<p>Well one thing I think people don’t go into on this forum is that Wharton isn’t for everyone. Yes it is a fantastic business school, but it doesn’t have what everyone wants. I know people who love Wharton and I know other people (a minority I think) who in retrospect probably shouldn’t have chose Wharton.
Another interesting point that one person told me is that you could in fact, “totally nerd out at Wharton”, but you have to seek that experience out.
In regards to the intellectual vibe, it is definitely there. I have found at Penn that having pre-professional aspirations does not necessarily mean that someone can’t be an intellectual. Some of the most interesting conversations about politics, literature, and even science have been with Wharton students who are interested in those topics as well. That being said, I have read articles about Yale and Dartmouth complaining about the obsession with going into finance and how this has detracted from the intellectual environment. I think this is a dilemma all top schools face, but with Wharton it may be a bit more obvious here. An interesting fact, most of my close friends from class are interested in getting phDs (in the sciences). But that’s also just who I choose to hang out with.</p>
<p>And if you are wondering Hafsarox, yes I have had bad experiences at Penn that were very hard to deal with at the time. Stuff that could have made me hate the school. But I didn’t let those experiences take away from the positives, like the great mentors I have found, my friends, and research experience that I am passionate about.</p>