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Transfer to Wharton, Is it worth it?
 

skiboyne's picture
 
Points)
 on 9/10/10 at 1:19pm

Fellow monkeys,
I've come to a certain conundrum: One of my good friends transferred to Wharton after one year from a good state school, for the sole reason being his pursuit of a IB or Hedge fund job. He has been trying to convince me to transfer, but I am wondering is it even worth it. I go to UCLA, which is a pretty damn good public uni(#2 in nation) and i have a 3.9 there through a year. I'm pretty sure I could get into UPenn, as thats not the question, but I am wondering is it worth it? I'd be starting my junior year there,and from what I gather is a little late to start my networking to get an IB job offer for my rising senior summer. But UCLA is not exactly a feeder to Wall Street, with about 4-5 people each year going to NYC for banking. So i ask WSO's humble opinion, should I transfer to wharton or stick it out at UCLA?

sick_willy's picture

If you want to do finance

PE
 
Points)
 on 9/10/10 at 2:10pm

If you want to do finance definitely go to Penn. Your chances go way up that way. Also, I don't know who you've been talking to that "networks" to get an SA position. You kind of just apply, get the interview, and then get the offer. It's pretty straightforward.

Penn will help you get a job (one that you seem to want) and your friend is there, sounds like a no-brainer to me.

---------------------------
BossMode

mr1234's picture

thats really complicated, it

O
 
Points)
 on 9/10/10 at 3:14pm

thats really complicated, it depends on a lot of things.

is tuition a concern? i am assuming you are a CA resident. if you need to stretch your finances or take on significant debt, i would say absolutely no.

do you strongly prefer to work on the east coast? if you dont care where you work, stay at ucla.

are you set on working in IB? you can break into IB in the west coast with a little bit of hard work.

does the wharton brand name really appeal to you? if not, forget about it.

like you, i had a friend who transfered to wharton. pm if you want to ask me any more questions.

---
man made the money, money never made the man

Seigniorage's picture

I went to Penn, graduaed in

O
(Orangutan, 300
 
Points)
 on 9/10/10 at 3:55pm

I went to Penn, graduaed in '00. I've gone back and recruited undergrads. I think I have an idea. My opinion is No. As much as I love Penn, it doesn't seem like it'll be worth it to you. One thing that people discount is the amount of competition for finance jobs at Penn. In my experience, it really errodes the wharton career advantage more than you might think (for recent graduates).

skiboyne's picture

is tuition a concern? Not

 
Points)
 on 9/10/10 at 4:46pm

is tuition a concern? Not really, I am already paying the piper(aka Sallie Mae) to finance my schooling career, its what you have to do when your from a middle class Midwestern family with 3 kids in college, and 2 more about to suck any family contributions dry in the next 5 years.

do you strongly prefer to work on the east coast? if you dont care where you work, stay at ucla.: I do not care geographically where I work, climate wise I'd like west coast, but Wall Street just gives me more opportunity.

are you set on working in IB? :Absolutely.

does the wharton brand name really appeal to you? The brand name itself doesn't appeal to me, but the opportunities afforded by it, and the fact that some people are elitists and don't understand that public education is just as good as private, leads me to want to have the wharton name on my diploma.

mr1234 just PM'd ya, and a thanks to who all else posted. All input is greatly appreciated.

CNB90's picture

Plunge boldly into the thick

IB
(Orangutan, 368
 
Points)
 on 9/10/10 at 7:51pm

Plunge boldly into the thick of life.

IlliniProgrammer's picture

A few thoughts: UCLA is a

ST
(Almost Human, 9,257
 
Points)
 on 9/10/10 at 7:56pm

A few thoughts:

UCLA is a solid school- Berkeley would be even more solid, and Wharton would be even better. I think, though, that if you're the kind of person who could get into banking from Wharton, you're the kind of person who can get into banking from UCLA.

If you come from a middle-class Midwestern family, Wharton may not be a perfect cultural fit. Go check it out, see if you like the campus and people there, and maybe make your decision after that. Either way, I don't think UCLA is going to hurt you if you keep the GPA up.

It's certainly worth applying. You'll always be able to say that you got in if you decide not to go.

Work hard, play hard.

LLcoolJ's picture

If you are competitive for

 
Points)
 on 9/10/10 at 8:57pm

If you are competitive for Wharton, then perhaps you are also competitive for UC Berkeley/Stanford etc.

leonrox's picture

I'm starting my freshmen year

(Monkey, 42
 
Points)
 on 6/25/12 at 1:19am

I'm starting my freshmen year at UCLA this fall.

Facing the same dillema.

What did you do about it?

I know that diamonds mean money for this art, but that's not the shape of my heart.

Brady4MVP's picture

For those undergrads who are

HF
(Neanderthal, 3,161
 
Points)
 on 6/25/12 at 4:03am

For those undergrads who are already at good schools (yes, UCLA counts as one of them) that get decent finance/consulting recruiting, I advise against transferring to another college with the exceptions of harvard and wharton. Those 2 schools are head and shoulders above the others in terms of finance opportunities and the breadth of companies that recruit on-campus. So yes, if you can get into wharton transfer, go by all means.

BlackHat's picture

Since this thread is from

HF
 
Points)
 on 6/25/12 at 7:49am

Since this thread is from 2010 I'm assuming OP has died of old age, but if not, he's clearly a Michigan guy and I would love to advise him against this transfer considering he has most likely graduated or passed on. My condolences if it happens to be the latter.

I hate victims who respect their executioners

Follow BH & Co. on Twitter: @DumbLuckCapital
twitter.com/DumbLuckCapital

In reply to BlackHat
WallStreetOasis.com's picture

BlackHat: Since this thread

EN
(Human, 12,207
 
Points)
 on 6/25/12 at 7:53am
BlackHat:

Since this thread is from 2010 I'm assuming OP has died of old age, but if not, he's clearly a Michigan guy and I would love to advise him against this transfer considering he has most likely graduated or passed on. My condolences if it happens to be the latter.

yeah, funny how these old threads sometimes get bumped and then people start giving the same advice again :-)

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