Last I heard, the med acceptance rate has gone UP since grade deflation started – check threads in the Princeton subforum for verification and published data.</p>

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<p>Personally I think Princeton sounds like a much better fit. There isn’t a job Wharton will get you that Princeton won’t and Wharton is IMO sounds exactly like what you don’t want. Ive spent a lot of time at both Princeton and Penn, and my experience was that Princeton is actually much less pre-professional and much more laid back. The Princeton social scene is actually very solid and I think you will appreciate the more intellectual nature of the place (vs Wharton which is very pre-professional). Princeton is a great community, alums come back to reunions at the highest rate of the Ivies (alongside Dartmouth). I know this is the Penn board so I don’t want to be too negative, but I will just say the very people you seem to want to avoid are pretty much the Wharton student body. I think you’ll appreciate the diversity of Princeton much more.</p>

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<p>a visit to both campuses, if you haven’t done that already, may tip the balance firmly in favor of one or the other</p>

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<p>I don’t understand this distinction between being “intellectual” and “pre-professional.” Does the fact that I’m in medical school and therefore was premed in college mean that I’m not an “intellectual”? Doctors and lawyers (well, maybe except the ones who advertise on television…) are, to my mind, some of the most intellectually weighty people I’ve met. In fact, it’s precisely because of their love of learning that they are able succeed in the first place. Just because pre-med students may in some cases prefer taking science courses to literature courses does not mean that they are not intellectually worthy. Moreover, pre-med students are required to take at least two semesters of English to apply to medical school in the first place, and most take far more non-science classes than that. Heck, at Penn it’s required in order to graduate! Likewise, I wouldn’t say that engineering students were intellectually challenged either. So, are we bandying about the label “intellectual” as a sort of euphemism for some sort of “principled” refusal to consider one’s future goals while in college?</p>

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<p>Yes, pennalum, they are and it is a strawman…especially since Princeton sends the same proportion of students into banks as Penn.</p>

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<p>Baelor, your sense of humor is kinda bad. </p>

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this is an opinion forum, not a law review article.</p>

<p>

!=

your proxy failed. </p>

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Forget Penn; compare Wharton to Princeton.
Why banking only? Financial services includes consulting and PE last time I checked. How many Princeton kids with their pathetic certificates in finance go strait into private equity?</p>

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<p>@ OP, as a fellow intellectual I have to tell you that your experience at any university is entirely dependent on you. If you like intellectualism, then you’ll seek out those who are like minded at the institution you end up at and they abound at either place. </p>

<p>Its hard to assess fit without even knowing what they OP plans on doing after graduation so I’m curious how everyone is drawing these conclusions.</p>

<p>Recruiting wise Wharton edges out Princeton. The difference isn’t huge but it is there. As for disappointing your family, etc. Keep in mind the audience you want to please. First, you should go where you would be happy at. If you don’t suit the school, it doesn’t matter how prestigious it is, you just won’t get much out of it. Secondly, even if we consider prestige, you need to remember who you need to impress. Recruiters find Wharton more prestigious than Princeton in the fields that they actually compete in (I admit Princeton overall has better academics than Penn). Wharton isn’t as well known to wider audiences because of its specific focus but it is king on Wall Street. Decide on your goals and plan accordingly from there.</p>

<p>Just keep in mind that it’s you and not the school that defines most of your college experience.</p>

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<p>Guys if it helps you at all, I’m not that interested in finance. If I were to go to Wharton I’d concentrate in Marketing & Communications (where I’d be somewhat preprofessional–Ideally working in this field for a big firm or a Fortune 500 company after college). If that didn’t work out, depending on how much I might like finance and all the I-bank stuff on Wall Street, I might just switch to the CAS. I’m just as interested in Psychology/Philosophy/Sociology as Marketing but I figure Wharton is an extremely unique institution that I’d get to learn alot and then find a job right after college.</p>

<p>At Princeton I could learn more about those other things mentioned above sinceI’m not sure what I want to do yet professionally…</p>

<p>Basically I’m deciding between the school spirit and social scene of Penn against the intellectual stimulation and all around education (and obviously reputation) of Princeton. There is little doubt in my mind that Princeton will provide me with a better education (though maybe not as good for my professional aspirations, I dont know). I’m trying to figure out which one has the better composite between campus environment/student life and my learning experience. </p>

<p>My real questions truly involve the social life at Princeton, the harshness of thecompetition at each school, today’s quality of a Princeton education vs. its true reputation, and what you guys might recommend…</p>

<p>Pennalum- intellectual in this sense means dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. In a sense that you are learning for the sake of learning. Preprofessional usually implies a linear sense of time where things are extremely goal oriented.
I’ve heard mixed reviews about the competitiveness of Wharton but then on the other hand I still get to take half my classes in the CAS. But at the same time, I hear Princeton is getting pretty harsh with respect to competitiveness with all the grade deflation stuff. </p>

