<p>This is not a student who will have a 3.0. The transfers are cherry picked in the extreme.</p>
<p>Call me crazy, but I honestly can’t get my hands around using where you may be slightly happier for 2 years as a key factor. You have a lifetime of work ahead of you, what name you want on your resume for the next 60 years in a global economy would dominate my decision.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>First of all, I got the impression it would be three years, not two. Secondly, this kind of thinking seems very misguided to me, constantly being concerned about nebulous appearence at the expense of actually enjoying life and focusing on what truly makes you happy. </p>
<p>Weren’t you the one on past threads saying that if you had to do it over that would have gone to Dartmouth or Williams over Wharton? This seems to me to be a potentially analogous situation here. The name on your resume matters very little after your first job but preoccupation with it makes for a very narrow-minded person and pursuing what you think others want to see is a sure-fire way to not maximize personal happiness. Ultimately, success is going to be determined by you; not the name of the school on your resume.</p>
<p>^Everything gellino says, I agree with. </p>
<p>hmom5, this doesn’t make you crazy; it makes you pathetic:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
I agree with you completely. Unfortunately people like hmom5 won’t see it this way.</p>
<p>I’ll indeed never see it that way. The quality of life difference between UVA and Penn has got to be minimal. I’d make the investment for the better degree any time. </p>
<p>In my case, a Dartmouth or Williams degree would have also served my purpose, in this one a UVA degree will not be equal.</p>
<p>Simple short sightedness, but I must remind myself I’m talking to people who are still in school and have not learned life’s lessons yet.</p>
<p>As someone who’s worked in investment banking / consulting, I can safely say that Wharton is better represented at the firms I’ve worked at. Wharton will give you access to more people who are on the business track, so they attract speakers, business people, CEOs to come. It’s the access to resources and information that gives Penn the edge. UVA does well but not to the same extent.</p>
<p>To qualify, I can also say that this does not necessarily mean UVA students are less prepared or not qualified. It is more about the effort, work ethic, and sheer brilliance of the individual recruiters are looking for. Honestly, recruiters want someone who not only is smart and knows his stuff, but is also resourceful and will put in the hard work. There are people at both schools who work hard, and others that simply don’t. So a lot of the hard work will come from you and NOT the school.</p>
<p>At Wharton you may have to work harder to stand out because students have already developed relationships with each other, joined organizations for networking purposes, worked from day one on building resumes, etc. It thus may be hard to “break into” the social circles that they already have. I have friends from Wharton who complain endlessly about how difficult it is to even be interviewed at top firms due to the competitive nature of the school - kids really are dead set on what they want and work like dogs to achieve their ends. I am sure though that if you work hard you will have opportunities.</p>
<p>In the long term, it can be a coin toss. You can be a big fish at UVA - there’s no guarantee that you’ll be top at Wharton. Down the road, I think your opportunities will probably be similar, so I would just go where it makes sense the most for you and your family. If money’s not an issue you are really in a good position. I would echo some of what’s been said and focus on the personal factors - are you happy at UVA? Can you grow and develop yourself personally over the next two years at UVA? Or do you crave the challenge and are willing to walk away from a place where you’re already established? </p>
<p>Ultimately, there is no wrong choice here.</p>
<p>
You’re 0 for 4 with the last 4 people that posted not including yourself. Try again.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>To me, at least, the quality of life factor at UVA vs Penn would be a big difference but that almost is besides the point. If you can’t see striving for happiness as a key factor in life, then your opinions are somewhat narrow-minded and potentially unhelpful to many on this board.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>From my perspective, the comparison would be similar. More laid back atmosphere, bucolic wonderland, still a solid chance of getting a good job.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I have been out of school for a decade and each year out have come to realize that what college you attended becomes less and less important to your success. I would have thought that someone who is 50+ would come to the same conclusion; even moreso. We’re not talking the avg Wharton student vs the avg UVA student here, we’re talking the SAME student coming from either school. Maybe, happiness for you is trying to impress strangers by telling them what college you attended 35 years ago but it seems some others here have what I would consider grander aspirations.</p>
<p>The OP wants a job in ibanking which is why he posted on this board. Perhaps you need to be a member of the Wharton club to understand it’s life long benefits in this and other fields.</p>
