What's More Attractive to Business Schools

sakky
Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:21:01 +0000

Unless I am mistaken, Wharton undergrads do not go on to attend business school later. This is the point of going to Wharton as an undergrad - you get your degree in business while taking some lib arts on the side. Wharton is a preprofessional school and HYP are liberal arts. They are totally different.



Well, I wouldn’t say that. I believe that something like 1/3 of Wharton BS grads eventually obtain their MBA’s.

You see, the decision about whether to get an MBA is not always completely up to you, depending on the career path you are one. For example, most investment banking or consulting analyst positions that you would get right out of undergrad will have you there for only 2-3 years, and after that, only top 5-10% of analysts will be offered a promotion directly to the associate level. The other 90-95% will basically be let go and be expected to get their MBA’s. If that happens to you, you can’t just say “Well, I have a Wharton BS degree, which means that I don’t have to get my MBA, so you have to allow me to stay”. If you’re not within that top percentage of analysts who got the promotion offer, then you’re out of the company, simple as that. And if you want to continue your career in consulting or banking, then you have to get your MBA to make yourself eligible for the associate positions.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that bad to not get the promotion offer. Many consulting and banking firms will make you the deal that if you get your MBA and then come back to them as an associate, they will pay part or all of your MBA tuition. But the fact of the matter is, you’re not allowed to stay. You have to get your MBA if you want to keep going in this career field.