runnerxc

I was dead-set on applying SCEA to Harvard until I looked into Wharton recently. Business has always intrigued me, and I love playing with numbers and the competitive nature of business.

I realize my chances at both schools are pretty small. My question is: How do I know if business is right for me? I still don't completely understand what things like investment banking, securities, and hedge funds are. It does sound interesting, but I'm not sure if I would LOVE business. Any advice?

Also, what do Wharton graduates do as far as jobs? What about graduates of the Huntsman dual-degree program?

Thank you all for your help

magentaturtle

Would someone please answer this person's question?

powerbomb

I wouldn't worry about knowing everything about business. Most freshmen at Wharton have no idea. And it's not like you won't be able to major in anything else if you get into Wharton. If you find that business isn't what you thought it would be, you can internally transfer within Penn, or pick up another degree from any of the other three schools (Arts & Sciences, Nursing, or Engineering).

I think something like over 50% of Wharton grads go into financial services, and around 20% go into consulting. Most Huntsman grads go into banking or something similar, though some tend to go into other jobs that might lead to a career as a public servant.

One caveat worth mentioning is that Wharton definitely has a distinctly pre-professional culture, that I'm not sure can be found at Harvard.

isaiahstock

The career services website at Penn offers a phenomenal amount of information about their recent alum. I don't know where it is, but it lists top employers and average salary based on school.

Also, consider that a huge amount of Harvard grads will be in business (banking, consulting, etc.) even without the actually business school. There's always graduate school, too!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC

heartist

powerbomb - can you explain this pre-professional culture? How dominant is it within the student body?

Another poster on CC has pegged Penn as "anti-intellectual" for its supposedly overwhelming pre-professional culture (though said poster may be a troll.) Do you agree/disagree?

iamanapp

It's generally true. Penn is far more pre-professional, and one could perhaps say anti-intellectual, than its peers. However, if you're a good fit for Wharton neither of these two aspects of Penn should bother you. After all, you're seeking a pre-professional curriculum.