<p>I'm new to this forum so I don't even know if this is the right place to post. But soon I'm going to have to choose between Princeton and Upenn, and I'm trying to understand the value of an Econ major at Princeton vs a business degree at Wharton. REading on the wharton site, i gather the advantages are obviously great recruiting from i-banks, and maybe not having to do an mba...however, other arguments are for a more well-rounded 'thinker' at princeton. plus they have a solid engineering program in case I change to my second choice. Luckily, I'm an athlete, and have been talking to the coaches at both, so I likely get away with 2000 on sats :p. just wondering if anyone could render some good advice. My basic goal is to be filthy rich as soon as possible...but i work hard, so i don't just expect that to happen, lol. </p>
<p>Well, I will not profess any expertise in this regard, as I am applying this year to Wharton. Anyway, the BS in Economics at Wharton is going to be highly respected. As a Wharton grad you would be seen as coming from the best of the best. At Princeton as an econ major, you would be one of the best, but there is definitely no number one. There are other econ programs just as good as Princeton (Penn's own program is highly regarded). Mainly, Princeton's appeal is the name recognition, but in when a professional looks at your resume and transcript Wharton vs. Princeton is an even battle. </p>
<p>I would recommend first deciding on if you want to study business or economics. There are a lot of similarities, and Wharton allows you to concentrate in some areas you may see as more "econ" than "business", but there still is a distinction to be made. First decide which one you wish to study. Also, if Penn happens to be tops on your list, consider Economics at CAS vs. Wharton. Then look at Princeton and other schools. And finally look at engineering for other schools if there is even the slightest chance you would change your major. Hope this all made sense, it's been a long day and I can't guarantee my fingers are typing what I'm thinking.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that at Wharton at least one third of your courses would be taken outside of Wharton (e.g., in liberal arts), and that Wharton encourages you to take even more of your courses in liberal arts (up to 43%).</p>
<p>Also, in terms of engineering, while Princeton's engineering program is generally ranked higher than Penn's, Penn has developed--and continues to develop--some specific engineering strength in bioengineering and nanotechnology that puts it in the top 5 in those fields.</p>
<p>The Princeton and Penn engineering programs are very similar. (I say this from experience deciding between the two, and from experience in SEAS at Penn seeing the exchanges between the two schools since they're so close). You're on an even field there. However, choosing a school for second-choices is dumb.</p>
<p>Princeton's econ is theoretical economics. Wharton is business, and finance. These are different things, and you should keep that in perspective. However, if you just want to get rich, then screw you. Figure it out for yourself.</p>
<p>thanks for the intellectual comments...I've read some other threads elsewhere, and there were some not so nice posts. I especially liked the 'screw you' comment, thanks matt. I probably said that a 'filthy rich' part a little harsh...obviously my goal is not to just be rich, but to have a wicked experience as well. Different ends of the ivy spectrum as well, with Princeton being the smallest while Upenn is the biggest school (i think). I've visited Princeton, liked the campus though it was over the summer so not many people were around. An official visit during school (paid for, yay!) might help determine as well. any more insights would be greatly appreciated. Obviously its not a bad problem, but either choice could significantly affect my career...the one thing that draws me to Wharton is the option of not pursuing an mba whereas Princeton I would have to. Unless my interests change dramatically and suddenly I find myself teaching english or history, lol. also, i'm canadian, not that it makes a difference. except stanford told me to go to hell, they're so pro-american. thanks anyhow</p>
<p>Was just at Princeton friday night. Great school - obviously, they're both great, but it was DEAD. It's not the people as much as it is their surroundings. Got back to Penn (a few hours later) and it was insane. For a country boy, Princeton may be a wise choice, but if you need some excitement in your life...</p>
Actually, in terms of total enrollment (undergrad and grad), Harvard, Columbia, and Cornell are roughly the same size as Penn, and Dartmouth has the smallest total enrollment in the Ivy League. In terms of undergraduate enrollment, Cornell is larger than Penn, and Dartmouth is smaller than Princeton.</p>
<p>About the MBA thing:
Roughly half of Wharton undergrads go on to get an MBA. Getting an MBA isn't required coming out of Princeton, and it's certainly not true that you won't 'need' one coming out of Wharton. There are many reasons to get an MBA, many of which have been changing more recently as firms come to employ quantitatively trained undergrads and promote within. The truth is that it will be at least 2 (and more likely 5) years after you graduate undergrad before you decide to get an MBA. Going to princeton or going to Wharton is going to put you in the same pool of people as far as whether you need one or not. Check out the recent NYT article on this subject.</p>
<p>As far as princeton goes: princeton sucks. Don't go there.</p>
<p>
[quote]
An undergraduate education from Wharton is impressive, no matter who you ask. So much so that only one-third of our alumni go back for an MBA — even up to 15 years after graduation.
<p>An economics major and a Wharton say finance concentration are two different things - one is focused on the theoretical and one focuses on real world applications of the theory. It's like the difference between being a physics major vs. an engineering major. You need the theory as a base but the theory is only a starting point.</p>
<p>An Ivy degree in Econ is pretty coveted on Wall Street, even without an MBA. A friend of mine has an econ degree from Dart and is making high six figures (including bonuses) just a few years out. Spend some time at both schools and go where you feel you'll have the best undergrad experience (taking into account the coach and team of your sport).</p>
<p>datdude, undergrad econ is NOT the same as the b-schools at these schools, but it is still respected. the truth is that any degree from the ivy league is loved on wall st.(especially in the ibanks) (perhaps unfairly - the old joke is that i banks would rather hire the bottom of the class from ivies than the top of the class from state schools) </p>
<p>and I coulda sworn there was a thread on here a couple weeks ago that put the wharton returning for MBA number closer to 40%.</p>
<p>I knew it was separate at Penn but figured it may not be at Dartmouth (or most schools for that matter)...but is this a sign of civility mattwonder?</p>
<p>haha, thanks johnny k...if you can balance athletics and academics both at a high level, then maybe you can tell me not to go to your school. Maybe you are capable, but based on your bias, you're probably an ambitious nerd (Nothing wrong with that either). but as far as I'm concerned, any ivy athlete is one of the most competent persons on the planet. If any athlete were to quit, he would undoubtedly use that free time and energy to score just as high as any geek. And extracurrics like 'community service' or whatever you wrote down on your application to get in aren't nearly as time or energy consuming as an elite competitive sport. You'll find Athletes manage their time better than most, and are more resourceful. Also, the SAT isn't an indicator of anything. And ask your athletic peers (if you have any) what their GPA is. I bet its just as high as your own. No 'jock' can get into an Ivy League school. They still need to meet minimum requirements like 2000 sats and top 5% of school. There's a reason that athletes can get in with lower scores, because they expend their energy elsewhere. You're a schmuck. No hard feelings.</p>
<p>I am far from a nerd, unless being smarter than you is the only prerequisite for nerd-dom</p>
<p>Lovely theory on athleticism and all, but how athleticism explains your SAT score, I'd love to hear.</p>
<p>I think any student can vouch that most of the athletic recruits they meet are simply dumber than the average student. It may be slight or it may be painful--or it may not exist at all in some cases.</p>
<p>While having you go to Princeton would simply replace your slot at Penn with another athletic recruit of similarly lackluster academic ability, one can still hold out hope that he would be less obnoxious.</p>
<p>Only hostile to people who are asking for it, champ. </p>
<p>Personal attacks aside, i think you will find penn kids to be more aggressive in their demeanor than princeton kids. If you are thin skinned then princeton will be more gentle.</p>