With two degrees in hand, M&Ters; take business world

Wharton and Engineering junior Jeremiah Kalan jokes about the reasons why Management and Technology students choose to apply for the rigorous dual-degree program sponsored jointly by the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Wharton School. "There are some people in the program who just felt like checking off a box and writing an extra essay," the M&T; Club president said. Although this may be the motive for a small minority, most of the about 50 M&T; students are like Wharton and Engineering senior Christopher Scarborough in that they intend to go into business, but believe a technological background will provide them with an advantage over their future competitors. With this mentality, it would seem that they would be more involved with Wharton, both in their interaction with professors and their involvement in extracurricular activities. But most M&T; students say they have a much greater interest in Engineering. "I am very Engineering-oriented," Wharton and Engineering sophomore Margaret Jones said. "It is more relaxed, smaller and easier to get things done." "In Wharton there are many more layers to go through in order to get things done," Jones added. "People in Wharton are all taught to be leaders." And Wharton and Engineering senior Shane Lipson said he finds the Engineering School to be more receptive to student needs and more supportive of students who wish to set up new programs. Lipson, along with Wharton and Engineering senior Ryan Sacco, wrote the curriculum for Systems 140: The Systems Approach to Problem Solving, a Systems Engineering course to be offered next semester. But Kalan said students are "pretty split" on which school they prefer, with many students saying that they find Engineering and Wharton to be equally accessible. "I am taking a less rigorous Engineering program because I am a lot more interested in Wharton," Wharton and Engineering junior Nathan Agam said. "I tend to have a more Wharton frame of mind." Agam said he enjoys the balance between the competitive environment in Wharton and the "collaborative effort that goes on in Engineering." Feelings about professors in Engineering and Wharton varied among students. "Engineering professors are much more approachable," Jones said. "In Wharton, I feel like I really need a reason to be visiting my professor." But Wharton and Engineering freshman Jacob Peters said he has found professors in both schools to be "very welcoming and passionate about their teaching." Peters met with both Engineering and Wharton professors to discuss study abroad opportunities. "They actually provided complementary information from their own perspectives which was helpful," he said. M&T; Program Director William Hamilton said students have clear orientations based on "their primary interests in coming to Penn as well as their experiences here." "Indeed, this is as we always intended the program to be," Hamilton said, "tailored to the particular interests and needs of exceptional students.