Can someone PM me details of the group chat for accepted students from either Session 1 or Session? I’m kinda in the lost rn so it’d be nice to be around others in the same situation.
Despite its fancy name, FBW (Future in the Business World program) is a Pay-to-play program offered to all Wharton Summer Program applicants. I’m pretty sure anyone who applies will be accepted regardless of your stats, even you’re previously rejected.
The only thing Wharton Summer cares is your money and this is purely a LAZY revenue scrounging gimmick, nothing else! This generic online course is basically a platter sampler of three of their two-week summer programs, Intro to entrepreneurship, Intro to Finance and Data Science.
Note each of three cancelled programs are two weeks long. Unlike the FBW platter sampler, they only focused on one topic, whether it is entrepreneurship, finance or Data Science. So even the two weeks are short, you could still get introduction knowledge of the topic. I went to GYLA (basically the prior version of Intro to entrepreneurship, but managed by another third party) last year. I know it was a pay- to-play program even before I applied (LBW was not offered to rising juniors last year so I couldn’t apply). In the end, I think it is kind of worth it as I got to live two weeks in dorms and eat on campus, went to Wharton to take classes and interacted with faculties in person everyday, made a lot of friends as we stayed together all the time except sleep, and had fun weekend activities. Every group actually worked hard and it was intensive towards the end before presentation.
But this platter sampler takes some of the content from each of the three cancelled programs, lump into a new two week online class and fancy it “Future in the Business World program”. Let’s do the math, divide the 12 days (minus intro day and final day) by 3, each subject gets four days at most, you tell me if you can learn any serious topics in four days. I’m laughing that Wharton Summer email even dares to mention the program is build for “rigor”. Wharton Summer wants you money, but it is too lazy to even simply duplicate the original programs to online format. It believes that with the “Wharton” name, enough idiots out there will take the bait and it is trying to revenue scrounging as much as possible by recycling the same platter sampler five times (it lists five 2 wk sessions on the website). Without room and board on campus, it asks for $3850. If you were admitted into LBW, you are smart enough to know how greedy those people are.
No, FBW is not LBW, it is not even close to the three two week programs it is trying to replace. LBW is a selective and intensive four week residential program which also includes many weekend activities and company visits. Too bad Wharton Summer decided to drop it this year. Save your money, FBW is no replacement for LBW!
It was sad, among the 240 accepted into LBW, only around 30 students made efforts to voice their complains while the rest chose to sit on sidelines. Of course, Wharton Summer ignored and cared less about this minority group of people.
Do the math, say no to the “F” platter sampler!
this is so stupid. screw penn
What’s the username for the session 2 instagram?
Is there an instagram for session 1? what is it?
Also are people doing the Future of the Business World?
@LightSailor , I believe LBW total 160 students, not 240.
@concon03 Do your OWN math, don’t blindly follow other people. If you care about the prestige, the original LBW does carry some but this new FBW got NOTHING! If you look for your money’s worth, ask yourself how much you can get from four days of VIRTUAL study on Entrepreneurship, Finance or Data Science, all serious topics. I can guarantee you it will not be FULL day classes, so $3850 for max three days of sitting in front of your laptop for each subject, this is highway robbery.
Donate some of the $3850 to healthcare relief efforts, you will feel good about yourself. Invest the rest to buy good companies on discount during this stock market crash, when the economy returns to normal in a year or two, you may well double your money, that’s smart!
@Sheepy123 When I applied, I was told by Summer Discovery that Session One has 80 while Session Two takes 160. Note they were trying to expand the program to allow rising junior to apply. So total was 240 this year.
Previous years they only take 160 rising seniors.
I called the number listed on Wharton’s summer program website and asked them a few questions about what the camp would be like. From what the receptionist lady told me, there would be 1-3 hours of online lectures and 3-5 hours of independent work on weekdays - with nothing on weekends. She took special care to emphasize that the program would remain an inside look into the Wharton program, as it would still be taught by Wharton staff. She also explained that the reason they were not able to offer an LBW-exclusive program was because the Wharton summer program staff lacked the adequate time to fully convert the LBW programming into a digital format.
With that being said, I am dubious of the program’s prestige and usefulness considering the invitation to enroll even for originally rejected/waitlisted students. For me personally, the issue comes down to the lack of any alternatives. As it stands, I don’t have any other online alternatives to this program, and if I were to enroll, it would at least demonstrate interest in Wharton and provide possible material to write on Penn-related essays.
