BW corporate ranking: 1
BW graduate ranking: 4
BW 1994 ranking: 1

KEY CONTACTS:
Dean: Thomas P. Gerrity/215 898-1801
Deputy Dean: Janice Bellace/215 898-1801
Director of Admissions & Financial Aid: Robert Alig/215 898-3430
Director of Career Placement: Andrew Adams/215 898-4383
Director of Alumni Affairs: Marguerite Harrington/215 898-8478

Final application deadline: Apr. 10, 1998
March 1, 1998 (recommended date for financial aid/scholarship)

BW SURVEY DETAILS:
The big news here is not that Wharton held on to the No. 1 spot in BW's ranking for the second straight time. It's that Wharton substantially increased its lead over the No. 2 school. Corporate recruiters consider Wharton the best business school in the world. Dean Tom Gerrity is devising plans for a new $100 million complex as Wharton builds its lead as Corporate America's top hunting ground. Applications to the school are up 46% since 1994. Recruiters and graduates told BUSINESS WEEK that Wharton has launched the most innovative curriculum of any business school in recent years. Companies say they find Wharton grads to have excellent finance skills, ranking them second (only to Chicago) in the nation. Wharton grads were also found to have good management and marketing skills, ranked tenth and eighth respectively.

STRATEGY FOR APPLICANTS:
You can improve your odds of getting in by applying early. Applicants who wait until the final deadline are likely to find that Wharton has already accepted the vast majority of its students. Visit the campus and request an interview with admissions, especially if you believe you can make a good personal impression. If not, you should rely on the application and answers to the essay questions to get through the door.

If you have a computer and access to a laser printer, Wharton provides free admissions software for applicants who use MS DOS 3.3 or better. Requests for the software on either a 3 1/2" or 5 1/4" diskette should be made in writing and faxed (215 898-0120) or mailed to the admissions office. The recommended date for financial aid/scholarship qualification is Mar. 1, although financial aid is available year-round.

SCHOOL'S BEST AREAS OF STUDY
Finance, real estate, entrepreneurship, health care

AREAS SCHOOL WOULD LIKE TO IMPROVE
N/A

COURSES
Number of electives available in an academic year: 189
Percentage of electives new in past 3 years: N/A
Names of courses new in past 3 years:
American Business History: The Life of Managerial Capitalism, Strategic Management in a Sustainable Society; Managerial Economics and Game Theory; Computer Mediated Communication, Information Technology and Business Re-Engineering, Telecommunications Technology and Competitive Strategy, Integrating Marketing and Operations Management, Product Design and Development; Employee Benefits for a Global Workforce, Legal Aspects of Business with Emerging Economies, Non-Profit Entities: Law and Policy, Collaborative Structures in Healthcare Delivery

TEACHING METHODS
Lecture: 55%
Case study: 30%
Field projects, simulations: 15%

Number of full-time faculty: 182
Average number of students in core classes: 32
Average number of students in elective classes: 27
Number of different electives available in 1996: 189

PLACEMENT:
Number of on-campus recruiters for graduates: 356 (includes for 1st year internships)
Number of on-campus recruiters for internships: > 177
Number of on-campus student job interviews: approx. 10,000
Number of job opportunities posted by correspondence: 937

TOP 10 EMPLOYERS/NUMBER OF 1997 WHARTON HIRES:
McKinsey -- 49
Goldman, Sachs -- 28
Bain & Co. -- 24
Morgan Stanley -- 24
A.T. Kearney -- 23
Anderson Consulting Strategic Services -- 20
Merrill Lynch -- 20
JP Morgan & Co. -- 15
The Boston Consulting Group -- 14
Donaldson, Lukin & Jenrette, Inc. -- N/A

ALUMNI NETWORK
Number of alumni: 23,986 (MBAs)
1,125 (Executive MBAs), 1,188 (Doctoral Alumni), 32,465 (Undergrad)
Percentage of alumni who give annually to school: 28%
Average gift: $1,100
Number of alumni clubs: 68
Number of dues-paying club members: 7,000

CLASS OF 1996 COMMENTS FROM BUSINESS WEEK SURVEYS

"The faculty and administration have made a concerted effort to be responsive to student needs. Two examples comes to mind. First, students who want to take a class usually get in. If existing sections are full, additional sections are usually opened. Second, a new finance professor volunteered to teach a new section of a core finance class. The exiting professor was a terrible teacher and students complained. The faculty and administration responded."