<p>disagreeing with out resident pharmacy student and an arrogant would be intern? No!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>And your posts wouldn’t make one conclude that you’re a pompous and arrogant old lady?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Once you’re already at a level of school of UVA and firms are recruiting on campus, getting a job in IB is going to be more determined by the individual than the school. If this wasn’t the case, the interviews wouldn’t be so intensive. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You would think that someone from Wharton would have ingrained in their head the difference between “it’s” and “its”. Perhaps, if you went to Dartmouth or Williams, you would.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Perhaps if YOU went to Dartmouth or Williams, you’d know that you would have to replace “their” with his/her, because “someone” is singular.</p>
<p>OP, go to Wharton. While it may be true that you may find it a little difficult initially to adapt to a new environment, you will eventually adjust. Getting admitted to Wharton as a transfer is quite a feat, and I’m sure you’d do well there academically. </p>
<p>As far as recruiting goes, Wharton trumps UVA. While a few BBs and elite boutiques may recruit at UVA, there are a number of other elite hedge funds/prop shops that DON’T recruit at UVA, such as Citadel, Jane Street, D.E. Shaw etc. I’m not sure what your career goals are, but the access you’ll have in Wharton trumps any marginal benefit you might have at UVA socially.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This should be enough of a reason for you to go to Penn</p>
<p>For all those jumping on the quality of life issues of Penn/UVA, consider this – while UVA affords an undergraduate a very fun/social environment while in college, 75% of its graduates are from instate, and a huge % will stay in state. A huge % of Penn graduates will move to NYC. So, compare a good ol’time in 4 yrs of undergrad, vs. a lifetime of close-knit people that went to college with you, being all around you and giving you a ready made social life in a strange city (I assume you are not from NYC, otherwise you wouldnt be so concerned about breaking into IB). The only other alumni group that is closer to each other in NYC than Penn, are the people from Duke, followed by Dartmouth.</p>
<p>I cannot believe that nobody has mentioned UVA’s McIntire School recently earning the #1 ranking in the latest Businessweek Undergraduate Business School rankings. Granted, rankings do not paint the full picture, but if the OP is happy at UVA, there is no doubt that he/she should stay.</p>
<p>I am a Virginia alum, and recently got promoted to Associate at an investment bank in NYC. Wall Street is certainly flooded with Wharton grads, but UVA is equally as represented from what I have seen. Side note: I originally started at a boutique M&A shop that only recruited on three campuses: UVA, Wharton, and Harvard.</p>
<p>To say that Wharton is definitely better than McIntire is a stretch. Some may believe that it is, while others may not. The same banks will recruit at both schools, and if you are a good enough candidate, you will get the job that you want from either university.</p>
<p>I should also note that the McIntire School just moved into a brand new facility on the lawn in the last year or two. It is truly second to none. </p>
<p>Lastly, to respond to mhmm, the UVA alumni base in New York is EXTREMELY stong. We are in residence at the Yale Club near Grand Central, and there are events going on every week. UVA fans get together to watch football games together, and the club even organizes a trip to Foxfield every year. When I’m wearing a UVA shirt or hat around the city, most of the time I get a “Go Hoos” from a random pedestrian. Most UVA alums are what I would consider “UVA for life,” and have a deep passion for the school.</p>
<p>In short, I have a ton of pride in my school. I think Wharton is great, but in the grand scheme of things, a UVA (especially McIntire) degree is just as prestigious.</p>
<p>The Business Week rankings hurt Wharton because the students don’t fill out the survey. Granted, most aren’t too happy with Wharton as a place of undergraduate learning, almost all are there simply because of the name “Wharton”.</p>
<p>Wharton will be better abroad for name recognition if you want to work abroad. If not, UVA will be perfectly fine. Sure, a few places won’t recruit you straight out of undergrad, but I’m sure you’ll survive somehow. You’ll get a pretty good job elsewhere and life will move on. At that point its more about how well you do at your job than where you are working.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>From my standpoint, I believe it because what the BW rankings say (in one particular year, no less) should have no bearing on the OP trying to make this decision.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>To me, uprooting your entire life for access to a few firms that the OP may have no interest in or not a good enough candidate to attain entrance into anyway seems very questionable and narrow-minded. Running your life by your chances to work at one of six firms seems misguided to me.</p>
<p>
I just wanted to highlight this because, unfortunately, many students do indeed sell their souls for their acceptances to Wharton. The dynamics between Wharton students, and especially between Wharton students and non-Wharton students, is frankly very embarrassing. But if you care about banking so much then it might be the place for you. So if you’re in college for the job, go to Wharton. I definitely know that UVA is way up there, but to be surrounded by that many students and go through the recruiting process with all of them (among other things) really makes it worth it, I think. But that’s only if you’re in college just for the job afterward. If you’re in college for the overall experience, stay at UVA. Hands down.</p>
<p>It seems that you have too many choices. You wouldn’t be asking if you had only one choice or no choice at all.</p>
<p>Just drop out:)</p>
<p>You guys get me depressed, this brings up the topic that I always think about: Be happy with your life and have fun or Work Hard, study hard, and be safe for the future.</p>
<p>That’s what I get out of this, but seriously dude do whatever your gut tells you.</p>