Hi,
I was wondering if a dual degree in biology from the School of Arts and Sciences and a degree from Wharton is feasible.
If it is, what is the process in committing to a dual degree.
Thanks in advance
Lool up Penn LSM.
@collegepotential You have two options:
- The LSM program at Penn.
- An uncoordinated dual degree at Penn between CAS and Wharton.
Usually the process is as follows:
You would apply to Penn with LSM as your first choice and CAS or Wharton as your second choice. If you managed to get into LSM then you are done. If you do not get into LSM but you get into CAS or Wharton,then you can apply for an uncoordinated dual degree program at the end of your freshman or sophomore year at Penn.
The curriculum of the uncoordinated dual degree and LSM is essentially the same but I think you need to take more classes as an uncoordinated dual degree than LSM since LSM double counts some requirements between CAS and Wharton. The difference between LSM and uncoordinated is that LSM provides a lot of individualized guidance and mentoring in terms of academic and internship opportunities and also access to its really tight-knit alumni network in addition to the wider Penn alumni network. There is a special LSM office dedicated only to students in the LSM program. This is true for the rest of the coordinated dual degree programs at Penn. This is why the coordinated dual degree programs at Penn are extremely desirable and competitive (think Harvard, Stanford level).
http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/academics/interdisciplinary-programs/earn-more-than-one-degree
As a followup, could you do pre-med?
Wanted to mention also that a transfer in to LSM is possible and you apply spring freshman year. GPA needs to be moderately high though (~3.70 for Wharton Transfer/uncoordinated dual degree acceptance and ~3.85+ for LSM transfer). LSM is a fantastic program. You can do pre-med even as a Wharton single degree candidate and of course as a dual-degree candidate. Dual degree does however entail a significantly higher amount of coursework so you would certainly have to work a lot harder as a pre-med with a potential hit to the GPA (which is honestly a very important factor for med school admissions). Additionally, it doesn’t seem like med schools appreciate the dual degree background enough to give much leeway in evaluating the GPA for admissions. Bottom line is, only do the dual degree if you genuinely think you’ll benefit from the education and are willing to accept the fact that your GPA might suffer or at the very least you will have to work significantly harder (would estimate ~1.5x compared to single degree).
^ forgot about the option to transfer to LSM at the end of freshman year. It is insanely hard to do so though. They don’t take more than 1-2 people each yea and you need to have perfect/near perfect GPA (3.85/3.9+), which any science major freshman at Penn will tell you is not easy thing to do. For the uncoordinated dual degree/Wharton transfer the official cut-off is 3.4 and in general you have good chances with a ~ 3.6 or above.
@Penn95 gave a very good description of the options and what they entail.
Personally, I would strongly urge you to first give LSM a shot, before you go down the uncoordinated path. LSM, as mentioned in this thread already, gives you a lot of benefits you wouldn’t get with the uncoordinated line. However there is a forewarning: you should really only consider either IF you are GENUINELY interested in a double degree in both fields. ESPECIALLY for LSM, if you aren’t passionate about specifically the combination of life sciences and business, you would NOT enjoy your time there even if you end up getting in. For uncoordinated, albeit not encouraged, people sometimes get away with the “i just want a wharton degree” thinking.
Anyway, a dual is feasible but of course not easy. Whether Coordinated or Uncoordinated, it’s a lot of work, with some people (not everyone, depending on what intro classes you place out of, whether you make up classes in the summer, etc.) having to max out on courses/credits per semester. (And now you can see why without double counting, it’s slightly more challenging to fit everything in when you are doing uncoordinated). This is also why unless you really like both subject areas, it will suck having to put those extra hours learning things you are not super interested in.
I actually did not get into LSM initially when I applied as an entering freshman, but I was very fortunate to be able to transfer in after finishing my freshman year. The way it works is you have to go through a whole application process with interview, recs, essays, etc. as well as the 3.6+ GPA requirement. You ARE allowed to apply to both LSM transfer and uncoordinated dual degree at the same time. LSM notifies you earlier than Uncoordinated so if you get in you can withdraw your uncoordinated application if need be.
At the end of sophomore year, you also have another chance to apply for uncoordinated (even if you applied a year prior and didn’t get in). Note that applying for LSM is only for after freshman year.