<p>Can any current/prospective students give me an idea on how big of a deal it is that a prospective student founded a business in HS with 100k+ sales. Is this fairly common at wharton? or does it provide a real edge in admissions?</p>
<p>this is not common at all but i am sure it will give you a significant edge. out of all my wharton friends i do not know any that owns/founded a business except for one and i am quite certain it did not get 100k in sales let alone 10k.</p>
<p>really? I read the wharton profiles about some kid who had a cell phone in 7th grade and was doing a one-stop shop electronics business. I was given the impression that it was commonplace at wharton. I know there are not many kids like me in the USA, but I'd think those that do exist would ALL be attracted to wharton.</p>
<p>well that is just my experience. i'm sure that there are some people with lucrative businesses, but i don't think it is commonplace.</p>
<p>Wharton is just hype, you are now and will be more successful than any Wharton student, education is just so overrated, and so is Ivy education</p>
<p>That's very interesting coming from an actual penn student, why do you say hype?</p>
<p>Having a business isn't really the Wharton kind of thing. I'd say most Wharton students I know had absolutely no business ECs, experience, or interest before coming here. They were, however, strong students in school with intellectual passion.</p>
<p>So would you say Wharton is not as business-ey as...say Bentley?</p>
<p>1) What the heck is Bentley?</p>
<p>googles.... I presume you're talking about Bentley College in MA? <a href="http://www.bentley.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.bentley.edu/</a></p>
<p>Looks like DeVry McUniversity to me. Wharton's at an Ivy-League University. Bentley looks like it's a commuter school/exec MBA kind of place. While you do see a little of that at Wharton, it's not the main culture.</p>
<p>2) Wharton is a research institution. As such, it's not about starting your own drycleaning/ebay/random business. The "thing" at Wharton is Wall st - finance, consulting, and related areas. You'll be trained in the math and science of business, not the day-to-day details. I think the biggest difference you'll find is that Wharton students are smart (not as smart as engineers, btw, but close) and don't have business backgrounds. While running a business in high school won't hurt you, it's not a golden ticket that will help you get admitted any more than significant involvement in sports, arts, or another passion.</p>
<p>100k in sales means nothing.</p>
<p>How much $$$ did you net?</p>
<p>well 60 something net
140 something in sales currently</p>
<p>I actually know a few students who have been running their own business. Mainly different forms of sales services for people looking to sell their things.</p>
<p>It seems to have helped them out quite a lot, from what I understand.</p>
<p>mattwonder- I absolutely agree businesses are not a ticket in by any means, but why do you say that a passion for say art is on the same playing field as a business. Considering that wharton is a business school, I don't see how excellence in art can be placed on the same level is excellence in business. I mean how would art, science, sports (unless recruited) really help them. It seems to me if an artist applys to wharton, they'd be wary of the applicants intentions to go there considering they are primarily 'white collar' business.</p>
<p>Wharton's not a vocational school, it's a research institution. They study <em>science</em> and Wharton's looking for passionate and motivated intelligent people. You're learning about how to model economies, not how to run a business. Quite frankly, experience in business doesn't mean much to Wharton. Just like they don't let you take business classes at other schools, they promote the Wharton way as THE way.</p>
<p>Honestly, I'd say that the vast majority of my classmates here have no business background or experience. While an MBA uses experience to help teach, Wharton undergrad is about learning the theory. They want intelligent people, and being passionate about business isn't really going to get you any further than being passionate about another subject. </p>
<p>This is why sushant is going to get rejected and others will get admitted. Sorry, had to throw some flamebait in there.</p>
<p>If they were so oh-my-god business like you think they are, then Wharton wouldn't require about 1/3 of your classes to be taken at CAS why would they?</p>
<p>Now go change that Why Wharton to a Why Penn... STAT</p>
<p>A large majority of Whartonites don't pursue entrepreneurship early on in their careers. It requires high tolerance for risk and potential failure--rare characteristics to maintain while your peers are making six figures at investment banks after undergrad.</p>
<p>6 figures at an investment bank starting out with just a wharton undergrad? How many years after graduation does is this figure applicable.</p>
<p>1mx: starting salary is very dependent on market conditions. with that said, there are some recent graduates who managed to earn low six figures starting salaries (don't have the statistic on hand). thats including a bonus, by the way.</p>
<p>wow! I know you can get a 6 figure coming out of princeton with a master certificate in finance, but no wonder nearly 80% of whartonites become i-bankers.</p>
<p>I own three businesses, the most successful of which pulls in about 60k gross/9k net and the others about a third that and I was deferred and then alter rejected. I'm sure it's a plus, but definitely won't make you a lock.</p>