"Year One of the program was so rigorous that 12 students needed special counseling and 8 of the 12 were physically treated as a result of chronic fatigue. A guest professor from another institution was unable to communicate course concepts. After students complained to faculty members, the finance department allowed any student to select a new professor right in the middle of the semester-long course. More than 75% of the students switched. This is an excellent example of Wharton's responsiveness to student requests. During the summer of '95, Wharton spent $3.1 million to install new, on-line computers in all MBA classrooms. During the same summer, a group of students backed by Wharton Information and Computing established an elaborate, user-friendly software package called Spike. Spike is used for everything: E-mail, course downloads, Web Site access, club communications, etc."

"The PC laboratory was always crowded during the semester, preventing us from doing assignments. The school is proud of establishing a new PC room. However, adding less than 30 computers for 1,500 MBA students, excluding undergrads, did not work. Despite large needs, the course which teaches us how to use the Internet was not held this spring term. Some professors did not accept E-mail questions."

"The workload was very heavy. At times, learning was sacrificed to finish the work on time - just like normal corporate life. The facilities and quantity of minorities are inadequate."

"The school is excellent in finance, entrepreneurship, real estate, and marketing. From my experience, the strategic management courses could be improved."

"I learned so many things, especially from finance courses. The professors were very knowledgeable and approachable and were able to simplify such complicated topics as the Modigliani-Miller propositions and the Black-Scholes formula for options valuation. Furthermore, we were made to see how these theories were applicable in practice through computer simulations, discussions and hand-outs of current financial events relating to these topics and very experienced guest speakers. Prof. Siegel's 15-minute analysis of the economy prior to every class, Prof. Blum's trip to the New York Stock Exchange, and Prof. Holthausen's firm-valuation project are more specific examples of attempts to integrate theory with practice. I found the non-finance core courses very interesting as well. The strategy and entrepreneurship courses were very practical in that the take-aways could prove valuable in any line of work. The leadership and ethics programs served as venues for the discussion of realities in the work place such as teamwork, prejudice, diversity, and business ethics. Lastly, the Field Application Project (FAP), where we engaged in consulting work for a firm, is probably not much different from actual consulting firm projects. We had mock interviews as well as resume preparation and independent job search seminars. Job search and interview materials were always complete, current, and accessible. Many firms came over to recruit and it seemed like the leaders in each industry were represented."

"The leadership program is a move in the right direction, but its effectiveness remains to be seen. Probably the only significant improvement the school can make is in upgrading and building new facilities to match its image as one of the top two or three B-Schools in the world."

"Wharton provides a great mix of lecture and case teaching, which means that we are not as facile at case studies as Harvard, but we also avoid the Harvard problem of students getting good at cases rather than business. The school's efforts at leadership training are admirable, and, when they are fine-tuned, they will be excellent. The school's reputation would definitely improve if it were not located in Philadelphia and had a better physical plant."

"While Philadelphia is not an oasis, it provides great opportunities to be a part of a unique inner city, which keeps life in perspective."

"I think the alumni network needs to be revitalized (and I understand steps are being taken to achieve this). If anything, the facilities at Wharton are nothing like Duke or Harvard, for example, and this could be improved a lot. The most important lesson I learned is how powerful teams can be."

"Excellent career networking assistance overseas from alumni. The school copiers break down too often. The Lauder Program immensely added to my experience. Career development and placement need major overhauls, but I have no regrets."

"I have no reservations when I say that I did not have even one bad professor. They were all enthusiastic, sincere and devoted to their profession. Finally, our Career Development and Placement Office is exceptional. Their assistance in job placement was phenomenal."

"The alumni network is enormous, impressive, diverse and responsive. Throughout my two years, I have been in touch with at least 25 alumni who have been helpful on project work, career guidance, and other matters. The level of involvement with the business world and the emphasis on reality is incredible."

"I found it relatively easy to use my contacts and Wharton education to get several offers on the West Coast. In general, people were able to effectively recruit in geographical regions where they wanted to work and live. The size of the school is one of its only drawbacks. Sheer size precludes much individual attention and increases bureaucracy."

"Although Wharton is a very technical school and analytically rigorous, I still think that the statistics portion of the first year needs to be improved. The administration is responsive to such concerns, and I am confident such needs will be addressed."

