Wharton Scholars graduate

The first group of Joseph Wharton Scholars is scheduled to graduate in May and program advisor Bill Whitney is proud -- not only of what these 40 students have done, but of where they are going. According to Whitney, they have excelled academically, occupied some of the top leadership positions on campus, become a cohesive social unit and received some of the best job offers on campus. The scholars' program has also served as a curriculum trendsetter, with much of the JWS curriculum for the class of 1992 being incorporated into the standard Wharton curriculum for the class of 1995. "These 40 students have participated in the pilot phase of an honors program that is aimed at maximizing the liberal arts half of the Wharton curriculum and producing an honors section of introductory business courses," said Whitney, associate director of Wharton's undergradute division. Originally, JWS members were chosen from the top one-tenth of the incoming freshman class. However, during the past three years, several students have later been let into the program based on their academic record. "As we have become more well-known, there is more interest," Whitney said. "But I am a one-person operation and the program has begun to overpopulate and outgrow the administrative capacity." Because of this, the JWS program will again be limited to only incoming freshmen starting next year. In tune with the current attitude of Wharton, the scholars are globally-minded. "We don't have a specific requirement," Whitney said. "But in choosing what they wanted to do, they've been internationally-minded." With graduation quickly approaching, many of the students are deciding what they are going to do with their lives. Five are going to law school, three of those to Harvard University, and the rest are planning to enter the job market. "It's obvious that they are landing some of the most highly demanded entry level positions," Whitney said. Jeff Pearson said he disagrees with Whitney, saying that most of his interviews have been comparable to those of other Wharton students. "As the program develops, it might help people get better interviews," Pearson said. "We are the first class and the program is still a little sketchy. As the program gets more widely-recognized, it might help people in the future." Aside from the after college part of the program, Pearson said he thinks he is a more well-rounded person than he would have been had he not been involved in the JWS program. The liberal arts requirement for the program closely resembles that of the College, as does the foreign language requirement. "I think it made us take better, more challenging courses, but the biggest thing is how well-rounded we are in the liberal arts," Pearson said. JWS Katie Cheng said the social aspect of the program was important to her. "I got a good friend and a roommate out of it," Cheng said. "Also, because we all take a lot of classes together, we got to know each other really well. I have four or five really good friends that I wouldn't have made without JWS." "The really exceptional accomplishments come through the students finding their own intellectual path," Whitney said. "It's not what we impose on them -- it's what they find for themselves. And almost all of the 40 have found something to give their enthusiasm to."

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