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UPENN (Wharton) vs Oxford

I find myself in a real dilemma. I have been accepted for Economics and Management at Oxford and into Wharton at University of Pennsylvania.

I know that there has been a lot of discussion by another poster about choosing between Yale and Oxford. The difference in my case is that Wharton is the best for undergraduate business in the world whereas Oxford has the prestige (whereas the other poster had to choose between two very prestigous universities).

What do you think is better? I have been confused for quite a while and would really appreciate your input because both universities are good and I have no idea what to do.

Reply 1

The Sherminator

16

Oxford if you want to work in Europe, UPENN if you want to work in America. I think that is what it breaks down to. See my post on the other thread you wrote this on, for the other arguements I gave :p:

Reply 2

andy87

10

Oxford

Reply 3

aity

wow thats really confusing....upenn is prestigious aswell but not as well known as oxford....is finance a problem...thats could be a factor u could use....oxford degree is 3yrs..upenn is 4yrs...well if it was me i would go with oxford...but gosh i understand the difficulty of your situation

Reply 4

Greatleysteg

19

Oxford.

Reply 5

thomasjtl

9

well do you want to study a liberal arts programme in the first couple of years, or go straight into econ+man? Do you want to study somewhere where you get relatively few lectures and then expect to read up and write an essay (paper) each week, but then have two or three hours a week 1 on 1 or 2 on 1 with a expert in the field, or would you rather have more lectures but limited office hours and more teaching done by TA grad students?

With an oxford degree, particularly E&M, you're not going to be at any disadvantage if you want to go into banking, particularly in London.

Reply 6

alles_nichts

I would say Wharton, the best business school in the world. This gives you opportunities to get a good job in Wall Street or in the City.

Reply 7

sugar_cane

14

It also depends on what course style you prefer...at the end of the day, they are both great universities, personally the choice would lie in the course structure and the modules you could take.

Reply 8

The Sherminator

16

sugar_cane

It also depends on what course style you prefer...at the end of the day, they are both great universities, personally the choice would lie in the course structure and the modules you could take.

So yes, pick Oxford.

Reply 9

CarneLevare

4

aity

wow thats really confusing....upenn is prestigious aswell but not as well known as oxford

No one who matters in business is going to be aignorant as regards Wharton's standing.

Reply 10

Greatleysteg

19

To the stupid and inarticulate tit who negged me for writing 'Oxford', I find it mildly amusing that you write of Oxford not needing people like me; do they need people who neg rep people for their opinions? The question asks, 'which do you think is better?', which I think I adequately answered. I had perhaps 30 seconds before I needed to leave for school, and thus had time to write only 'Oxford', although it speaks for itself. I also wasn't the only person to write only one word.
What a prick you are, you, who hides behind the anonymity of the reputation system. Oxford does need people like me, or I wouldn't have got an offer. It's you they could do without. And thank you, I will enjoy my time at Hilda's. :rolleyes:

Reply 11

aity

CarneLevare

No one who matters in business is going to be aignorant as regards Wharton's standing.

in the uk....u penn is not as popular as lets say havard or yale

Reply 12

The Sherminator

16

Greatleysteg

To the stupid and inarticulate tit who negged me for writing 'Oxford', I find it mildly amusing that you write of Oxford not needing people like me; do they need people who neg rep people for their opinions? The question asks, 'which do you think is better?', which I think I adequately answered. I had perhaps 30 seconds before I needed to leave for school, and thus had time to write only 'Oxford', although it speaks for itself. I also wasn't the only person to write only one word.
What a prick you are, you, who hides behind the anonymity of the reputation system. Oxford does need people like me, or I wouldn't have got an offer. It's you they could do without. And thank you, I will enjoy my time at Hilda's. :rolleyes:

Jeez.. I hate neg reps like that, drive you nuts!
Loads give one word answers, I don't think there is anything wrong with that....

Reply 13

Turdburger

16

I would personally go with Oxford. Alll this talk of "Wharton if you want to work in the US" I think is a bit untrue. Americans hold Oxford in a very very high regard, though its fair to say people here havent heard of Wharton/UPenn much. Oxford is a fair bit cheaper too, especially with being a year shorter.

Reply 14

Mayfly

sugar_cane

It also depends on what course style you prefer...at the end of the day, they are both great universities, personally the choice would lie in the course structure and the modules you could take.

This.

Think carefully about what YOU want. And, speaking as someone who posted a thread like this about a year ago, ignore people on this board who blindly point you towards either (though around here, it'll almost certainly be oxford...). For the love of god, do not let a stranger on the internet tell you that you'll enjoy Oxford's tutorial system more than the liberal arts system, or whatever. Maybe you will, but that's your call. They told me the same, and I actually hate the tutorial system and don't think it's teaching me particularly well, so LISTEN TO YOURSELF and all that hippy stuff. :P

If you really want help from TSR, find out stuff from people who go to Oxford here about the course/style/atmosphere, then try to do the same for UPenn. Look carefully at everything, IGNORE COMMENTS ABOUT PRESTIGE, decide what appeals more to you, sleep on any decisions you think you have come to, and then decide what you want to do.

EDIT: Because it's always useful to find out about the background/potential biases of people telling you stuff on the itnernet, I posted a board asking between Oxford and McGill, to study/major in history. The overwhelming response here and in real life was to go to Oxford. I strongly felt I would dislike Oxford from what I knew about the place/course, but I'm an idiot so I went. Whilst I am doing well academically and socially, I severely regret that decision. So everything I write here is slightly coloured by that, so that's probably important to bear in mind before taking me seriously. I also know lots of people who love Oxford, so don't be put off by my personal dislikes. :smile:

Reply 15

flugestuge

3

arjun266

I find myself in a real dilemma. I have been accepted for Economics and Management at Oxford and into Wharton at University of Pennsylvania.
What do you think is better?

Wharton if you plan to work only in the USA.
Oxford if you plan to work anywhere else in the world.

Reply 16

flugestuge

3

Greatleysteg

I will enjoy my time at Hilda's. :rolleyes:

Snicker.

Reply 17

Greatleysteg

19

flugestuge

Snicker.

ha ha! I know what you're thinking, but would you believe me if I said that wasn't actually running through my mind when I wrote that? :wink:

Honest.

Reply 18

Mayfly

flugestuge

Wharton if you plan to work only in the USA.
Oxford if you plan to work anywhere else in the world.

Yes. You will never get a job anywhere that isn't the USA if you don't go to Oxford. :rolleyes:

Seriously, I'm not even fond of Oxford, but we've got more going for us than some supposed extra-prestige when applying to jobs in Europe.

Reply 19

ScholarsInk

10

arjun266

I find myself in a real dilemma. I have been accepted for Economics and Management at Oxford and into Wharton at University of Pennsylvania.

I know that there has been a lot of discussion by another poster about choosing between Yale and Oxford. The difference in my case is that Wharton is the best for undergraduate business in the world whereas Oxford has the prestige (whereas the other poster had to choose between two very prestigous universities).

What do you think is better? I have been confused for quite a while and would really appreciate your input because both universities are good and I have no idea what to do.

My father (UPenn graduate) says this:

You should do Econ at Oxford or UPenn (College of Arts and Sciences), but not Wharton until you're a graduate student with some work experience.

He hires people and says that the above is a much better combination.

aity

in the uk....u penn is not as popular as lets say havard or yale

Perhaps to laymen applying for business school, but it's well-known by employers to be a better business school than either Harvard's or Yale's. Also, to those of you who are acting like Wharton is unknown, UPENN is an Ivy League institution, not a state school. It's known worldwide as just about the best business school out there.

UPENN (Wharton) vs Oxford

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