Undergrad - Penn CAS vs. Wharton
Hi All,
I am a current high school senior, and I want to go into finance, probably Hedge Fund after a couple of years of IB and B-school.
Do Penn CAS Economics kids have the same, or roughly similar, opportunities, such as OCR and summer internships, as Wharton undergrad kids? Do Wharton grads still help the CAS kids?
For reference, I am a legacy at Penn and pretty certain about applying ED - I'm just trying to decide on whether or not Wharton is worth the risk. Without legacy, I am already pretty qualified. Also, I am considering applying to the Vagelos LSM Program - you receive a degree in CAS and BS in Wharton. You have to be accepted to both CAS and Wharton separately. If you don't get into one of them but get into the other, you can still go to the school you were accepted to.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Not a Wharton alum, but I applied Wharton ED (rejected) when I was a high school senior and have some friends from there so I'll take a stab at this. Wharton will give you access to better opportunities than CAS. For example, top PE funds that hire analysts straight from undergrad typically only hire from Harvard and Wharton (maybe Stanford now?). That said, it sounds like the Vagelos program gives you two bites at the apple, so why not apply to that? It'll give you an at bat for both Wharton and CAS, which to me feels like the best approach. Also just a heads up even being a legacy with great stats is no shoe-in. Wharton is one of the toughest programs to be admitted to in the world. Good luck!