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In many ways, the Wharton
School Graduate Division at the University of Pennsylvania is the
Lexus of business programs. It's big, it's expensive, its name
impresses people, and it offers many, many options. With
across-the-board departmental strength, several top-flight
nontraditional business disciplines, and the university resources to
support a hand-crafted curriculum, a Wharton MBA can be tailored to
suit the needs of just about any business students. Wharton built
its reputation as a premier finance program, and finance continues
to hold a prominent place hear, so much so that students complain:
"The reputation in finance is so strong that people forget that
Wharton is also very good at marketing and operations." Accounting,
general management, and business law are also reportedly strong, as
are health care, real estate, and non-profit. Several students
single out entrepreneurial studies; wrote one, "The Entrepreneurial
Center is fantastic, a real standout. Wharton's greatest strength,
though, is its excellence in so many departments." Global
perspectives are emphasized throughout the program by an
international student body, international courses, two international
joint-degree programs, and a global immersion program in China, the
ASEAN countries, and Latin America.
First year at Wharton flies by due to a quarterly Academic
calendar (second year reverts to the more traditional semester
system). The schedule, while intense, allows students to cover a
great deal of material in a relatively short period, a necessity
given that the curriculum here is "very thorough." First-year
students are divided into five-member teams to tackle foundation
projects during the first two quarters and a Field Application
Project during the second half of the year. Notes one students, "The
first year is very demanding and stressful. As a result, life
becomes less enjoyable for a while. Second year, fortunately,
is more relaxed." Another points out that "Teamwork is key. If you
have a team that works well together, your life is about 1,000 times
easier." All second-year students must complete at least one major
in one of more than two dozen fields; students may also design their
own majors. In a change from previous surveys, students give
professors high praise for teaching ability, reporting that
"professors take teaching very seriously,' although several warm
that "you've got to watch out for the new hires." Writes one
students, "The professors rock! When I was ill last term, my profs
offered me extra help, on their own time, to help me catch up."
Students are similarly pleased with the administration, describing
it as "very receptive to student concerns."
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Undergraduate