Manager
Joined: 19 Nov 2009
Status:Current MBA Student
Posts: 79
Given Kudos: 210
Concentration: Finance, General Management
Re: Why I believe Wharton is the best MBA education for me
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26 Aug 2014, 12:58
I received this PM last week:
"Dear Tonebeeze,
Thanks for your inspirational application advice. You speak to my heart – I was going to apply to 7 school as of two weeks ago but start feeling that it’s a bad idea. I also have spent way to much money on admission consultants already:)
As I am applying to Wharton I was very curious if and how your perception of the school changed when you matriculated. What you liked most and least about Wharton. I have talked to some Alumi that graduated a decade ago but I would love to know how would you describe the culture of Wharton today?
Thanks a ton in advance for your help!!"
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Thanks for the message.
To be quite honest, the more I spend time at Wharton the more I realize how much of an opportunity this place is. There is nothing that you can't do here, because all the resources are at your finger tips. Nobody will give you anything, however. You need to be proactive here. It is certainly as student-run school.
I think Wharton stands out when it comes to getting an elite business education and building a new career:
Education: It is known as the number one business training ground for a reason. But people don't realize that Wharton is the #1 undergraduate business school, #1 Executive MBA program, #1 Full-time MBA (or at least in the top 3 YoY), and #1 Faculty (weighted in terms of articles published in top academic journals). The curriculum is challenging and simulating, and will force you to adapt and learn new skills. You will truly develop a quantitative/data-driven lens with which to question and analyze problems. Whether its marketing, economics, mgmt, or finance, you will come out from the curriculum having been taught by leading professors/industry practitioners who will arm you with useful set of tools and frameworks to be a more effective business manager and leader. With the proliferation of big data, the necessity to be able to tackle and interpret data/numbers is key. A Wharton MBA will provide you with these skills. Not to say that we do leadership better than HBS or entrepreneurship better than Stanford, but I know for a fact that Wharton infuses quantitative analysis into its curriculum as well as any top school.
Professionally: Whether you want to transition to a role in consulting/finance/F500, the top companies pull a sizable portion of their candidates from our school. This is easy to verify or cross-reference by looking at the employment reports from the career management centers of the top 10 schools. Again, am I saying that coming here give you a better chance to be the next Zuckerberg? No. What I am saying is that all the top companies come to our campus to recruit. Thus, if you are hungry and qualified, coming here will increase your odds of getting the career that you want. Even if you are an entrepreneur, having the Wharton brand/network makes it easier to raise funds. Check out start-ups: Warby Parker, Omaze.com, and oh yeah...Tesla/SpaceX (Elon Musk is a Wharton alum).
Regarding "culture," I think each person will have their own unique opinion. The reality is at the top business schools, "diversity" (which includes the following: religion/sexual orientation/race/age) is really forced upon you whether you like it or not, so how a particular person reacts or fits into this melting pot, will go a long way in determining their opinion of the culture. Each person is different. I've enjoy the diversity. I think it creates a unique classroom environment, and provides you with a better global perspective.
All in all, Wharton has more amazing/interesting people than it does douche bags and stiffs. I've built life-long friendships, and the network has served me well professionally. From my perspective, the culture has been great. The main problem is that I don't have enough time to take advantage of everything. Time management is surely the hardest aspect of business school. I'm still trying to figure out how to go on the Antarctica trek this year....