Eric Najera | Everyone should take advantage of Wharton

U.S. News & World Report recently published their long-awaited college rankings list. These rankings have caused a lot of dissatisfaction within the Penn community. Penn fell four spots to its lowest ranking since 1997. Although the university fell in rankings, one thing did not change, the Wharton School was, once again, undisputedly ranked the best undergraduate business school in the nation.

On campus, many non-Wharton students like to downplay the significance of our business school. Many claim that its academics are easier and that there’s a divide between Wharton and non-Wharton students. However, Penn students should not bash on Wharton; instead, they should learn to embrace it and benefit from attending the university that is home to the best business school in the world.

Part of the college experience is taking advantage of many things a university offers. That could be clubs, classes, research funding, programs, or anything of interest to you. One of the best things Penn has to offer is a business education. 

Wharton classes are open to all students, which makes them easy to pursue. No matter what school you are in, you are allowed to take four classes from another Penn school and it will count towards your graduation requirement. That means that exposing yourself to new classes will not necessarily prevent you from getting the credits you need to graduate. 

Penn offers many inter-school minors (Legal Studies and History, Nursing and Health Services Management, American Public Policy, etc.), meaning the minor is made up of classes from two or more of the undergraduate schools. Thanks to this, you can mix a business education with another topic of interest. Also, this means that there are many Wharton classes that can cover a wide range of students' interests. Wharton houses the Legal Studies, Statistics, and Healthcare Management departments. These programs are often popular among non-business majors. Dual minors can be appealing to anyone interested in the law, healthcare, or math, to name a few options. 

As a history major and an aspiring law student, minoring in Legal Studies and History was a no-brainer. These Legal Studies classes mix law and add a business perspective which has given me tremendous help in learning about the legal field. Many Legal Studies professors have law degrees and real-world business experiences. This mix allows for a legal education that replicates law classes and adds a business perspective to it. 

Despite many not wanting to completely major in business, there are many benefits that come from it that should be taken advantage of. Progressing in many fields can be easier with a business education. By learning about finance and marketing, it helps with decision-making skills as a whole. Presentation skills that are garnered in business classes also help make students better presenters, collaborators, and speaking skills. Also, learning financial acumen is essential to knowing about economic issues in their personal lives. Knowing about the financial world applies to political theories and helps people be more aware citizens. No matter what, diversifying the amount of knowledge in our portfolio will make us more well-rounded. 

A business education is important and can open many job opportunities. At Penn, consulting and finance are popular industries for graduates. Over half of all Penn graduates go into consulting or finance. In fact, 47.5% of all College of Arts and Sciences students go into these industries. This means that College students can benefit from taking Wharton classes to help prepare them for these jobs.

Although it may not be your main interest, learning about the business world and finance is essential to life. Learning more about economic principles and how money works can help in many fields of study and in people's personal lives. Maximize your education while here and learn because it is not every day that you will have the Wharton School a few minutes away.

ERIC NAJERA is a College junior studying history from Rolling Meadows, IL. His email is najerae@sas.upenn.edu. 

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