Which is a better investment? (redux)

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<h2>I initially posted this on the BYU site, but not a single response. Trying it here on the Penn site.</h2>

<p>Curious as to what others think about this choice:</p>

<p>1) U Penn: Huntsman Program, earn a BS in Econ (Accounting emphasis) from Wharton + a BA in Intl Relations in 4 (or 5 years)</p>

<p>OR</p>

<p>2) BYU: BS and MS in Accounting in 5 years.</p>

<p>Here are some things to consider:</p>

<ul>
<li>Both accounting programs are listed in the US News top accounting schools (undergrad). BYU is #3 and UPenn is #6.</li>
<li>Wharton is the #1 ranked undergrad BSchool and is a top brand</li>
<li>UPenn is an Ivy (but I bet most "normal" people on the street, i.e. - non-CC'ers, wouldn't know that - but employers do, and employers are the only ones that count)</li>
<li>Even if you have to pay the entire cost at BYU, it's still probably cheaper than what Penn will cost</li>
<li>Huntsman gets you two bachelors in 4 (or 5 years)</li>
<li>BYU gets you a bachelors AND a masters in 5 years</li>
<li>UPenn doesn't require you to use up 14 college credits to learn what you should learn at church; at BYU you need to take 7 2-credit religion courses</li>
<li>UPenn requires at least a semester abroad (for the IR component)</li>
<li>BYU is more focused on accounting</li>
<li>UPenn is broader (both acct and IR)</li>
<li>Both have a great on-campus recruiting system for acct grads</li>
</ul>

<p>This is just something I'm discussing with my DD. I am totally aware of the fact that simply getting into Penn will be a huge challenge. But, should she be accepted, to both schools (and programs), I think it will be a tough choice for her. Any thoughts or comments? </p>

<p>BTW, we are Mormon, so BYU is a comfortable environment and the lifestyle/honor code are not an issue. I'm just interested in the academic values of the two programs and which one people think would be a wiser investment... Mahalo!</p>

2

<p>Penn (particularly Huntsman with the Wharton B.S.) will open up exponentially more doors from a career perspective. Top employers recruit at Wharton while few of these recruit at BYU. Wharton’s avg. total compensation (for those reporting) at 5 years after graduation is $247K, at 10 years it’s $321K, and at 15 years it is $470K. I can assure you that BYU’s numbers are likely to be significantly lower than this. So purely from an investment perspective I would say Penn will provide a better ROI.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/undergrad/reports/WHA_AlumniSurveyReport2007.pdf[/url]”>http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/undergrad/reports/WHA_AlumniSurveyReport2007.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;