Hella

FF (usually and the gang) was there tonight to answer questions in the Admit Chat Room. Tonight’s topic was Majors but we ended up covering a lot of general academic questions including waiving courses, requirements for a major, and some communication courses.

I was interested to find out what major is popular among aspiring consultants as my post-MBA goal (at this point at least) is consulting. Strategic Management was mentioned as a popular choice among this group. I’ve looked through the MBA Resource Guide for 2003-2004 and there are some appealing courses in this sequence, specifically MGMT 701 - Strategic Planning and Control, MGMT 712 - Managing Interfirm Alliances, and MGMT 782 - Strategic Implementation. With the option to pursue multiple majors, I asked if it was looked down upon to only have one, and it is not.

Here are a few off-the-wall things:

• One of the admits currently rents a 2 bedroom / 1 bathroom place in Brazil for USD 300 per month and a pack of Marlboro cigarettes there goes for USD 0.90
• Most people decide to move to Philadelphia in mid-July
• Waiving courses by credential depends on when the course was taken and the grade earned

Interestingly, I was the only non-international there tonight and I had to briefly explain the meaning of Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras. A couple of them were off to drink after the chat anyhow!

One final note: It seems that U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents who have already completed and submitted their financial aid materials are in waiting mode. The systems for Penn must first be switched to the 2004-2005 academic year before the FAFSAs are available. Then, the Wharton Financial Aid Office can request the FAFSA and should be able to turn out an award letter in about two week’s time.

Filed under: B-School