<p>I got into both Wharton and Harvard and I still can’t believe it, but I’m completely at a loss as to which one to go to. My decision basically comes down to which one would get me into a JD/MBA program in grad school.</p>
<p>I also know that many Wharton grads choose not to go back to get an MBA. Would I be at a disadvantage or an advantage getting a pure business degree for what I want to do?</p>
<p>Harvard should be the better choice if you want that JD as well. The liberal-arts major should be a better choice for graduate school than a preprofessional major.</p>
<p>Econ and business are different. You study the theories in Econ, and learn the practice into real-world situations in business, kind of like the difference between physics and engineering (but not exactly). In the end, decide which one you'll enjoy learning more and choose based on that.</p>
<p>Wharton grads choose not to get MBAs because they find that they are not necessary. Penn offers you the option to submatriculate into their law school (top 10 law school) during your junior year, so that is a huge plus if you can get a BS from Wharton and a JD from Penn should be almost as good as a JD/MBA. Also, Wharton students are able to go onto law school too, they just need good GPAs and LSAT scores. A Harvard econ degree will probably give you better grades, but Penn loves its undergrads more. Also, I'm not sure 100% about JD/MBA programs, so maybe you want to cross post in the law school forum.</p>
<p>First off, thanks for all your insight on this. I could really go either way in econ or business because I really don't mind the math that comes with econ or the hands-on approach that comes with business.</p>
<p>The thing though is whether it would be easier to get into a JD/MBA program at either Harvard or Penn if I went to Wharton or Harvard. I know that it depends on the individual applicant more than anything else, but say that the only difference was a BS from Wharton vs. an AB in econ at Harvard. I know this is splitting hairs, but is there anything to suggest that having a BS from Wharton would lower my chances of getting into a JD/MBA program than an AB from Harvard?</p>
<p>Also, the idea that a BS from Wharton and a JD being almost to a JD/MBA is a really interesting thought. Does anyone know more about it? After all, two years in the workforce and all that tuition is a huge opportunity cost if it only brings tiny marginal benefits.</p>
<p>Let's keep this discussion going because it's getting really interesting.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that law school submatriculation is very competitive and very few actually do it.</p>
<p>Both should give you roughly the same opportunity to get into graduate programs. Realistically speaking, though, I think Harvard has the advantage of getting As more easily than in Wharton.</p>
<p>However, I think the primary factor is between Econ and Business. While they don't look too different from the outside, they are much different on the inside in the type of material you learn.</p>
<p>tropical_penguin, I just want to mention that basing your decision on "which school will give me greater chances of getting into a JD/MBA" may not be the wisest thing to do. First of all, if you choose Wharton, you will be getting the top undergraduate business education in the country, and thus, you need to evaluate your decision of why you want to get an MBA afterwards. Indeed, if you graduated from Wharton, and then proceeded to get a JD from Penn (or any other school), you will probably have the combination of business and law knowledge that you want.</p>
<p>Basically, I think you should base your decision more on the schools themselves and what they will offer you in general, not on the very restricted case of getting a JD/MBA afterwards. You don't really know what you want to do in 4 years from now.</p>
<p>Presuming Wharton would give you a good deal of the MBA already, that could save you time and money--a lot of time and money.</p>
<p>Additionally you can get a feel for law school as an undergrad at Penn because undergrads are allowed to enroll in some Penn Law courses.</p>
<p>Here's something else to consider:</p>
<p>You can always go back and get the MBA, but undergraduate is the last time to study economics. Plenty of people study economics and get MBA, but I don't know many who do undergraduate business and do graduate-level economics.</p>
<p>In the end, decide on whether you are positive you want to study business. Go to Wharton if you are, to Harvard if you aren't. Switching majors at Harvard should be fairly easy. It's harder, though not impossible, to transfer from Wharton to CAS. Remember that you don't need a business degree to "practice" business.</p>
<p>Actually, it's extremely easy to go from Wharton to CAS. </p>
<p>Anyways, I think the JD/MBA ordeal might be a bit premature. Very few people actually do a joint JD/MBA because there is not always a purpose. While it might seem to you that getting degrees like JDs and MBA is pretty cool, in actuality, people only do it if there's a purpose. Either a JD or MBA will get you pretty far.</p>
<p>I've been told internal transfers at Penn are hard. That's why people can't backdoor into Wharton through CAS and SEAS, or is this difficulty only one-way?</p>
<p>It's extremely easy to go from Wharton to CAS.</p>
<p>Internal transfers are hard only when the transfer is into Wharton, for obvious reasons.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for all the input. This discussion just proves how awesome of a place CC is. </p>
<p>Anyways, what I'm seeing is that from the criterion that I'm looking at (which is seeming less and less valid), an AB in econ from Harvard is treated effectively the same as a BS from Wharton by top law or business grad schools and there isn't anything to suggest that they prefer a preprofessional degree to a theoretical degree. Does anyone have numbers to back this up? (Please to placate my anal self?) I found some stats on Businessweek (<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/undergraduate/06profiles/wharton3.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/undergraduate/06profiles/wharton3.htm</a>) for Wharton, but nothing on Harvard to compare it to.</p>
<p>Sorry if this seems redundant or that I'm challenging anything anyone said here, but it's just a huge leap for me to wrap my brain around the fact that Wharton = Harvard -- it would be a gross understatement to say that the fallout from the "H-bomb" has pretty much flattened my family. (I'm asian, can't you tell?)</p>
<p>Aside: Rudess and Aurelius, I'm leaning towards a JD/ MBA to move away from the massive competition to get into a high "chief" position in a large corporation as it would open me up for the position of general counsel. But you're certainly right about not really knowing what I want. I just want to leave as many options open as possible.</p>
<p>As for the whole econ vs. business debate, I can really go either way on this if it means a future with more options. I haven't had enough experience in either field to make any decision, but I think I'll sit in on a couple of econ or business classes when I visit H and Penn respectively. But first, I'd really appreciate it if someone can get me numbers (maybe from either the Harvard or Penn office of career advising?).</p>
<p>They're both great schools...</p>
<p>just pick if you like Philly or Boston.</p>
<p>Eagles or Pats?
