UPenn (CAS and Wharton) - Absolute Target?
(Freshman) I attend an extreme non-target and was weighing my options to potentially transfer into a top-tier institution for my junior year (obviously the likelihood of me being accepted is practically non-existent but I'm curious nonetheless). Consistently across these threads I see UPenn being mentioned as a high-end target. However, most of the time this pertains to only Wharton with some people stating that CAS is a target in of itself and others claiming that Wharton makes recruitment very difficult for CAS students. It is important to note that I would not be able to apply to Wharton (during what would be my sophomore year) because I would be transferring as a junior as per their transfer website. Can someone, preferably someone who has been or is at UPenn, provide any commentary on this?
Wrong. CAS students get access to the exact same interview slots as Wharton, and tons of CAS students who pursue IB/HF/PE get those jobs. The biggest differences are that a) Wharton kids will often have an edge in getting the interview slots and b) Wharton kids will often be better prepared for the interview as it draws from the work they actually do in class. However, if a CAS student is well-prepared for an IB interview they have every bit as good of a shot at securing it once they are in the room.
Yes, I know. I went there. Still, it’s much easier for Wharton kids.
My point is why compete against the obsessed finance freaks from Wharton who will (probably) run laps around the average CAS kid when you can go to another Ivy and not be automatically second-tier in your own school?
Yes you can be as prepared and succeed but it’s harder. Even beyond general preparation and readiness theres definitely an implicit bias of the Upenn resume screener to favor Wharton kids
I also went there and was in the college. The reason to go there as a college student is that Wharton creates opportunities for non-Wharton students - more companies come to campus, they have more interview/job slots available, etc. If you're at a school like Penn and you can't handle interviewing as a CAS student because you're intimidated by Wharton students, maybe you shouldn't have gone there in the first place.
There are a lot of CAS kids with the same jobs as Wharton students.
just make sure you don’t drop the gpa to 2.8 or something at CAS. I know someone in a similar position, difficult to redeem yourself and diminishes top MBA chance too.
also depends on how non target you are
is it DeVry? or Indiana? or Michigan? or Duke I think you’d be much better off doing well where you currently are if it’s towards the latter ones
When he said that he attends an extreme non target, I do not think he meant Michigan or Duke lol.
Recent Wharton Grad here... you’ll be totally fine going into finance as a grad of the College (lmao no one really calls it CAS).
Many College students that maintain high GPAs, demonstrate a clear finance interest via extracurriculars, and commit networking have literally the same career starts as Wharton students. The only caveat here is that the more niche job prospects are probably reserved for Wharton students (e.g. HF, PE).
If you do transfer in, majors that I remember being popular with College kids that eventually went the finance route are PPE (Politics, Philosophy, Econ) and just Econ (be warned that it’s hella theoretical). But honestly if you demonstrate that you’re intelligent and legitimately interested in finance, no one really cares.
The transfer to the College will prove more than worth it: Penn in general is still a very solid target with a huge network. Don’t sweat feeling that you’re at a disadvantage too much, you’ll have the same opportunity to join finance clubs and network to make up the perceived difference.