<p>In terms of business opportunities, recruitment, and overall student life, would it be worth applying early decision to Wharton and possibly forgoing every applying to HYP?</p>
<p>I definitely don't think I can automatically get into Wharton, but I'm conflicted about whether if I do get in, I would be limiting myself from possibly better choices. I don't want to have a little voice nagging me in the back of my head.</p>
<p>There are things like Yale's residential colleges that are really making this such a difficult decision. Is Wharton truly the definitive best place to get a business education for an undergraduate student, or is HYP really a lot better and worthy of applying to as well?</p>
<p>In the end, I know these are all top schools, but I'd like to hear from some graduates and possibly students at these schools on weighing the options. How did those in a similar situation make a decision.</p>
<p>it’s a matter of what kind of education you want. I was calling BS on most of the stuff my AP econ teacher tried to feed me. I really don’t care for broken models and what the market “should act like.” Finance, however, is much more reliable. If I analyze a company and uncover a fraudulent accounting practice, there are concrete consequences and rewards (for me :P). </p>
<p>For me, it was Wharton WAAAY over any econ program. However, for recruitment, Wharton is only a slight leg up over HYP (because of your experience with the subject matter primarily).</p>
<p>because economics is an art; it’s nothing concrete. You can’t analyze markets because the better we get at analyzing them, the more they shift to account for it. It’s an unscientific pursuit. Finance has infinitely more merit in that sound, thorough analysis is VERY rarely going to be wrong.</p>
<p>No, he was saying Wharton is more practical and exact than studies of econ at HYP or even the College at Penn. It’s a matter of preference. I’m sort of an in-between on that. I love the theory of Econ, but also had a strong affinity for business. I chose to answer your question because I had the same question when I was applying to schools. I had always been expected to probably go to one of HYPS, but I loved Penn’s academic philosophy and emphasis on interdisciplinary study. I loved Wharton’s preparation and breadth of offerings relating business into the wider Geo-political context that was not available as an undergrad at other top schools. So, I decided to go early at Wharton. </p>
<p>Wharton is going to give you a slight leg up on HYP students when it comes to recruitment and whatever. There’s not really a difference, but you will be more immediately prepared for work. If you feel like Wharton is for you, then by all means pursue it. You’re not missing anything you couldn’t get at HYP being a student at Penn/Wharton. So, if your academic interests match up and you enjoy the place shoot for Wharton by all means.</p>
<p>So Wharton will provide you a better overall undergraduate business education that can’t be found or matched at HYP’s econ programs? Anybody else been in this position before?</p>
<p>The second-guessing only gets worse after you’ve chosen where to attend. This is why you don’t apply ED somewhere unless it’s your clear first choice.</p>
<p>The undergraduate experience better at HYP? I don’t really think so. It totally depends on what you are looking to define your experience. Penn has a different atmosphere than HYP who in turn have different atmospheres from each other. What are you looking for? </p>
<p>And the campus thing is a matter of personal taste and it’s hard to discuss it out of context of the greater atmospheres associated with each school.</p>
<p>my friend who transferred from penn to harvard after our freshman year (so he spent 1 year at penn, 3 at harvard) said that he always thought penn’s social experience was better than harvard’s</p>
<p>Well, when I looked at schools and Harvard vs. Penn (because those were my top two choices), I felt Penn was more “normal” or rather less stereotypically Ivy. I felt the students were just really smart kids who wanted their college years to be about fun as well as academics. The students are very dedicated and motivated to succeed, because a lot of people have aspirations for business or medicine or law or grad school or whatever. But, despite this, the weekends bring out everyone’s other side. Partying, partying, partying. We go hard because we work hard. And we have the entire city as our playground, not just campus. Penn’s title as the social Ivy are worn by students like a badge of honor. I like that. Harvard students just didn’t seem to have as much fun. Nothing against the school, but from a social and academic standpoint Penn proved to be a better match.</p>
<p>Also, I’m sure many people talk about Penn as THE pre-professional school full of gunners. I’ll say this, the more you get around the university, the more you realize students run the entire spectrum from intensely academic/intellectual to intensely professional. This is just more an FYI</p>