Ever heard of Wharton?
Most people know Wharton is one of the best business schools in the country. They have the best undergrad business program in the country. As a result, it is very tough to get accepted to the revered school. Their acceptance rate is stunningly low. Want to know a secret? It can be easier.

This isn’t a cure all for getting into an Ivy
Of course, there’s no way you are going to get anywhere near their Philadelphia campus if you slacked off all through high school. Didn’t join any clubs, or were arrested? This secret isn’t for you. This is a tip for those who could probably get into the liberal arts program at Penn, but not Wharton. I know, this isn’t everyone, but there is a bit of a leap between the admissions to The College of Arts and Sciences and Wharton.

Let’s keep this on the DL
First of all, in general, if applying to any Ivy League school the best preparation are AP courses. Sure, it’s easy to slack off senior year and just give up on the exams (ask someone who knows all too well), trust me, it’s worth it to study for a week or two to ace the exams. This will give you a great jump on skipping out on some basic [and very boring] courses freshman year.

That isn’t the secret though. As I said before, admissions getting into the various schools at Penn vary. There are 4 schools at Penn: Wharton, School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), The College of Arts and Science (The College) and the Nursing School. Although I don’t have the exact numbers, the acceptance rates are more generous for the Nursing school & the College.

First step
Well, if you are sure you want to goto Wharton, but maybe your stats aren’t typical of a student accepted into the last class, check yoru stats next to someone who got into the College. They are more generous. The average SAT score was around 1400 this year, I believe, but I am sure it was higher in Wharton, and slightly lower in the College. In any case, if you are sure, you can have your best chance by applying early.

If you aren’t that sure, and just want to judge your chances everywhere, apply ontime. If you apply to the College, your chances are better!!!! If you have your heart set on transferring to Wharton, and you get into the college, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Yea, what now that I am in a liberal arts school?
First step is to take classes that are required for Wharton freshman. Econ 1 and 2, Math 150/151 ( all of which can be passed out of with AP courses). All students at Penn have a writing requirement, so you can always take that. Once you are in these classes, you will have to work twice as hard as everyone else. You want to transfer to Wharton? You need amazing grades.

Applying to transfer happens after the first year, and it is based solely on your grades. These courses aren’t that hard, it’s a matter of how well you are able to budget your time. Get help if you need it, you will be fine.

Sounds risky
It is. If you have your heart set on business school – by all means just apply to Wharton. If you aren’t accepted, it probably wasn’t meant to be. If you might want it, but aren’t sure, apply to the College, take the courses and see how it goes. If it goes well, you won’t have a problem transferring. If you don’t want to transfer, or get denied for some reason, you will still have many of your requirements done to get a liberal arts degree in plenty of time

This isn’t for everyone, by all means. It’s just an option not many seniors realize is there, and I hope that if nothing else, it reminds seniors that if you go to college and aren’t necessarily sure what you want to do – there are alternatives, or always another way to look at things.

Best of luck, and please feel free to email me if you have any questions – amandaw33@aol.com




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