Wharton vs. Columbia?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Hi, I am a high school junior who is interested in studying business.</p>

<p>At Columbia, I am planning on majoring in appliedmathematics/economics for undergrad. then some years of internship. then wharton dream school of business for grad.</p>

<p>At UPenn, I am planing on applying to Wharton directly as undergrad, and studying business.</p>

<p>I have a paid internship at Morningstar Inc. planned for this upcoming summer. Also, I write about economics on an online newspaper (also a paid internship) during school years.</p>

<p>for "stats," i have a typical ivy league (reject... :/ ) background. 2300 sat, 4.1 gpa (top 1%), 12 aps, 400+hr community service, several leadership positions, internships, instrument, awards, strong in math (AMC12/AIME/calc3atHarvardExtension)</p>

<p>I am not planning on doing any of HYPSM SCEA with my stats because I know I will get rejected....</p>

<p>I was looking at Columbia, Wharton, and Uchicago for early actions..(decisions)</p>

<p>in terms of "getting in," which of the two extremely selective institutes will be "less painful?" Also, with my interest and future plan, which school would fit me better?</p>

<p>Philly and nyc are both great cities for me. so the environment doesn't really matter. (as long as its not dartmouth.... Hanover, NH.... :( )</p>

<p>Thank You for your Time!!</p>

2

<p>Don’t be such a downer, just apply to all of the places you evenly remotely want to get into. I got into Wharton and the Joseph Wharton Scholars Program (~30 kids) with stats comparable to yours (lower SAT, top 1%, fewer APs, more community service). And if you know you want to go into business, I think Wharton is really a no brainer over Columbia.</p>

3

<p>Wharton is the way to go hands down if you’re sure about the business route, and it sounds like you have a really good chance of getting in. Historically, less than a third of Wharton grads pursue further education, so keep in mind that your post-grad plans might change. Generally, graduates are recruited directly, and the opportunities are plentiful for Wharton grads and generally more than for business-seeking Columbia grads. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>you should apply to the Fisher M&T program at Penn. You get a degree from both Wharton and the Engineering school. I had worse stats than you and got in. It’s pretty selective (~50 kids) but if I could get in you could.</p>

5

<p>Both are pretty tough to gain admittance that I wouldn’t think about which is harder to get into.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>That’s not necessarily true. People who get into HYPSM are sometimes denied from other schools like Cornell, Penn, etc. Hell, I got in Penn and Notre Dame and was deferred from Michigan.</p>

6

<p>thank you all for your responses!</p>

<p>apparently Wharton is a better choice if i want to pursue a degree in finance. (duh… :smiley: )</p>

<p>Now my questions are</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Do I really want to study business for undergrad, in stead of going to a normal (as in not specialized in one specific field. i.e. wharton - business) college, such as columbia, and having a common college experience? Wharton is so specialized that I am, in fact, limiting myself from the rest of academic subjects. On the other hand, being recruited by an investment firm right after undergrad is definitely a win. I can start early to make some income, and I can also save $200,000 by not having to pursue an MBA degree.</p></li>
<li><p>In terms of getting in, Wharton ED vs. Columbia ED. Which one has a higher acceptance rate? or because I have such a relatively strong math/business background (extra curricular activities), will things be different?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>The Fisher M&T program sounds very interesting. I will definitely look into that. Thank You!</p>

<p>and also, thank you all for such comments as “you really have a great chance of getting in.” those comments really help me feel a little bit better about myself… ( :smiley: ) and my future, which I cannot fathom… :(</p>

7

<p>

</p>

<p>You need to learn a lot more about Wharton undergrad:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>[Wharton</a> Undergraduate | Top 10 List](<a href=“http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/undergrad/why-wharton/top-10-list.cfm]Wharton”>http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/undergrad/why-wharton/top-10-list.cfm)</p>

<p>In fact, if you study this entire web site, you’ll find answers to most, if not all, of your questions about Wharton undergrad:</p>

<p>[The</a> Wharton Undergraduate Program | The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania](<a href=“http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/undergrad/index.cfm]The”>http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/undergrad/index.cfm)</p>

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<p>I had the same issue as you CSYHP322. I wanted to have more options available to me than just being in a business school. That is why I applied to M&T. With an engineering and business degree pretty much every career field out there is available to you.</p>

9

<p>bimbop: yes, the M&T program sounds very very attractive to me. According to people’s advices, it is obvious that in my case, Wharton is a better case. Now it is time to be a little bit realistic and see what schools I can actually get into.</p>

<p>I think the “acceptance hierarchy” of top colleges in the US will be…</p>

<p>HYPSM/M&T>Wharton>Columbia>UPENN(CAS)/Dartmouth… (caltech’s somewhere up there…)</p>