<p>If it helps you guys at all with what I’m thinking about my collegiate experiendce, Stanford had everyone definitively beat but I got rejected there EA. Funny that a kid gets into Princeton and Wharton (I also would be a Benjamin Franklin Scholar if I went there), but then flat out rejected at Stanford.</p>

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<p>Ultimately, that’s not an objective measure – it’s something that you need to discover and determine for yourself.</p>

<p>I would say Penn is very competitive, after talking to students (and Wharton ones) who are friends. Princeton is different – people take academics very seriously, but it is not competitive. It’s an individual competition (i.e., internal). </p>

<p>Both have very active social scenes.</p>

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<p>I take exception to the idea that you have that Penn is just some party school that would readily trade off learning for money and fun. I’ve been to various eating club parties at Princeton and, really, the only difference between those and frat parties is in name. Drunken college students are, well, drunken college students, no matter where you go. The only thing is, in Princeton, if you’re not into that scene, there aren’t many other options on a Saturday night unless you want to go to New York (~3h and $20 round trip) or look in the jewelry store windows on Palmer Square. </p>

<p>And, ironically if this was your belief, Princeton in fact has far more school spirit than Penn (and, for that matter, pretty much more than all of the Ivies and beyond). There’s no other explanation for why 95-year-olds put on black-and-orange blazers and twirl down Nassau Street every year for their whole lives.</p>

<p>One more question I have is, what is the point of learning just for the sake of learning? That implies that you don’t have much use for the knowledge itself, but just rather some kind of addiction to the act obtaining it in the first place. I’d say going into something with the idea that it is an inherently profane intent to actually put to use in the real world what you learn is not actually a particularly “intellectual” way of thinking. College is a tremendous investment not only of money but also of four years of your life. Why not make it count as well as enjoying it? I’d say learning a lot + fulfilling career > four diffuse and/or directionless but super fun years.</p>

<p>(And I’ll be interested to see how much of that competition is externalized as the Princeton grade caps start kicking in. The students interviewed about it in The New York Times certainly didn’t take a laid back attitude about it.)</p>

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<p>No, but that doesn’t mean that some standard of justification is unnecessary.</p>

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<p>It didn’t fail. My one data point is better than your nothing. If you want to top me, go ahead. I just want data. I don’t care whether or not is reflects well on Princeton (or any other school). So give it to me, or accept the limited data that I have. Your choice.</p>

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<p>Wrong. I have friends who are busy with activities, plays, musicals, free movies at the local movie theater, etc. every single weekend. They don’t even have time to go out to the Street.</p>

<p>Leave the negative viewpoints to those who are justified in holding them. ;)</p>

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<p>As a current Princeton student who has visited UPenn numerous times, I would like to comment honest and unequivocally on this situation. The social life at Penn far exceeds that at Princeton. Baelor, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but admit it, Nassau St. pales in comparison to Philadelphia. </p>

<p>Please be aware, Princeton students like to hype up the social scene of the school. The truth is, Princeton is a self-contained bubble, besides the occasional venture out to Nassau St., which is a quiet little village with not-so-great food. Philly, on the other hand, has a wide selection of restaurants, weekend ventures, and clubs that far exceeds the social scene at Princeton. Also, the “Street” that Princeton students talk so highly about is nothing more than a few awkward social eating clubs where on a good night you would see 30-40 people at a particular club. It’s boring, mundane, and nothing to do other than to intoxicate yourself with alcohol. Not to mention the girls here are terrible. </p>

<p>As for outings to New York, that happens like once a month. The ticket costs roughly $22, but also it takes on average 1 hr 15 minutes, unlike the “30-45 minutes” to NYC that Princeton students like to claim. Check on njtransit.com for yourself.</p>

<p>Also, yes, you will get destroyed by grade deflation here. It’s tough here, I will not for a second lie to you. You will have to work your ass off just for a B+. But given that, Princeton’s faculty is out of this world. I’d say intellectually, it has the highest density of academic superstars of any other place. Within a small 5 mile radius of the campus (I’m guessing here, but Princeton is pretty small) you’ll meet the smartest people on his planet. Think John Conway, Andrew Wiles, Nash, blah blah blah…it’s infinite.</p>

<p>So yeah, make your decision wisely. I’d say Princeton is perfect if you’re an ultra genius who really has a passion for academics and all you’d want to do is nerd out all day, but if you want good job opportunities, good social life, and a challenging but definitely manageable academics, go to Wharton.</p>

<p>-Princeton U. Student Class of 2010</p>

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<p>I just posted this in the Wharton VS Princeton thread on the Princeton board:</p>

