Right fit school?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to decide where to apply to ED, and I’m interested in the Fisher M and T program followed by Wharton. I have a couple of questions:

  1. Do I need a strong science background for M and T? I go to a well known prep school and have a very strong math background (AIME, Calc BC 5, SAT Math II 800, etc.), but because of the way I chose my courses, I haven't taken many science courses, especially ones that are math heavy. If I get into M and T, I'd choose comp sci as my "engineering" major (and even for that, I've only taken one CS course, which was only an intro and not AP). On the flip side, I've taken extensive courses in economics and finance, and have business experience.

I did see an individualized option for the engineering major- what does that mean?

  1. I heard Penn students are very career oriented, so will I still be able to have those deep, intellectual, and theoretical conversations that happen elsewhere (or at least advertised elsewhere)?
  2. As an add on, I'm a more introverted person. I don't do well in crowds, but can be pretty outgoing with small groups. I'm not shy, but I don't plan on going to parties and clubbing; instead I'd prefer to hang out with my core group of friends and do something fun. Will it be easy to meet people like me, given the size of Penn? Is there a sizable group of introverts at Penn?
  3. Are there resources and support for starting your own company at Wharton?

Thanks in advance!

2

@abcd42 I ll try to answer your questions in order.

  1. For M&T you need a strong math and/or science background. Since you have a strong math background you will be fine. No one expects you to be an expert in CS before entering college.

The individualized option means you can build your own major according to your interests.

  1. Penn has a very strong preprofessional element, but it also has many outlets for the intellectually oriented students. For example: http://www.philomathean.org/about/
  2. You don't have to party or go crazy at Penn. Many people do not. Penn's social life is mainly organized through student clubs and organizations. Secs are a huge part of the Penn experience both in providing students with practical experience in their fields of interest and providing smaller communities with the larger Penn community. For example this is the CS student organization: http://dp.seas.upenn.edu

Also the M&T program is a small and very tight-knit community that is there from day one of your Penn experience.

  1. Yes there are many resources at Penn for aspiring entrepreneurs.

https://entrepreneurship.wharton.upenn.edu
https://www.pennovation.upenn.edu/pennovation-center
http://www.thedp.com/article/2015/04/penn-innovation-resources-go-beyond-pennovation-center
http://weisstech.upenn.edu