I’d love to hear your guys’ thoughts on this situation. If you were to not do FBW, what would you be doing instead? Have you guys tried contacting Wharton? What have you heard?
@xqk5js Glad you called. This is way worse than I thought. I was expecting at least half day classes, now it is 1-3 hours a day. So during the two weeks, for each of the three subject areas, you only get 4 to 12 hours of instructions, how much you will really learn from a few dozens of PowerPoint slides?
Regarding “lacked the adequate time to fully convert the LBW programming into a digital format”., either Wharton Summer or Summer Discovery, most likely both, are lying to their teeth. Remember, between the session cancellation email and the start date of session two (6/28), there are at least two and half months of time, more than enough time to convert anything if they want to. They did it for MTS&I and MoneyBall, where is the so called “conversion issue” for these two programs? it doesn’t seem to be difficult for those two at all.
The real reason they are not doing it for Essence of Entrepreneurship, Essence of Finance and Data Science is that these three programs are already Pay-to-Play and it is so easy for profit maximization if they just offer this 1-3 hours/day two week platter sampler. With a new fancy name FBW and mentioning “Wharton” here and there, they figured there would be enough sign ups, if they recycle the platter sampler five times, from currently accepted students in the three pay-to-play programs, students previously rejected/wait-listed, and students who are LBW admits but will take the bait. That’s why they don’t even bother to hire some cheap labor (current Wharton/Penn students) to do the conversion, to create some differentiation among these programs. That’s also why they didn’t bother respond to our individual complaining emails and petitions. Charging $3850 for such a bare bone platter sampler, my bet is that their overall profit will be higher or at least at the same level as previous years. and their profit margin will be even higher as if Cov-19 never existed.
@xqk5js Participating in FBW will not show your demonstrated interest, and this bare bone platter sampler won’t provide good material for your Penn essay, period.
Is there any point in attending FBW now? As my other summer programs fell through, and I don’t have many other opportunities due to the COVID-19 crisis?
FBW vs LaunchX? thoughts?
Hey y’all can someone lmk the details for the Session 2 gc? Just wanted to know what’s going on. Thanks
Tomorrow is the deadline, we decided not to take FBW. Received email from the program today, it’s 2 hours online class everyday. I can’t even tell if they have syllabus or not. We called the office, asked if they have cap for each class. They are not sure (??). I am so disappointed. We decide to check if there is any credit bearing online classes, at least, you can learn something.
Nope, I was thinking of doing it but only 2 hours of instruction time! I’d rather take some course son cousera or edx for $100 rather than paying 4k.
People are wise not to take the bait!
Wharton Summer and Summer Discovery HAVE the capability and enough time to duplicate the original LBW programming and move it online in the same way it did for MTS&I and Moneyball. The reason they don’t care about our complains and decided to go ahead with the 2 hr/day (28 hrs in total for two weeks) FBW is that they believe they can get away with it with the “Wharton” name loosely attached to the program. Merely having the “Wharton” name will get enough idiots to forget how to do a math on it, they are profit maximizing on those people without any conscience during this difficult time for many families.
The math is simple enough. (3850 tuition +100 Application fee)/(14 day x 2hr) is $141 per hour. $141 is just for doing zoom and watching slides, no room and board on campus, no real interaction with the Wharton faculties and among the like minded students (you can tell the qualify of the students, they take ANYONE WHO CAN PAY, including rejected and wait listed), no evening/weekend social and fun activities, no sightseeing and company visits. If you can’t do such simple math and see them right through, it is perfectly fine for them, you and your four grand are exactly what they are looking for, they will open their arms to welcome you, as soon as they take your money, they will turn around to laugh at your behind your back.
Just want to be clear, the word “they” refers to Wharton Summer and Summer Discovery, NOT Wharton School for Undergraduate, which will reject such applicants who can’t even do math and perform independent thinking in a second.
Please say NO to the “F” platter sampler, donate a hundred or two to the healthcare workers or the COV-19 relief efforts and save or invest the rest for your college. I’m sure you will find much more meaningful things to do this Summer.
online>?
I know LBW was cancelled but can someone still pm me the instagram?