<p>If you want to get the best jobs possible, go to Wharton. Coming out of Princeton, you will almost certainly be able to get a BB IB, S&T, but more so MBB (consulting) jobs if you have a high GPA and show some basic knowledge of the industry. Obviously, you get all of that at Wharton too, and Wharton places a hell of a lot more kids than Princeton does into those jobs. Going to Wharton also gives you in-depth knowledge about these different career paths, (far more than you could learn over a summer internship) so you will know exactly what you are getting into. Wharton MBA students who have already gone through the process can also be useful guides and chaperones for you. </p>

<p>However, the cream of the crop at Wharton have options that Princeton kids don’t, thanks to their in-depth business knowledge. That includes Private Equity (the pay is almost twice that of the jobs mentioned above and is a lot more interesting. Half, or more than half of most firms PE jobs will go to Whartonites - some Princetonians do get in right out of undergrad but it is not nearly as common as at Wharton since Whartonites have a much better finance background), VC (which some Princeton kids do get into, it is just rare), and Hedge Funds (which Princeton places fewer kids into). Some firms recruit exclusively at Wharton - like Silver Lake. If you want to have the widest possible set of jobs in the financial industry open to you, go to Wharton. If you want to have the widest set of jobs in all industries open to you, go to Wharton, but double major and get a liberal arts degree from Penn’s college. </p>

<p>The rankings on the street of so-called “target schools” are:</p>

<p>Wharton and Harvard at the top rung, and then the rest of HYPSM follows. </p>

<p>If these schools are so close in your mind, why not just go to the school that has an alumni network in finance that is probably 5 times the size? We have already established that you can get a superb liberal arts education at both institutions. We have also established that, for your chosen career path, Wharton outstrips Princeton (especially if you count getting a PE, Venture Capital, or a hedge fund gig). Both schools provide for amazing undergraduate experiences. We have also established that going to Wharton means that you do not have to get an MBA, whereas the necessity of one at Princeton is far far more likely, if not almost always necessary. </p>

<p>But Wharton has one advantage that Princeton does not, the largest network on Wall Street. Only Harvard’s rivals Wharton for power. Ask anyone in the industry, they will tell you that networking is perhaps the most important thing when looking for a job. Wharton helps you there far more than Princeton does since it has a vast alumni base (that Princeton’s is not anywhere near as large - they have no MBA program), that, in turn, provides for better job security since even in London or Hong Kong, there will be plenty of Wharton alums to help you out. </p>

<p>But you are choosing from two of the best schools on earth. Revisit both, talk to some professors at both Princeton and Wharton if possible. There will be a lot of Wharton kids that turned down Princeton for Wharton, approach one and ask them why they did that. Do the same at Princeton. Ask both sets of kids what the career options are at both schools. You really cannot go wrong. Two of my cousins went to Yale, both loved it. Another went to Penn, he loved it as well. All would agree that you are in a superb position. Congratulations and good luck. I hope I get to see you on campus!</p>

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<p>Fermat, it seems you have some pent-up anger. I don’t understand, and I apologize if I’m wrong.</p>

<p>But what you’re presenting about the social scene is just completely false. I got out frequently, but other nights I talk with my friends in my room. We play video games. I see a play, a concert, etc. A movie.</p>

<p>It’s all there. What you’re describing is a false binary – either there is the Street (which certainly has its shortcomings), or you must go off campus, either to sleepy Princeton or far-off New York. That’s simply not true. Furthermore, your image of the Street is just wrong – Tower on Saturday night has a dance floor with probably 75+ people on an average night, and definitely over 100 on a semi-regular basis. That’s just one room of the club, too. </p>

<p>I also hate cities in general. Again, it’s a fit issue. I want a very self-contained campus, in which case Princeton is a more appropriate choice than Penn, Harvard, etc. I don’t want to go out to eat often, if ever. That has zero appeal to me.</p>

<p>Again, it’s a fit issue. What are you looking for?</p>

20

<p>Actually, certain schools and departments at Penn also could be said to deflate the grades. The Wharton and SEAS classes, I understand, are graded on a curve as well, similar to the pre-med classes, in which 15% of the class (~+1 SD from the mean) earns an A and the average is C+ or B-, depending on the prof and the overall class averages. As a matter of fact, there was an editorial in The Daily Pennsylvanian last week suggesting that this grading practice is hurting Penn students’ acceptance rates to medical school by shooting down their GPAs relative to students from other schools that may have more lax grading policies. Actually, it seems that the only students who aren’t graded on a curve are the nurses and the non-science CAS students. (And then there’s MGMT 100, which from my recollections of what my friends said is particularly brutally graded!)</p>