Sixers or Celtics? (ugh)
Cheesesteak or Chowda?</p>
<p>I actually prefer Boston as a city (rosier memories) and clam chowder over Pat's and Geno's (heresy, I know, but I could never master the "whiz wit" without having a change of shirts), but the whole "chowda," "Hahvahd" and the usage of "wicked" sends shudders down my spine. Strangely enough, I love Philly accents. Go figure. As for the sports teams, I think the Asian background means that I'm more malleable than a baby in that regard. Just stick me in a Celtics or Sixers uniform and I'll go along with either. So deciding based on the city's sorta out. So numbers-ho! (I apologize for my Asian-ness -- it's late at night and he's fighting any attempts to reign him in).</p>
<p>The numbers are tricky, since most graduate schools don't publish admission rates for specific undergraduate schools. They publish the actual number admitted, but not admit rates. Since there is such a huge factor of self-selection, especially for the people with an undergraduate Wharton degree, it becomes very hard to get the actual numbers.</p>
<p>I posted this in the "business major" forum but will repost here. </p>
<p>I'll speak specifically about Wharton. We get this question a lot. As redhare said, you really should be choosing the program of study that appeals to you the most. The career prospects are going to be so close either way that that should not be a deciding factor. Hopefully this helps. Wharton isn't for everyone, so please do a lot of research.</p>
<ol>
<li>Do you ONLY want to study liberal arts?
Don't think of the question as "do you only want to study business" because Wharton's program has a significant liberal arts component (43% of the classes required to graduate). On top of that you can (and will) take classes in any of the other 3 undergraduate schools (college, engineering, nursing), and 8 of the graduate schools (college, engineering, Wharton, design, law, education, communications, social policy & practice), plus the Fels program in government administration. A lot of our students end up taking graduate courses in one or more of these schools. </li>
</ol>
<p>Most universities and most liberal arts programs will not give you this kind of flexibility because undergrads typically don't get this type of access. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Are you intersted in studying business and applied economics?
While Wharton does incorporate theory into courses, a lot of what you learn is applied. You'll take courses in marketing, management, public policy, health care systems, legal studies and ethics. So you're studying business but in a very broad way. It's not the same as theoretical economics. </p></li>
<li><p>Do you like applied learning?
Wharton classes are not like traditional college courses. You should not expect your professors to stand in the front of the room and lecture. Wharton is very discussion oriented (class participation is important), many faculty use the socratic method, the use of case studies is prevalent, in-class exercises like debates, negotations, and simulations are also a big part of the learning and teaching environment. </p></li>
<li><p>Do you like working with others?
Wharton is not about learning things solo. Group projects are a HUGE part of the academic experience. Nearly every course you take will involve some sort of group assignment. If you don't like working in teams, Wharton isn't the place for you.</p></li>
<li><p>Are you thinking about going back for an MBA?
Most of our alumni don't ever go back for an MBA because they find that they don't need one. In fact, only 35% do, even up to 15 years out. If you already know now that you want to get an MBA, consider studying business as an undergraduate instead. You will get you a 4-year well-rounded academic experience that could save you a lot of time and money in the future. Plus, our undergrads are taught by the same faculty as MBAs and take a lot of courses WITH MBAs. So you're getting an MBA caliber education at the undergraduate level. </p></li>
<li><p>What about the alumni network?
One of the greatest things about going to Wharton as an undergrad is that you become part of the Penn alumni network AND the Wharton alumni network - which includes MBAs, PhDs, and Execs. That would be like going to Harvard as an undergrad and becoming a part of the HBS network.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Econ and math majors tend to get the highest scores on the LSATS. But remember, Wharton econ is more practical and qualitative than quantitative. If you want a law degree, I am going to say Harvard. But you really can't go wrong with either school. Name recognition for Wharton and Harvard are about the same.</p>
<p>"Wharton econ is more practical and qualitative than quantitative."</p>
<p>Ever taken an upper level finance course? Or even introductory level?</p>
<p>"Wharton econ is more practical and qualitative than quantitative."</p>
<p>LOL, i dont think so.</p>