Wharton vs. Harvard, which one is better?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
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<p>Oh okay... good lol. I do not plan on taking too many classes in Wharton. So the CAS experience has been much more positive?</p>

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<p>I'd say so. I think my time here would be a lot more fulfilling had I not transferred into Wharton. Although, I did take OPIM when I was a purely-CAS student. Regardless, CAS is a lot more relaxed than Wharton. However, this was one of the reasons why I didn't care for CAS and wanted to transfer in the first place. I thought it was almost too easy (it's really easy to get a 3.7+ in the College) and I wanted something more challenging. Unfortunately, Wharton is more challenging, but for the wrong reasons.</p>

<p>Anyways a lot of the College students here generally enjoy it -- I don't really know of any CAS students who hate their majors. If anything, the general "myth" is that CAS majors aren't as marketable as Wharton majors, which just isn't true at all (in fact, many jobs Whartonites seek are being snatched up by CAS/SEAS students). I would have preferred to stay in CAS and do well in a subject I enjoyed instead of slug my way through a bunch of crap in Wharton that I have no interest in. In the future, I don't see myself doing some dry job in the financial district. I don't care if the industry is lucrative -- I get no pleasure from it. So many people in Wharton are just so gung-ho about job searching, that I've gotten to the point of saying "Enough -- this rat race isn't worth it anymore."</p>

<p>So again, if you're deciding between schools, I <em>highly</em> advise that you really focus on what makes you happy. Don't base your decision on what others may want you to do, or by prestige, or what "seems" more marketable. I guarantee you'll have a more enjoyable experience, and you'll still have a good job later on down the line. Take it from me, who used to disregard the "do what you love" advice -- now I advocate it 100% and wish I had listened.</p>

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<p>thanks so much for all the info... i think im gonna choose penn (was between penn and uva echols scholar)</p>

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<p>on the issue of campus aesthetics, I would say that Penn (near Locust Walk) compares favorably, or at least equally to Harvard. Penn's campus is generally pleasing to the eye and centralized around Locust Walk, which, with the trees, looks very not "in-the-city". Harvard, on the other hand, is rather spread out, and the only "Ivyish" looking part is centered around the old library. But Penn's quad looks essentially the same.</p>

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If anything, the general "myth" is that CAS majors aren't as marketable as Wharton majors, which just isn't true at all (in fact, many jobs Whartonites seek are being snatched up by CAS/SEAS students)

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<p>It's true. I'm a proud CAS job-snatcher myself. Wharton is, IMHO, better to consider as a department from which to pick and choose than an undergraduate school. I've taken courses in international management, negotiations, statistics, marketing, retailing and enjoyed them all (note how I skipped the courses that legendofmax didn't like)</p>

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<p>As a 3.4 student, I resent that :P</p>

<p>Anyway I understand your concerns. Don't agree with them (I think I'm more resilient/oblivious to noise, heat, and poor people) but I can certainly understand them.</p>

<p>What major are--sorry, were you in when you were a member of the CAS happy family?</p>

<p>I think Penn looks great except for Superblock, which is a disaster from start to finish.</p>

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<p>I was doing Math and Chinese in CAS.</p>

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<p>legendofmax - Sounds like Wharton is giving you a very good job training. They even treat you just like your managers and coworkers would.</p>

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<p>I just find Wharton to be "brainless" in many aspects. I don't feel like it's intellectually challenging. It's more a matter of just getting over the process and shelling through the terminology and buzzwords, which there are a lot of. I'm more of a mathy/computer-science/language-oriented kinda guy. </p>

<p>I prefer work to school tenfold. One of my jobs right now is working in the Wharton Management department as an RA, and I get to develop my own methods for tackling various problems, and it's probably more enjoyable than any of my classes.</p>

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<p>^ Is it too late to do a dual degree in the College, or even transfer back?</p>

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<p>I was dual degree for a short period but I couldn't fit everything in in time, and transferring back... it'd probably be too late. I'm a junior atm.</p>

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<p>I agree with everything legendofmax said. The thing with Wharton is, it's not only job training, but it tends to have the effect of "dampening" any intellectual curiosity you had going in. I mean, it's literally learning how to plug and chug the right numbers into equations the professors think (and are right to think) that are too advanced for students because they don't know enough math. </p>

<p>Legend, I can't believe we haven't had any classes together yet.</p>

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<p>Legend, how did you like Math at CAS?</p>

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<p>Cheese_itz, what's your real name? Not sure if I know who you are</p>

<p>Eloquence: I actually really liked math at CAS. The early recitations aren't too fun, though, for certain courses.</p>

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<p>Legend, check msgs. </p>

<p>I'm going to jump in and say something about Penn Math (I've taken enough of them, I think): choose your professors wisely. The quality of the math dept. here swings towards the extremes with the professors. Use the Penn Course Review; other than that, it's decent, it's math.</p>

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<p>Most definitely ^</p>

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<p>Ahh I'm really thinking about Math, I love it so much, I just don't want to end up with professors who just sit there and teach formulas, I wanna know where it all comes from how it ties into other things, the practicality of the material, etc. etc.</p>

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<p>Just make sure you get a good teacher. I had to switch my 114 course, for instance, a few times because the teachers were just so bad. One of them would just start scrawling crap on the board that had little to do with the sections we did homework in/did reading for. He'd get so excited and flustered, and in 20 minutes the entire chalkboard would be FULL of scrawling that was impossible to read and he'd be talking a mile a minute. It was almost like watching a human get caught in an infinite while-loop, going into some crazy overdrive mode. I seriously wonder if he knew what class he was teaching. I am pretty sure he was let go, since he no longer teaches here. EDIT: ROFL, his course review page shows my opinion is shared by pretty much everyone who turned in an evaluation.</p>

<p>The math books generally do have plenty of examples that show how certain concepts/functions are derived and how they are applied, which is always nice. I think the math department could use some better teachers, but if you love math, try to find the best teacher you can get and you should have a decent time in the course.</p>

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<p>Yea. My professor was so bad for 114...he was some dude from a community college. The class made me feel so inept that I actually took a break from it. Just keep in mind that the higher you go in math, the more useless it'll seem to you, and it'll be the professor's job to make it all matter. Even the more "applied" math classes will be completely theory based. </p>

<p>There are a few (more like 2 or 3) VERY good math professors here, though. But you have to plan your schedule so you can take their classes when it's actually offered. So remember to look at the course register and make a mental note of the "cycles" in the dept and plan accordingly.</p>