Am I crazy to choose Brown over Wharton?
Hi all,
Considering I want to go to Wall Street, I know Wharton is the logical choice. Can someone tell me how big of a mistake I would be making by going to Brown instead?
The reasons for this choice would be
- The Wharton culture really turns me off. I like pre-professional to an extent, but it seems like their lives literally revolve only around getting prestigious internships, networking, etc. These are the most important things to me as well, but I don't feel like it's necessary to always be thinking/talking about it.
- Brown would be easier for a high GPA; I would major in applied math (probably on the "mathematical finance" track), and I'm confident I could utilize their grading options to get essentially a 4.0.
- Less competition coming from Brown.
- The finance courses at Penn appeal to me, but I can't stand classes like "marketing" and "business development."
Bottom line, I think I would like Brown more, but if it's seriously a huge difference I'll suck it up.
Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.
Going to Brown instead of Wharton would be one of the biggest mistakes in your life. (Not shitting on Brown though. just saying it doesn't compare to wharton in terms of IB placements)
First of all, you're 18 years old and so choosing a college because of its placement into IB is not really smart move - especially considering we have no fucking idea where IB is gonna be in 4 years time.
I think choosing brown versus Wharton is fine if you prefer the school. Both are in the same overall tier of colleges. Yes, if you're already positive you want to be in finance, which seems impossible, Wharton is probably a better career choice. But brown is fine for finance and you can go to MBA one day if you want that credential.
as much as i think wso is a valuable resource i STRONGLY BELIEVE that there is so much more to college decisions than just where you'll end up working in 4 years. i have friends from random liberal arts schools and mid-tier state schools that will be interning with me at a top BB this summer. there are so many other factors to consider and brown is an excellent school that sends a ton of people to great banks. go where you think you'll be happiest. i don't go to brown but i have a few friends who do--feel free to pm me
honestly, if you're smart enough to get into brown and wharton, as long as you put in the work you'll do fine at brown recruiting-wise
I would go to Brown and I would venture a guess that everyone else on here over the age of 22 would advise that you do the same based on your criteria. Is Brown a great school? Yes. Will you still be able to get into IB? Yes. Is Wharton's culture somewhat obnoxious? Definitely. Most of all, you will be a happier, more well-rounded individual and you'll thank yourself for that later on, I promise. I'm not disparaging Wharton at all; this is an individual decision. Also, remember that if you go to Brown, be ready to put in all the legwork to get an IB offer on your own. Limited OCR for banking, especially relative to Wharton.
Edit: I want to add that for someone who knows, with a high level of certainty, that they want to make a career out of finance, there is no better place than Wharton. You live and breathe finance for four years and (naturally) have a leg up on everyone else. Your network is second to none in the finance world and your early advantage (greater knowledge base) will pay dividends throughout your career. Something to think about.
Here is my two cents coming from an ex-IB guy (non-target).
It's understandable that you are struggling with the pre-professional culture of Wharton, but you also have to think about your core interests. It appears that you have a genuine interest in business and want to succeed in the field.
From personal experience, alum from Wharton are amongst the most talented finance professionals I've come across. As you think about the university you attend, it makes a lot of sense to surround yourself with extremely talented and motivated people who will climb to the highest ranks of business. Additionally, the culture at Wharton is not as stiff as you may think, I'm friends with some pretty fun Wharton alum.
Great post.
OP can gain a lot from being in an environment where you have a lot of motivated, focused individuals. It helps you bring up your own game, and gives you a good benchmark of expectations (e.g. where do I need to be grades/internships/polish/prep to get into a top PE/IB/EB/consulting firm out of undergrad?). It also encourages you to think about what you want out of a summer internship / full time opportunities, by talking to wider array of involved peers (in your grade or higher) and having access to a wide alumni base.
I have no familiarity with Brown and the program you would be joining, but it sounds like there’s greater onus on you to hustle and stay focused on networking, prepping for interviews (in addition to school work), etc. Also, if the Wharton curriculum already covers a lot of relevant finance, accounting topics that are useful for interviews, you’re killing two birds with one stone.
It’s easier to stay on track for recruiting if others around you are immersed in it. It’s almost like you’re going to the gym and surrounded by fit people or personal trainers vs. staying motivated solo.
Just go to Brown, you obviously want to go there and are just asking for validation. If you learn to grow a spine and think for yourself, that will be your most valuable lesson you can learn from this decision.
Its not necessarily that you're making a big mistake, but you're putting yourself in an unconventional path. People that want to be on Wall Street that get into Wharton and Brown, go to Wharton. It is the logical choice as you said. Typically you want to attend the best school that 'fits' with you, so in this case if you pick Brown, you better have damn good reasons to pick 'fit' over ranking if you go with Brown. And when you get to Brown, you're going to have to differentiate yourself a little more at Brown than the average Wharton student. Because, its Brown...
Let me provide an example. My friend from high school got into every college on the map (accepted at Ivys (Harvard)). Scholarships to pretty much every one. . He decided to stay in his hometown and go to the local school. Smart as hell. After classes he would write algorithms for a high frequency trading fund. Biochem major. He got a 44 on the MCAT. But, then was offered a job at the fund and later became head quant to a major hedge fund.
My point is, maybe you are some really smart person that thinks of education in a different sort of way. My friend was that way. He never really needed the world to educate him, or any institution. I would say if this is how you feel, picking an Ivy won't matter a whole lot. But, there is one thing for sure, you will be presented less opportunities at Brown than Wharton, so be prepared to pave your own way.
I just thought of another person who was like this. I was taking 700 level Neuroscience classes with him (he was a PhD student). He got into the Harvard PhD program (full ride), but chose this other school much lower in the rankings. Because of one professor. He chose just to be near and work with this one professor. He was two years from graduation and already had full time offers from 5 companies. Total rock star.
So these are the kinds of things that would be strong factors in breaking from the norm.