<p>Well yes, but only in a certain sense. Most people don’t actually know what ‘business’ is or what business school or business really entails. I honestly did it because it seemed like a way to have a path set before me, where I could possibly use Japanese…not because I was particularly interested in business/finance.</p>
<p>I think a lot of people do it for the prestige, a lot because you can make a lot of money, and some because they actually know what business is. A lot of it is really just random though. (And maybe I’m not the typical example but I’m not unique).</p>
<p>1a1: I’m not sure how much visits ultimately help. I made my decision based primarily on the programs and based on where my career goals could be best supported, but that was me; everyone’s different!</p>
<p>I read through the debate and I think that most of the people supporting yale are just defending their school/dream school with purely trivial statements, instead of giving an objective view.</p>
<p>Honestly, they are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. I recommend visiting and asking what you want. I was talking with some friends and we were discussing how…even trying to decide between the two is ludicrous. Yale and Wharton have two completely different atmospheres. Yale and Penn alone are completely different. Yale is much more “artsy, liberal education-y” (I really can’t say much about Yale because I only visited) and Wharton is definitely more pre-professional and people tend to know what they want to do. There are tons of pre-professional clubs on campus (as well as non). Of course, there are tons of non Wharton-y students on campus (I know someone who has the most ridiculous/random major and he has no idea what he is going to do with his life, despite being a junior). But there is definitely a different feel.</p>
<p>You really just need to visit and talk to current students. That’s really the only way to truly understand the vibes.
If you want to do business, come to Wharton. If you want a liberal arts education, go to Yale.
Also, I saw someone remarked on the Yale board about the campuses–honestly, I love Penn’s campus and all the opportunities in Philly. While Yale’s campus is gorgeous, New Haven is ****ty.</p>
<p>Also, I do love Penn. I have made so many friends and I’m so happy. Despite being the completely non traditional wharton type, I’m even pledging a business frat. Doesn’t really make sense but ahaha yeah.</p>
<p>After being some time in these forums this is what I have gathered about the wharton vs hyp debate.</p>
<p>Academically, wharton and hyp are equally selective and all generally accept the same quality of students.
If you want to go to business for sure, wharton is the right choice, however, if you are not so sure hyp would be better becuase they have better liberal arts education, compared to penn’s cas (although penn is right on their heels).
Even though wharton is highly business focused, it does not limit your academic interests by allowing students to take almost 50% of their classes in any of penn’s departments.
Hyp have more name recognition than wharton, nevertheless, Wharton has more prestige in the business world (only paralleled by harvard)
Regarding recruiting, wharton places first followed closely by harvard, then princeton and yale.
Wharton has a more pre-prof and competitive atmosphere, whereas hyp are more intelectual and offer a more well-rounded experience.</p>
<p>Now, social life at penn is a good balance of fun/party and academics, whereas hyp is more intelectual and nerdy, the party scene doesnt compare (only yale/princeton kids say that their social scene is AMAZING, yet people from the outside who visit say the contrary. At penn no one denies it has a good social scene, although its kind of like the tallest midget)</p>
<p>Remember, this is not my personal opinion but what I have gathered in these forums. Feel free to add coments or to disagree</p>
<p>I made the same decision last year, but I didn’t have as tough a time as you did. Plenty of Wharton kids make the same choice. I know of a few college people who have done it too. I have no regrets at all. Honestly, I think you might be overthinking it.</p>