Grant Allen: Pre-Term and Orientation

WHARTON PRE-TERM.  Wharton is unique, and some would say intense, because you start school in early August. When others who matriculate are wending their way around Australia or some other exotic paradise, we get (pay for, mind you) the privilege of jaunting up cold escalators in Huntsman Hall, the center of the Wharton universe, and enduring two-hour econ and stats lectures. Just the shock of being back in a classroom taking notes is enough. Add to that taking blue-book tests, and you're quickly wishing you could be back earning money versus paying $140 for an accounting book you'll never remove the cellophane from.

Wharton Pre-Term is a beautiful buffet. For some, it's a monthlong happy hour. For others, it's math boot camp, a time to brush up on, or learn for the first time, the quantitative underpinnings of the MBA curriculum. The curriculum here is one of the few to integrate calculus into the core economics curriculum; thus, what I regard as a base understanding of mid-level mathematics is prerequisite and everyone has to take, and pass, a math test in the middle of August covering logarithms, geometric series, differentiation, elasticities, and the like. The pass hurdle was 55% this year, but people still failed. Not everyone at Wharton is an engineer, finance wonk, or quant jock, believe it or not. You are afforded a re-take and if you fail again, earn the dubious distinction of taking undergrad calculus. And though I believe some guys were aiming to fail so they could have entrée into the lissome, daddy's-Beemer world of undergrad Penn coeds, everyone did pass.

Beyond math, you have the opportunity to take entry-level — what some would regard as refresher — courses in economics, accounting, and statistics. Those already strong in these areas can hold off until the core classes begin in September (real grades, real work) or take waiver exams to pass out of the required classes entirely. These waiver tests are offered throughout pre-term and are generally difficult. Wharton benevolently offers six-class review sessions to help you prepare. I chose to take the statistics waiver and subsequently passed out of the time-intensive problem-set work I saw my friends poring over. Waiving out of classes by credential (you're already a CPA, have a master's in econ, etc.) is another option, whereas at other schools (e.g. HBS) you're stuck in intro accounting even if you are a CPA. The Wharton Core (more on that later) is much more flexible than HBS's RC (Required Curriculum), which was a huge selling point for me.

If classes weren't enough to fill your day, there are faculty lecture series ranging from the ho-hum ("Intro to M&A") to the surprisingly interesting ("Mathematical Modeling of the Music Market"). I sat in on a new-venture idea-generation class and also got to hear about crisis negotiation strategy from Gilead Sher, chief negotiator for the Palestine talks and Camp David summit, picking up a few pointers in the process that should come in handy negotiating visits with my girlfriend down in D.C. There are also incessant classes on Excel business tools, networking, business etiquette, debating, and communications.

On top of the core daytime academics and upshifting of thought, there were social events almost every night to get us out meeting people and exploring the city. Before I talk about the rare creature that is the Whartonite, a few thoughts on Philly. Let's just say I wasn't expecting much. My stereotypes: Filthadelphia, Iverson Rows, Brotherly Love, bad baseball, bums, and hordes of fat fuddy-duddies scarfing cheesesteaks "wit wiz." In reality it was all of this, and it was hotter and more humid in August than I ever remember D.C. being. But, as smelly and old as Philly is, it's also steeped in history and chock full of culture, academia, art for the masses, bike paths, nooks and crannies all worth exploring. It's just a cool city. There is a huge assortment of amazing restaurants, my favorite being the boutiquey BYOs, of quality better than Washington, I'd guess because of the proximity to NYC. I don't know if the New York Times' citation of Philadelphia as the "Sixth Borough" is spot on, but it's probably close.

For as many different bars and restaurants Philly has, though, pre-term saw us in the same places every night. Eighty-eight percent of Wharton lives in Center City, so the hive of action is basically centered on Rittenhouse Square. Always on tap: The Irish Pub, Continental, Bonner's, and Fados under 1500 Locust, where I'd bet 10% of the class lives. No one wanted to miss out on the action, so every gathering turned into a mob scene. The running joke was you'd bump into someone you didn't recognize, surmise their provenance (the free Wharton tees from PNC Bank were always good clues), and "network" through interrogation — "So, uhh, what cohort're you in?" Painful, but just a tart taste relative to the recruiting schmoozing to come.

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