<p>I am not totally sure. I would prefer M&T over just Wharton, and prefer Wharton over CAS. However, I will be happy with UPENN CAS, also. (as long as I get in, I will be very very happy with any ivyleague school…esp if it is UPenn or columbia)</p>

<p>By doing ED, I think I can increase the probability of my being admitted to those aforementioned schools. any thoughts? if Columbia ED will be significantly easier than M&T, I will have to go with Columbia ED (even though M&T is a great program that will fit my situation very well.)</p>

10

<p>Except it is more like this:</p>

<p>M&T / Huntsman >> Wharton/HYPSM >Columbia>UPENN(CAS)/Dartmouth…</p>

11

<p>Yea thats sorta what I thought too… wasnt too sure about the acceptance rate of M&T program. </p>

<p>Thanks for the advice!</p>

12

<p>I mean I wouldn’t worry about which one you are more likely to get into for your ED decision. I would just visit both schools and see which one you like more. They are very different (at least their campuses are) so it should be easy to find whichever one you see yourself at more.</p>

13

<p>And applying ED doesn’t preclude you from being considered for Wharton early (if you wish to be considered early for Wharton)</p>

<p>Flowchart:</p>

<p>M&T ED—|</p>

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<p>Flowchart (that took me way to long to create):
[Asciiflow</a> - ASCII Flow Diagram Tool](<a href=“ASCIIFlow”>ASCIIFlow)</p>

15

<p>So your 2300 SAT, top 1% GPA, 12 APs, 400+ hours community service, several leadership positions, internships, instrument, and awards are typical Ivy reject stats? Good to know. I probably shouldn’t have applied to Penn then because I had a 2120, 3.83, 6 APs, 200+ hours community service, no internships, and no major awards. I think it’s pretty pathetic, and frankly insulting, to publicly post something like that to receive a few compliments.</p>

<p>That being said, I’ve always believed that pursuing a future in business would best be through an MBA. Study something else as an undergraduate. You’ll find that many more doors will open for you, especially if you are not entirely set on going down the business route.</p>

16

<p>Everything he ^ said is true, and not everybody here is Superman so those aren’t anywhere near typical Ivy-reject stats.</p>

<p>But apply to Penn without looking back because the worst thing that happens is that they no. And if they say yes, the opportunities you’ll have here will be amazing - and Spring Fling itself is a great reason to come haha</p>

17

<p>I’m sorry if I offended anyone. but the problem I see with my stats is that I am not surprisingly good at any particular area. (so called, “hook.”)</p>

<p>I am not a varsity state competing rower; in fact, I do not play any sports.
I am not 2400/valedictorian/class president/NHS officer/SAC officer.
I do not have legacy to any of the ivy league schools.
I merely play an instrument, I am not an award-winning state competing musician.
My parents do not make millions of dollars so that they can donate lots of money.</p>

<p>My senior friend, who was also about 2300/top1% applied to all HYPSM. He was a varsity state competing rower. Yet, he got rejected from every single one of the HYPSM + Columbia.</p>

<p>Having experienced this kind of indirect fear, I described myself as a typical “ivy league reject.” Also, I did not want to be condescending by saying that I am a “typical ivy league student,” either.</p>

<p>Again, I apologize if I offended anyone.
However, thanks for your time!</p>

18

<p>My point is, acceptance to a school like Penn is not based solely on objective criteria. I am confident that my essays are what put me over. I am clearly not a stellar applicant objectively, especially considering my Asian ethnicity. Make an effort to show your interest in the school. If it is your top choice, after sending in your application, make sure to email your regional admission officer. Let him or her know that if admitted, you WILL matriculate. Yield rate is very important for these colleges. If they think that you can fit in and handle the work, they will take into consideration your guaranteed matriculation. </p>

<p>Don’t dwell too much on your extra curriculars. There’s nothing you can do about it as a junior in high school. Instead, focus on what you can do to improve your Penn supplement and make you stand out as a PERSON, not as a statistic. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

19

<p>Thank You.</p>

<p>I was just so scared to find out that my varsity rower friend was rejected from all of the HYPSM schools. Then I started comparing my stats with his stats, only to find out that his background was “better” than my background. Maybe I was wrong.</p>

<p>Also, I am Asian, too. So it is true that being an Asian is somewhat of a disadvantage when it comes to top school admissions process. :frowning: (to make it worse, I am an International Asian student attending a private high school in the Northeast.)</p>

<p>Plus, I think emailing my regional admission officer is a good idea. Wharton is definitely one of my top choices along with Columbia. (and possibly HYPSM… again… ridiculously low acceptance rates…)</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

20

<p>Many 2400/4.0/valedictorians are rejected from the Ivies every year. These school care more about kids who are passionate about learning and passionate about the school than kids who care only about prestige and renown. Make sure to show them that. (Show. Don’t tell.)</p>