"Wharton students have become more competitive among themselves, due to the No. 1 ranking. The best teachers seem to end up teaching the Executive MBA program instead of us."

"The dean does not visit the MBA pub often enough. I think the dean should be more accessible to students and have a couple of drinks with them every so often."

"The new core curriculum was superb and faculty members went to extreme measures to ensure that the courses were integrated with each other. It was surprisingly valuable to work with the same four to five team members (comprising the "Learning Team") for the entire first year. I will be able to apply the leadership and team skills I used (and learned) throughout my career. The diversity of the class really added to that experience, too. The Global Immersion opportunity was well-coordinated and offered many opportunities to interact with business leaders and government officials, expanding potential international networks."

"Wharton is a great school for students with families. There are about 100 families, many of them international."

"Programs such as "Wharton Partners" and "Wharton Kids" are fantastic in helping families adjust to a new city and establish contacts with other students and significant others that have a lot in common with one another. Wharton does a great job providing its students with a multitude of extracurricular activities and social events."

"I came to Wharton because of its excellence in health care. The school has a recruiting program which is specialized for health care students."

"The true strength of my education came from outside the classroom - participating in programs such as the Global Immersion Program and the exchange program. These programs not only allowed me to experience and see what issues are important to the international business community and explore the global marketplace, but they allowed me to challenge myself in a way I never expected."

"The quality and diversity - in terms of educational background, professional experiences, nationality, international exposure, and personal and professional interests of the students - is amazing. The access to top-notch research centers, researchers, visiting executives, corporate recruiters, and professors is outstanding."

"I was especially impressed with the large numbers of international students at Wharton. The chance to experience so many different opinions and cultural points of view gave the curriculum a truly global feel. It also gave American students going into international business the chance to develop worldwide networks of friends and colleagues."

"Wharton has a low-key atmosphere that fosters teamwork and learning and de-emphasizes grades. There were multiple extracurricular activities such as: Christmas in April, improving homes, the Investment Management Club, managing a $100,000 portfolio with 11 students, and Whalasa, the Wharton Latin American Students Association providing exposure to Latin American culture. Great speakers came every week. I had no problem getting interviews at any investment management firm after mentioning the Wharton name."

"I believe I'm one of the few individuals to have taken a severe pay cut as a result of attending Wharton. However, the enjoyment and excitement associated with working within the venture capital community more than makes up for this short-term decrease in compensation. One interesting aspect of attending a top school is the routine ability to meet and/or interact with students from other schools. I found students from Stanford and Harvard to be remarkably different. Each school does, in fact, have its own character. Candidates should visit and meet with representatives of each school being considered, and determine how/if their personality meshes with the school's identity."

University of Pennsylvania                 1997-98 MBA STUDENT PROFILE
The Wharton School                     ===================================
104 Vance Hall                         1997 enrollment               1,558
Philadelphia, PA 19104                 Part-time    None    Minority  N/A%
E-mail address:                        Non-U.S.      30%    Women      28%
mba.admissions@wharton.upenn.edu 
=============================	       Interviewed in person           81%
       PROSPECTS--1996 GRADS*          Applicants accepted             14%
Average pre-MBA salary        $50,320  Accepted who enrolled           73%
Average post-MBA total pay   $101,760  **Less than 1 yr work exp        1%
Median pre-MBA total pay      $45,000  -----------------------------------
Median post-MBA total pay    $100,000  1997 STATS        RANGE         AVG
Average job offers per student   3.07  ===================================
Graduates with job offers        100%  GMAT score     	610 to 710     674
-------------------------------------  GPA            	2.4 to 4.0    3.45
1997 average post-MBA salary ***$130,000Work experience	2-12 yrs         4
Annual Tuition                $24,570  Age at entry    21-41 yrs        28
Room & board                   $8,722   
__________________________________________________________________________

*Latest available figures
**1996 data
***Total compensation (includes bonus & additional compensation)

BUSINESS WEEK's The Best Business Schools, Fifth Edition, includes in-depth profiles that will help you more fully assess the strengths and weaknesses of more than 50 of the world's best MBA programs. To place an order for this latest edition: call 1 800 352-3566 (domestic), 001-1-212-512-4100 (international), or via the Internet visit the McGraw-Hill Book Store.