Is Wharton undergrad worth $30,000 more per year than USC?
My high school senior is choosing between the Huntsman dual degree at Penn (Wharton undergrad econ degree + International Studies degree + Chinese/Japanese proficiency) vs at USC she'd get an International Relations degree with a business minor (same languages proficiency). At USC she's been offered their Trustee Scholarship (100% free tuition) . She wants to work internationally some day, particularly in East Asia. If she goes to Penn/Wharton, she'd shoot for top tier consulting. We currently live in CA. While she'd be willing to work in S. CA for a few years immediately after graduation to take advantage of the Trojan network, she eventually wants to work out of state. She loves the snow. She visited and loved both schools. She particularly loved the small cohort nature of the Huntsman program (only 50 students per class with a strong emphasis on community). Wharton would cost about $120,000 - $140,000 more than USC for our family (which is steep but we could swing it without taking on any debt) -- half of which she would reimburse us once she starts working after graduation. At USC, she'd graduate with no debt.
1) I assume that if she went to USC, it would be very difficult for her to break into MBB consulting as USC does not appear to be a target?
2) Would being a Trustee full tuition scholar (at USC) help her get an MBB interview?
3) Is Wharton worth $130,000 more than USC for undergrad?
4) Is Wharton undergrad worth taking on $70,000 of school debt when she thinks that she may eventually want a more advanced degree (MBA, law, international relation masters)?
5) With a Wharton undergrad, is she likely to need an MBA?
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Wharton's worth it. With Huntsman even more so.
Yes
Everyone's situation is different, but jeez - what an opportunity to do the Huntsman program at Wharton. Wharton alone signals to future employers for the rest of your daughter's life that she's an elite talent. Now she's gone and put herself into an even-more-elite pool among the elite. I have a hard time imagining that doesn't pay back the $100k+ price premium many times over - no matter how its financed or what graduate degree she pursues.
I was deciding between the Trustee and something similar. Go to Penn!
It’s worth it. You’re not going into debt so it’s not requiring an overly burdensome sacrifice right now. It will more than pay for itself over time.
I'm on the west coast and the answer is simple - Wharton. MBB barely recruits out of USC as far as I know.
Your responses are so helpful -- thanks so much! Two more questions:
1) Why would/do top tier employers prize Huntsman students so highly -- even over HYPS? Is it because it's so highly selective? Do they value the global mindset? the language skills? the demonstrated quantitative/soft skills of a dual degree Wharton/liberal arts major? Or what.....?
2) Are all of you (whom responded above about Huntsman) Penn alumni? Ie. Do non-Penn employers also know about, and equally regard, the Huntsman kids as elite of the elite?
3) As a US citizen who expects to be business proficient/fluent in Chinese and Japanese (but definitely not native), is she likely to be able to engage in projects overseas/E. Asia while working at MBB in the early years -- or would she need to wait until much later at MBB or wait for exit opportunities to go and work for companies working in Asia? Also I thought I read somewhere else that knowing second/third languages does not give you a bump in MBB recruiting unless you're native and a citizen of that country. Is that true? Is she likely to be able to use her Chinese/Japanese language skills if she works in MBB consulting?
1.) Wharton in general feeds into MBB around the same as HYS. Huntsman students have a strong network at the consulting firms, lots of access to prep materials, a tight community that helps them get into the top consulting clubs on-campus, and they are generally viewed as having great interpersonal skills. This all makes getting into MBB slightly easier for Huntsman kids. I'm sure the ability/interest to work internationally also boost their potential value.
2.) The peoples screening resumes and conducting the interviewing at Penn for MBB are generally Penn alums anyway. Regardless, Huntsman will help get the interviews through networking, and then also provide resources to help with the interviews. A high GPA also helps a lot.
3 is tough to answer. I know people (US citizens) who went abroad immediately, but I'm not sure about this.
Huntsman is a fantastic program, but it isn't a guarantee that you'll get into MBB. It certainly helps position you for success though (in consulting and almost any other field).
I don't think I'd be able to answer the first two properly since I don't know much about Huntsman (but UPenn is a fantastic name brand for MBB/IB/PE in general), but for 3- In terms of going abroad within the first few years, it is a lot easier at McK to do projects abroad than the other 2 because of staffing model, but Bain (not sure about BCG) has a secondment program where you can go wherever you want in your third year for a year, either at an intl office or with an industry client. I myself did a language major in college along with my primary major, and while it's a fun fact and is definitely piques peoples' interest, it's not really a ~unique differentiating factor for recruiting, your GPA/ experience/ test scores matter way, way more. In terms of using those language skills, I mean if she works based out of a US based office, than no she wouldn't use them daily or anything, she'd only use them if she does an international project/ secondment (see above).
This is pretty cool that you're asking for her! My dad has no idea what consulting is haha
Huntsman is the shit for any overambitious kid who wants to dabble at some bullshit ambiguous "public services or international relations" while earning around 80~150k right out of undergrad.
They have an excellent program that covers both business and international relations. Creme de la creme.
One of my best friends had a similar decision to make. He is in UPenn's Jerome Fisher's M&T program and has absolutely zero regrets. Go with UPenn, I don't think it's even a close decision.
This is a fucking no-brainer, one worthy of rescinding your custody and paying your daughter for $100k for the rest of her life for damages if you somehow ever guide your daughter to choose USC over Huntsman.
Huntsman should not only open any and all doors for its name value, but the program itself will widen her horizons even more.
1) Judging by the make-up of my office or people around me, I guess not.
2) No
3) Definitely; with Huntsman, more so
4) Yes.
5) Yes and no. That depends on her needs at the moment of consideration.
Just to echo everyone, it's a no-brainer with the Huntsman program.
Adding to everybody else's opinion, I would clearly pick Penn/ Huntsman over USC. The community and brand clearly make up for the price.
Wharton. USC is still working to get over it's Clueless reputation. While it's gotten much better in the past 8-10 years, it probably won't really be on part with other elite institutions for another decade, and even then it's likely to be at the bottom of that list at best.
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