Best Quora MBA Questions & Answers

University of Pennsylvania Wharton School

University of Pennsylvania Wharton School

WHARTON

Question: Why is Wharton the best business school?

Ramin Kamfar, Wharton alumni, MBA, Finance: While it’s the oldest business program in the country, the resources offered, networking opportunities available, and knowledge provided are certainly up-to-date and invaluable.

Operating as the second-largest business program, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania boasts over 94,000 alumni in more than 150 countries who’ve moved on to great success in their industries. It is also regarded by Forbes as a “top spot for consultant recruiters with McKinsey (50 hires from the class of 2014), Boston Consulting Group (42), Deloitte (20), and Bain (20) ranking among the top five hiring firms.”

At $62,424 per year in tuition, approximately 84.3 percent of graduates are employed with full-time positions by graduation, making an average first-year compensation of $103,820.

Offering joint-degree programs in anything from accounting to e-commerce, public policy to real estate, Wharton also prepares its students with tactics to handle stress, make critical business decisions, and lead a team in different environments. With campuses in Philadelphia and San Francisco and an outdoor trip program called Ventures that brings students to mountaineer on Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro or sail around Grenada, Wharton introduces its students to different cultures, preparing them to be well-rounded candidates for any industry.

Anonymous: I am writing this in the perspective of a prospective Penn student (NOT Wharton) who has visited and spoken with students who do attend Wharton currently.

One of the key aspects of Wharton is its immediate immersion into business. For example, all freshmen business students partner with a local nonprofit in order to gain experience in many of the essential aspects of business (marketing, management, etc.). Not to mention, such opportunities often lead to more “open doors” down the road.

Another key aspect of the success of Penn is its location. Philadelphia is the finance capital of the country, and it’s also in the immediate vicinity of many other massive NE cities (i.e. 1:20 train to NYC). Location is key.

Last, and certainly not least, Penn thrives on the concept of interdisciplinary education. A vast majority of students graduate with two degrees, many of which aren’t even from the same school or department. For example, if accepted, I plan to study computer science and Arabic: two vastly different fields, but Penn is beyond encouraging of such. This sense of a “Renaissance Education” truly prepares one for an incredible future regardless of what lies down the road. I met an alum with a degree in English, but he was actually working as an actuary for a massive insurance firm because be took TWO OR THREE classes at Wharton. Two or three classes got him a job that many with an actual business or data analytics degree would kill for.

Wharton simply prepares its students to be agile and responsive; hence why these leaders proudly share this alma mater.

Anonymous: Wharton is the best business school overall because of the breadth and depth of its curriculum, maintaining the top position in research productivity since 1986 and the highest aggregate  competitiveness index scores in the Princeton Review’s study of 295 business schools.

Its claim to being the best business school overall lies in the fact that it has both undergraduate and graduate business programs, a unique strength it retains over peer schools such as Harvard and LBS. Through consciously fostering a community of learning where there is a wide range in age, maturity, and professional accomplishment, the institution provides a greater diversity in professional outcomes that are less risk-averse than those of peers that focus on solely the graduate program.

Related question: What really sets the Wharton School of Business apart from other business schools?

Sarabjeet Singh, product manager, MBA, math grad: Currently an MBA candidate at Wharton. Here’s what I have found to be great and unique at Wharton:

• Yes, great alumni network in Asia, Americas, Europe, and more

• Awesome career opportunities in tech and finance (consulting  and nonprofits, too)

• Semester in SF program

• Global Immersion Programs to India, China, Mideast, and South America

• Global Modular Courses

• Global Consulting Practicums

• Wharton Leadership Ventures (to Antarctica and more)

• Wharton Leadership Fellows, Student Life Fellows, and Venture Fellows programs

• Paid research opportunities

• Over 150 clubs and several conferences

• Large class and people from every sector and geography (more people, bigger network, more fun)

• 90-minute ride to New York

• Food Club

• Amazing traveling and party scene

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