<p>Hi!</p>
<p>I got in Wharton as a soph transfer from a small less-unknown, liberal arts college around the Philly area. I have been having a hard time making the final decision of whether to choose Wharton or to stay at my current college and I really need your help with that. I have always been into maths, econ, development, public policy etc. However, I attended a business high school so I am pretty good at business/accounting/finance. I don't want to pursue business as a career but I want to go in civil/foreign service. I want to go to grad school for an economics-related field like economic development, applied econ or financial econ though I am not sure which one exactly. Based on this, what do you think is a better option for me: a LA education or a business education like Wharton which has a liberal arts touch to itself too? Another concern of mine is proximity to faculty. At my current college, almost all econ and math professors know me. If I choose to stay, I will double major in maths and econ and I am pretty sure they'll write me good recs. I don't think the professors at wharton would know me well enough to write outstanding recs for grad school. I have heard that prof recs matter a lot for grad school. I don't know how much they factor in the admission process though.
I don't know if this matters but I am an int'l student and finances are not an issue for me.</p>
<p>Please help me in making this decision.</p>
<p>THANKS A TON :)</p>
<p>Wharton vs. an unknown LAC??? Honestly, I don’t see how you can turn Wharton down. Even if you decide not to go into business (which you may change your mind about after you see the opportunities you have after graduation), Wharton is so well respected among all schools that you can basically do anything with that degree. Professional schools like law or medicine would perfectly complement a Wharton degree. And definitely any kind of econ, finance, math, computer science, engineering degree would make a lot of sense with a strong business background.</p>
<p>I see your point about the LoRs, but you also have to consider the reputation of the department and recommender. LoRs hold a lot more weight when the admissions committee knows and highly respects the people who wrote them.</p>
<p>thanks for your response. Being an int’l student, I am not much familiar with grad school admission process and if a business education is a viable route for grad schoool</p>
<p>How long do you have to take this decision? I can find out from some graduates in public policy and let you know.</p>
<p>You probably can’t go wrong either way. As far as getting into graduate school goes, stellar/glowing recommendation letters are going to be far more important than the name of your school. The name says nothing about you; the letters do. However, don’t assume that you won’t know your professors at Wharton - the way to get to know them is the same way you did at your LAC: by taking small classes and/or visiting them during their office hours.</p>
<p>I will say that Wharton will be the better choice in case you decide NOT to go to graduate school, which is a very real possibility. A lot of people are burned out by the end of their four years and they just want to work for a few years before they go get their graduate degree. You can also major in econ at Wharton and everyone knows it’s a strong program. As you mentioned, Wharton also has a liberal arts grounding and program at a liberal arts university.</p>
<p>Honestly, if I were you and money was not a problem, I’d go to Wharton. It seems like the only reason you are considering staying at the LAC is that you know the professors, but you can get recommendations from professors at your LAC in support of your grad school aspirations even if you transfer, in addition to recs from your Wharton professors. You will have a liberal arts education at Wharton and the prestige that comes with the degree (which is overrated, but still pretty important in my experience). And a business degree will be well complemented by a degree in public policy or public administration; the business/economics grounding will give you the foundation.</p>
<p>@juillet:</p>
<p>thanks for your response. i think i’ll go to wharton but i have a minor question. I took 2 classes with my econ professor at the lac. i haven’t taken really high-level courses with him. would this matter?</p>