<p>one of the biggest reasons that i came to penn was because of its interdisciplinary emphasis and acceptance into a program that seemed really interesting. </p>
<p>after recently reading some comments regarding how penn is just creating special programs up the wazoo to attract people and boost yield, i was wondering whether those of you in those programs (such as vagelos, huntsman, civic scholars, fisher, univ scholars, ben franklin scholars, nursing & health care management) actually find yourselves at an advantage over those not in special programs.</p>
<p>is there a significant difference, or is it all in the name?</p>
<p>I'm in both the vagelos life sciences and management program as well as ben franklin scholars, so I'll try to provide a bit of insight. It definitely depends on which program you're referring to, but I'll speak from my experience. </p>
<p>The biggest benefit of BFS is that you get preference in registration for honors seminars. I really enjoyed the one BFS class I took and I've heard similar sentiment from others. Though, it is possible to get into these seminars without being a scholar. You also have access to special advising and lectures as well as individual research opportunities. I personally haven't made use of these resources but that's only because I get most if not all of what I need from the LSM program. I personally find the BFS program to be a bit haphazard in terms of organization. There's minimal participation in the monthly social events, and a lot of people see it as simply adding additional course requirements. </p>
<p>On the other hand, being part of the first LSM class has been amazing. The biggest advantage has been academic advising. Most students in the college are assigned to academic advisors who aren't necessarily familiar with the educational track they're interested in. A number of my friends have never even met with their advisor. Wharton students aren't even assigned specific advisors. In any case, my advisor has been a huge support academically and even emotionally; most of the time I don't even need to schedule a meeting but just go down to his office. That kind of access to advising is definitely exclusive to the special programs. Other advantages of the LSM program: access to great internship opps, even as a freshman; LSM-only lectures by leaders in the world of science and business; free printing :-D; free food; an amazing, close-knit group of friends/classmates who share the same academic interests and similar career goals. </p>
<p>I guess it's hard to make the benefits of the program seem enticing... but my life at Penn would not have been the same socially or intellectually if I hadn't been a part of it. It's something you experience if you're willing to use the resources. There are definitely people who don't care for the program or don't see it the same way as I do, but like the rest of the Penn experience, it's what you make of it. I think all the joint or honors programs have great resources, you just need to actively reap the benefits.</p>
<p>on a side note: I think the argument that Penn is adding special programs for the purpose of increasing yield is total bs, but I guess that's a different issue.</p>
<p>Well you don't get two degrees in LSM. It's technically a "joint program", not a "joint degree program" like Huntsman, M&T, and Nursing & Health Care Management. You get a Bachelor's in one school and a concentration in the other. But it's not difficult to take a few more courses and get two degrees. Nonetheless, LSM students are still considered students of both the College and Wharton with full access to their resources and opportunities. It probably helps with recruiting as well. I would think that a company looking for interns or employees in something like biotech or pharma management would look first to LSM students (or whichever program you're in). Of course anyone in the College, SEAS, or Wharton could potentially get a dual degree, but saying you're part of a specific (and selective!) program makes you that much more attractive as a candidate.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, Wharton students ARE assigned to an advisor over the summer, we just don't mandate that you only see that advisor. We feel this gives you the benefit of 1) having someone you know you can go to and 2) giving you the flexibility to see whomever you want to. </p>
<p>A lot of Wharton students seem to have misperceptions about advising though. Since all four schools do things differently I guess that's not too surprising.</p>
<p>theoneo: correct, but Pommy was referring to M&T I think.</p>
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Just to clarify, Wharton students ARE assigned to an advisor over the summer, we just don't mandate that you only see that advisor. We feel this gives you the benefit of 1) having someone you know you can go to and 2) giving you the flexibility to see whomever you want to.
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</p>
<p>Wow, I didn't know that. I've never heard mention of anyone in Wharton seeing an advisor they were assigned to. Very good to know :)</p>
<p>DMD - Digital Media Design. It's a combination of computer science and fine arts. Looks like an outstanding program to me - the DMD kids in my cs classes all see to do well, and can draw well, to boot.</p>