<p>I'm currently deciding between several strong business/finance programs at several great programs. I've been accepted to Wharton, Northwestern (MMSS program), Berkeley, Columbia, and Cornell.</p>
<p>I've basically whittled my choices down between Wharton and Northwestern, because I feel like these two programs would best suit my quantitative background, and from the people I've talked to, they would best prepare me for a career in finance.</p>
<p>I was just wondering what you guys thought about my dilemma: I understand Wharton is one of the top business schools for undergrads and has quite a good program in finance.</p>
<p>However, after visiting Northwestern and talking with representatives from the MMSS program and seeing their placements in finance careers, I'm rethinking my decision. Northwestern also offers the Kellogg Finance Certificate, which also seems to be highly regarded.</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear of your interest in finance. I am an associate with Blackstone currently and an '02 alum of Stanford. I’ve had contact through recruiting with students from each of the schools you mentioned.</p>
<p>First of all, all of those are great schools. I have colleagues at Blackstone from each of them. Wharton of course is traditionally strong in business; however, I have interviewed a number of UPenn students as well as those at Northwestern, and the ones in Northwestern’s MMSS and Kellogg certificate programs impressed me the most. Their quantitative skills and liberal arts backgrounds are highly valued at Blackstone; sometimes I feel that Wharton’s education is too narrowly focused.</p>
<p>Although most people look towards Wharton as a traditional segway into business, I think it’s great that you are considering Northwestern. I think the academic programs there will allow them to do very well in recruiting in the future. Wharton, of course, has its advantages, and you need to decide whether you want to study business in-depth or have a broader education. Both will position you well to move into finance.</p>
<p>the Wharton kids have the opportunity to get a great liberal-arts education. However, a lot of them opt not to, and it is to their detriment. Oh well.</p>
<p>Wharton encourages undergrads to take up to 43% of their courses in the College of Arts and Sciences, and 30% of Wharton undergrads graduate with dual degrees from Wharton and one of Penn’s other undergraduate schools (including the College):</p>
<p>Without a doubt, Wharton generally provides the best placement opportunities, especially in finance. Further, it has the largest, most published, most cited business school faculty in the world. For undergrads, it really is without peer.</p>
<p>i did a program at kellogg this past summer. its a phenomenal school with great professors and staff. also, minutes away from chicago, it exposes students to a variety of opportunities.</p>
<p>Thanks all for your comments. I find it interesting, StandfordAlum, that you had a good experience interviewing with Northwestern students. Did the MMSS program or the Kellogg program make them more impressive? Also, can anyone else comment on the Kellogg program?</p>
<p>freetense, do you go to wharton, or do you know students at wharton? on what basis do you make the statement that Wharton kids have poor math skills? (just curious)</p>
<p>Wharton kids dont suck ass at math. They’re some of the brightest kids in the country and i know for a fact that they put out some of the best and most picked up, investment bankers. Investment bankers have to be good at what… math. Do your research.</p>
<p>and while many wharton students are good at math, not all can be quant jocks (and many don’t take the full calc sequence because they don’t have to, while poor engineers suffer through)</p>
<p>most ibankers are better at excel than math. freetense is right, most wharton students aren’t that great at math or even take a lot of math. they are not required to take beyond math 104! other than actuarial science or something</p>
<p>To answer your question, what I liked about the Northwestern students over those at Wharton (this is, of course, simply a generality) was their well-roundedness. Yes, we like mathematically talented students because they demonstrate logical and analytical thinking. However, the math itself is generally useless, or close to it, in most subsets of finance.</p>
<p>It seemed to me that Northwestern students engage in a lot of extracurricular activities around Chicago, including community service and interesting groups on campus, politics, what have you. Wharton students seem generally focused narrowly on business and their activities follow suit. At Blackstone we do value a commitment to finance; however, beyond showing this commitment we like to hire people with whom we would enjoy working and who have done interesting things. So to answer your question, I thought that students in the MMSS and Kellogg programs (where it seemed many of the qualified candidates lay) had a lot of interesting experiences in addition to their demanding coursework: academic and otherwise.</p>
<p>ok, let me give a disclaimer. . .i often jest in my posts, but there’s also some truth in them, though not always. i don’t think wharton kids have very great math skills, as it only requires math 104, but. . .</p>
<p>i don’t think business students at any other university are any better at math than wharton kids. i think business students in general aren’t that great at math, to be honest. maybe wharton kids are probably a little better than most.</p>
<p>anyway, for someone who WANTS a strong quant background, the classes are definitely there to take, so it doesn’t really apply to the TC. there are tongs of stat and math courses that would fit well for his/her interests.
and stanfordalum1980 has managed to ■■■■■ wharton more than i have. I don’t know the exact number, but maybe > 1/3 of the courses wharton kids take are not in their school. so they aren’t as focused and narrow as some would like to claim. and i find they often have pretty diverse interests. it’s true, many are in various finance/investment clubs, but they are also usually involved in other things. they are focused on their career paths into finance in some sense but it’s not like the caricatures i often paint, lol. i don’t think the above post is too fair an assessment.</p>
In fact, Wharton undegrads can–and are encouraged to–take up to 43% of their courses in the arts and sciences.</p>
<p>And as you say, most Wharton undergrads are involved in a wide variety of extracurricular activities, including community service and political groups (Penn has one of the largest and most vigorous community service programs in the country). Wharton undergrads are fully integrated into the vibrant and active extracurricular life of Penn undergraduates, and often hold leadership positions in important student organizations (e.g., the Daily Pennsylvanian, Undergraduate Assembly, campus political organizations, etc.) It sounds like StanfordAlum1980’s sampling of Wharton undergrads hasn’t been very representative.</p>
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<p>freetense, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but you (and others) really should be careful about the jesting, sarcasm, and caricatures you sometimes offer here. Thousands of present and future college applicants read these threads and, not having attended–or in many cases even visited–Penn, use what they read here to form their impressions of the school and decide on whether to apply or attend. I’m a big fan of sarcasm and wry humor, but it’s important to realize that many of the kids (and their parents) who read these threads may not realize that you’re being facetious, and will take your comments literally and at face value. Just a friendly suggestion.</p>
<p>If you find that the placement of MMSS students is strong and MMSS/Kellogg cert seem to balance out the edge Wharton has over NU, then I think you should pick the curriculum that fits your interest better. After all, you are talking about two very different curriculum: business vs econ+MMSS (maybe + Kellogg cert).</p>
<p>But remember, people can’t see the expression on your face or hear the tone of your voice as they read what’s posted here (i.e., they lack the normal in-person cues that someone is being sarcastic, ironic, facetious, etc.), and they don’t know you or your personality and wit in real life, and so they can’t necessarily appreciate that you’re being humorous. Again, just something to keep in mind if you want people to get an accurate impression of Penn and your opinions of it.</p>