UPenn arts and sciences economics vs wharton vs HuntsmanAnswered
Hi everyone!
So UPenn is one of my dream schools, I plan on potentially applying ED, but I am unsure on what to apply for within the school. My ultimate goal is to go into investment banking or fund management.
So my current chances at Penn are 24%, I would prefer Huntsman over Wharton, and Wharton over Arts and Sciences, but Huntsman only accepts like 50 students a year and Wharton is also more competitive than Arts and Sciences.
So here are a few questions regarding all of this
Does applying to the Huntsman program decrease my chances of getting into Penn in the first place?
Considering the differences in acceptance rate, is Wharton "that much better" at getting students into investment banking or fund management than arts&sciences economics?
Is it easy to switch from the College of Arts&Sciences to Wharton?
Thanks so much!
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3 answers
You should apply to Huntsman or Wharton and if you don't get in you'll be bumped down to A & S.
If your CV chances are 24% for UPenn, it's probably 15% for Wharton and 10% for Huntsman. Clearly these percentages make any of these a reach school for you so it's up to you how you want to apply.
Wharton will land you an investment bank about 5X easier than trying to get in to Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley or JP Morgan or a large fund right out of CAS without a Business degree. While you can certainly take Wharton classes, you will not be able to fully replicate a Wharton Degree by doing that nor will be benefit from on campus recruiting and other Wharton networking events that will help market you. I fully disagree with the other poster because it's nearly impossible to get a front office position at an investment firm without a business degree. You might get hired in the middle or back office but then you'll have to get an MBA and take 2 years off if you want to move into the front office.
You can certainly transfer into Wharton from CAS but it very popular and competitive. You can only do this after you've complete either 2 or 3 full CAS semesters and have a GPA of 3.3 and take a min. of XX core requirements.
If you apply Rising Sophomore, the following three (3) prerequisite course must be completed by the end of the spring semester.
MATH 104¹
ECON 001¹
ECON 002¹
¹ AP/IB credits and waivers may be used to fulfill the MATH 104, ECON 001, and ECON 002 prerequisites.
If you apply as a December Sophomore then, Five (5) required courses must be completed by the end of the fall semester (rising second-semester sophomore):
MATH 104¹
ECON 001¹
ECON 002¹
And two (2) from the following four options:
ACCT 101
BEPP 250 or ECON 101
STAT 101² or STAT 102³
LGST 100, LGST 101, MGMT 101, or MKTG 101
I'm not sure what the acceptance rate is for internal transfers. Here's the link to the internal transfer requirement:
https://undergrad-inside.wharton.upenn.edu/internal-transfer/
Good luck.
Hi, thank you for asking your question! I agree with @emmyolive in her breakdown of your chances at the schools within UPenn that you are interested in. More specifically, getting into Wharton or Huntsman will be more difficult to get into based on their level of prestige and overall ranking for Business and International Studies. Overall, given the very similar chancing, you should consider applying to the school within UPenn that you are most keen on getting into -- for now, consider all of the UPenn programs you are applying into reaches.
As long as you apply to get into UPenn in the first place, your acceptance shouldn't be affected by whether or not you apply to the Huntsman program. You'll have to get a different opinion on that one because I don't really know, but I really doubt they'll reject you just because you applied to one of their prestigious, difficult to get into programs. Differences in acceptance rate between Wharton and Arts & Sciences economics doesn't mean Wharton will be better in getting students into investment banking or fund management. It would help, but certainly isn't the deciding factor. UPenn is, after all, a very prestigious school to get into and whether you were in Wharton or not won't affect your chances in getting into investment banking or fund management. In regards to switching from College of Arts & Sciences to Wharton, there are some requirements to internal transfer such as a 3.30 GPA and you have to have completed certain classes. You can only transfer in your freshman year or in the middle of your sophomore year. There's more information in the following link:
https://undergrad-inside.wharton.upenn.edu/internal-transfer/
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Thanks so much!