<p>You don't need an undergraduate business degree to work in business. So which would you attend if you want to get into business? Donald Trump said on the Apprentice last week that the smartest people in the world go to Wharton. Not "some of the smartest," he said "the smartest."</p>
<p>But wouldn't a Harvard degree trump (excuse the pun) the Wharton degree in the long run because of it's global prestige factor?</p>
<p>Go where you want to go. If you are blessed with both of those options, you should pick the place you would be happiest at and learn the most from. After all, how much do average salaries mean if you would have an above average experience at Harvard & below average experience at Wharton (or vice versa)? :)</p>
<p>PS I choose Wharton, but I've been set on that for awhile now.</p>
<p>Average salaries mean a lot. I'd be happy at both places.</p>
<p>Prestige is over-rated. I know you are obsessed with it now because you are still in high school... but once you've been out of college a few years, NO ONE CARES. Seriously. I know you don't believe me... but it's true.</p>
<p>I have personally known people who turned down Harvard for Wharton.
Go where you think you will be happiest, and stop worrying about "global prestige." Who cares. Do you honestly think you will get a significantly different or better education at any of the top 30 universities? At the undergrad level, any school in the top 30 is just as good as any other... I know, I know... that's considered heresy, blasphemy on this site.</p>
<p>i find it hard to take someone denouncing prestiege seriously when your username is "harvard<em>and</em>berkeley."</p>
<p>that aside... i agree. the level of education you get is all going to be what you put into it.</p>
<p>Prestige? Harvard does not impress educated people more than Wharton or Berkeley or Chicago etc... If you want to press your advantage over uneducated people, Harvard will indeed make a difference, but if you simply want to be respected by educated people, it really doesn't matter which good university you get your degree from so long as your performance over the course of your lifetime is consistant and remains at a high level.</p>
<p>upstater05,</p>
<p>Yes I went to both those universities... like many of you, I was a prestige-obsessed high-school kid. I know better now... and now that I'm on the "other side", I hope to impress on you that this prestige obsession is not healthy nor necessarily in your best interest. Look, I'm not saying go to random X community college... just telling you to put things in perspective... any school in the top 30 (or 50 or say) is still an amazing institution with way more opportunities and resources than you could ever hope to fully take advantage. Just put things in perspective and try to find the school that is the best personal fit. If you score 1580 and are a valedictorian with great EC's... but you absolutely love Tufts... then go for it. Or maybe you've always dreamed of being a UCLA Bruin, and it is a perfect match. Go for it.
Use the rankings ONLY as arough guide.</p>
<p>I'm not so much concerned about the education. I'm more concerned about what degree will land me a high first-year salary. I guess if it boils down to who UBS would rather hire, a Wharton grad or an equally charasmatic and qualified Harvard grad? That's where the prestige factor comes in.</p>
<p>If you want UBS, got to Michigan-Ross! LOL UBS loves Michigan. In fact, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Credit Suisse and JP Morgan all have agreements with Michigan and recruit loads of Ross students annually. </p>
<p>Last year, out of 300 Ross Juniors, 14 got internships with UBS, 12 got internships with Credit Suisse, 9 got internships with Goldman Sachs, 7 got internships with Morgan Stnaley and 5 got internships with JP Morgan. Keep in mind only a third of Ross students are finance concentrators.</p>
<p>Also, last year, out of 300 graduating seniors, 18 joined JP Morgan, 6 joined Credit Suisse, 4 joined Coldman Sachs, 4 joined Morgan Stanley and 4 joined UBS. </p>
<p>Many others join the likes of Merrill Lynch, Lazard Freres, Blackstone Group Bear Sterns, etc...</p>
<p>In short, as posters have advised above, university is what you make of it. You don't have to go to Harvard or even Wharton to succeed. There is a good chance that in 4 years, you may decide to go into a field other than Investment Banking altogther. Go to a university that you like, work hard and the rest will take care of itself.</p>
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I'm not so much concerned about the education. I'm more concerned about what degree will land me a high first-year salary.
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<p>You may want to include this revealing outlook in your addmission's essay; adcoms are universally sucked in by just this sense of purpose especially the top schools, you may be exactly what they are looking for;)</p>
<p>Actually, I was kidding...work up some compassionate resaon, perhaps involving knowledge for the sake of knowledge and hold your stated reason in reserve.</p>
<p>lol I know where you're coming from but I'm not going to pay a no-name university 50k a year to be a subway performer.</p>
<p>Donald Trump says 'the smartest' people go to Wharton because HE went there. It's about self promotion. To be honest, if I were in the lucky position to choose either one...I wouldn't. I would attempt to get into Princeton or even a smaller college like Amherst and then build on a solid liberal arts education with an MBA later from Wharton.</p>
<p>Just know that while both educations are fantastic, they are extremely different. What I mean is that studying Econ at Harvard is not the same as going to Wharton. So think about which curriculum fits you better in addition to the whole university environment. Both schools will get you great jobs, although I would say that Wharton will prepare you better for the actual work you will be doing (since you do a lot of that stuff in class as an undergrad). Either way you are set with both schools so pursue what really intersts you most.</p>
<p>meh....i'd go harvard then wharton for MBA</p>