CLASS OF 2000 GRADUATE COMMENTS
Editor's Note: BusinessWeek collected graduate comments in 2000 during its ranking of full-time MBA programs. The next ranking is scheduled for fall, 2002.
In my experience, Wharton followed through 100% on its commitment to co-production, with both faculty and students working together to enrich the overall community. As a Lauder student (joint MBA/MA in international studies) and aspiring entrepreneur, I have seen first-hand the incredible energy and effort the school exerts to improving its leadership in these two critical centers for excellence. Everyone here is collaborative, friendly, and engaged. I would wholeheartedly recommend this program. -- Entrepreneurship
Grade non-disclosure policy will slowly erode this program if they don't get rid of it soon -- it results in an adverse selection of people who would rather not have to try too hard. -- Consulting
As a career changer coming from a very creative background and as a female, my experience is not typical of most. But I did feel that Wharton prepared me very well for my future career as a banker. I was able to have a lot of informal discussions with recruiters about several different aspects of the role of business schools -- not just about gender differences in the workplace, but also about the trend for students to go to e-commerce and the general shift to increased attention to lifestyle, etc. These discussions were invaluable to me. -- Investment Banking
I have had a fabulous experience at Wharton and wouldn't go anywhere else if I had to do it again. However, I do think that the level of the work expected here is not as high as it could be, given the caliber of the people. They throw a ton of reading/work at you, but the quality of your output doesn't have to be very high (especially given the grade non-disclosure policy). However, the administration is taking steps to try and up the ante in future years. It may be, though, that part of the reason I had such a great time at Wharton from a personal perspective as well as from an academic one, is that the academic standards aren't that high. -- Consulting
Wharton exceeded my expectations in my field of emphasis, real estate and entrepreneurship. With its breadth of strengths across multiple departments, Wharton was my top choice for business school. I created an individualized major that broadened my expertise in real estate and technology, which I hope to apply to real estate Internet opportunities in the near future. I also sharpened my understanding of finance, strategy, leadership, and teamwork. -- Investment Banking
I think Wharton, more so than any other program I have encountered, has a very collegial and friendly environment. There appears to be much more interaction across the whole class and between classes than at other schools. Ultimately, this is what I will remember and value most from my time here. -- Information Technology
Given my undergraduate major in business, my learning experience at Wharton turned out to be a little less focused on technical knowledge (i.e., accounting or finance classes which I had seen once before) and more focused on learning about leadership (through experience rather than a structured class), real business issues, and the breadth of perspectives of my colleagues. Because of its size, Wharton -- and Wharton students -- can support an amazingly diverse number of activities, classes, speakers, etc. Rather than a single "International Week" found at smaller schools, we had a separate week for 5 or 6 regions of the world. So many activities succeeded because we had critical mass to support them. As [a leader in] the gay and lesbian group, Out for Business, at Wharton, I was always proud to note that we had a group of over 30 students, one of the largest among business schools. With a group of that size, we were able to undertake a number of activities, including co-sponsoring a conference with Columbia Business School that attracted over 400 participants and garnered national media coverage, that significantly impacted the Wharton community. -- Consulting
The only area where I felt Wharton was weak was the lack of emphasis on leadership. The leadership professors did not have the full support of the rest of the administration. No matter how many guest speakers claimed that the #1 factor for their company's success was the leadership ability of their top people. Other than that, Wharton greatly exceeded my expectations and the program was of exceptionally high quality. -- Entrepreneurship
Enrolling in Wharton was an especially difficult decision for me given the high opportunity costs (making more than $110,000 a year and having stock options), and being a newly married person. In addition, I was worried that the market and demand for MBA students might finally diminish when I graduated after so many successive years of popularity. In the end, I decided to come to Philly and am absolutely happy with my decision. My wife and I enjoyed living in Philly so much (we are native Californians) that we've decided to stay in the city because of the wonderful lifestyle and business opportunities. -- Venture Capital/Private Equity
I enjoyed my entire experience here, although I got a little tired of cases that were outdated. Professors work hard to provide a good classroom experience, but a lot of my colleagues were rude and sometimes adversely impacted the classroom experience (showing up late, eating throughout, monopolizing airtime, showing total disregard for guest speakers, etc.). While this wasn't a normal occurrence, it happened often enough to really bother me. -- Anonymous
I wish my institution had a more progressive stance towards women and minorities' experiences (not just admittance quotas). There were derogatory messages sent from students (via the school e-mail system) that were offensive to minorities and the school administration did not (many felt) take the insults seriously. The MBA program, surprisingly, is behind the times (compared to the corporate U.S.) with respect to women and minority issues (e.g. people forget all political correctness when they return to campus). For this reason, I relish returning to the workforce! --Consulting
Wharton is a fantastic school -- its biggest handicap is location. For the best golf or mountain biking, I can't recommend West Philly. For the best education, however, there's no comparison. -- Finance
Wharton is still very much of a risk-averse school. It needs to beef up on e-business, technology, e-commerce -- this means giving students the best exposure to the latest trends in these areas by arranging company visits, case studies, faculty research, home assignments, class speakers, startup recruiting, coordination with engineering school, etc. Wharton still has very much of a consulting and investment banking mentality (e.g. professors make frequent references to their experiences with a leading consulting firm, cases covered in the class are consulting-like) -- which explains why most people still join those industries, and fewer people (compared to MIT and Stanford) start their own companies. -- Information Technology
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