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PCIntern

(25,518 posts)
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 05:07 PM Aug 2016

As a Penn Graduate, former Faculty Member, and lifelong Philadelphian,

please allow me to make a couple statements concerning the so-called Republican nominee for President of the United States:

I was at Penn for a total of eleven years, four as a doctoral candidate and seven as a clinical assistant professor. During that time occurred the rise of one Donald Trump in New York and then of course, the rest of the "civilized" planet.

Of course he was mentioned as a Penn student in his biographies... pardon me, his WHARTON "pedigree" was mentioned. It was often stated in the media that he graduated at the top of his class. The story circulating throughout the University was that that was untrue. I will tell you exactly where I heard these things: since Wharton had no Friday classes, something the Dental School had without question, there was a big party every Thursday night during the semester on the huge terrace between Graduate Towers A (Nichols House) and Graduate Towers B (no donor at the time, thus no naming). There, graduate students could meet, mingle, and often get "lucky" since people were so pent-up with academic fear and frustration, the only way they could get it out was to have indiscriminate sex with the first reasonable person they'd meet. What an era...but I digress.

I knew some Wharton people because a few had followed with me from my undergraduate institution, and they knew people who knew Trump personally. Everything you think you perceive about him is true. No one who knew him then had one good thing to say about him and believe me, it was not jealousy. No, the Whartonites respected economic and business success no matter what the avenue or the participation in the "lucky sperm club brigade". Suffice it to say that he was apparently an insufferable prig (not quite the word but you get it) and he was admitted because of his connections to various members of the staff of the school via his father. His work ethic was that of an academic minimalist and he was not a little hedonistic even by the standards back then. He would constantly do what we used to call the "Babe Ruth" pickup routine: one takes big swings and strikes out a lot but occasionally he hits a home run and that's what everyone remembers him for.

Unlike Bill Clinton who was talked about favorably at Georgetown for years after he left his undergradaute program, Trump was talked about in the exact opposite fashion.

And that's what I know from the olden days at Penn.

33 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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As a Penn Graduate, former Faculty Member, and lifelong Philadelphian, (Original Post) PCIntern Aug 2016 OP
Greatest Page for your fascinating look back at Trump's storied past! And thank you. n/t CaliforniaPeggy Aug 2016 #1
Would you explain to me what Trump's undergraduate degree from Wharton means? Squinch Aug 2016 #2
It's actually a very difficult program PCIntern Aug 2016 #4
It wouldn't surprise me at all if Trump cheated... Buckeye_Democrat Aug 2016 #5
So it is appreciably more advanced than, say, an Economics degree from Brown? Squinch Aug 2016 #6
THat I cannot say... PCIntern Aug 2016 #7
I was just trying to edit that post to say that my question was probably ridiculous because Squinch Aug 2016 #9
No problem...I got it. nt PCIntern Aug 2016 #10
I was roommates with a Wharton MBA candidate. Demit Aug 2016 #25
I understand he transferred from Fordham and only did two years at Wharton. brush Aug 2016 #19
Bachelor of Science in Economics University of a Pennsylvania, Wharton school Pachamama Aug 2016 #23
That is pretty much what kind of student I figured he would be. Siwsan Aug 2016 #3
It has evolved into a great town. nt PCIntern Aug 2016 #8
Does he really HAVE a degree? volstork Aug 2016 #11
Pretty sure he has a BA from Penn dhol82 Aug 2016 #21
Ok, got this dhol82 Aug 2016 #22
Thanks for the info. volstork Aug 2016 #28
I wonder what Hillary Clinton's cohorts say/said about her. spooky3 Aug 2016 #12
and therefore, applying the Rovian transform: PCIntern Aug 2016 #13
So true! spooky3 Aug 2016 #14
Interesting. Wasn't Mitt held in similar regard by his schoolmates? Gidney N Cloyd Aug 2016 #15
The uber-pedegreed seem to have that in common a lot Wednesdays Aug 2016 #18
I want to see his transcripts! jaxind Aug 2016 #16
You might have stopped this. You could have left a bag in his room with some jtuck004 Aug 2016 #17
You might enjoy this, PCIntern. "Donald Trump, POW. Prisoner of Wharton." pnwmom Aug 2016 #20
Great!! Thanks!! Nt PCIntern Aug 2016 #31
I'm a Penn grad DFW Aug 2016 #24
I assume he didn't actually LIVE in Grad Towers...it would never meet his standards. brooklynite Aug 2016 #26
I wonder if we knew each other then PCIntern Aug 2016 #27
Class of '81 - Van Pelt House - UTV brooklynite Aug 2016 #29
I want the truth out about his college days as payback SleeplessinSoCal Aug 2016 #30
"Academic Minimalist" RobinA Aug 2016 #32
Funny, I was the same way Big_K Aug 2016 #33

Squinch

(50,935 posts)
2. Would you explain to me what Trump's undergraduate degree from Wharton means?
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 05:20 PM
Aug 2016

I understand that he doesn't have the Wharton MBA, which is what he tries to convince everyone he has.

But is the undergraduate degree a regular undergraduate degree in some finance-related major and therefore awarded by Wharton? Or is there more to it than that?

Like, is it that if he went to Penn and was, say, an Econ major, his diploma says Wharton on it? Or is there more to it?

Squinch

(50,935 posts)
9. I was just trying to edit that post to say that my question was probably ridiculous because
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 05:31 PM
Aug 2016

why would anyone know the difference between two programs unless they are applying to programs?

But thanks for the reply!

 

Demit

(11,238 posts)
25. I was roommates with a Wharton MBA candidate.
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 07:55 PM
Aug 2016

She said that an older grad told her if you can't graduate at the top of the class, don't bother knocking yourself out studying if you're only going to end up in the middle. You'll still have the credential of an MBA from Wharton. It was the late 70s, true, but those people partied intensely (and still got their MBAs).

Pachamama

(16,886 posts)
23. Bachelor of Science in Economics University of a Pennsylvania, Wharton school
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 07:10 PM
Aug 2016

From the undergraduate program at Wharton. Great program that allows you to essentially have the base classes of the MBA program and some lucky few sub matriculate and manage to get their BS and MBA in a 5 year total program.

Know because I went there.

Siwsan

(26,257 posts)
3. That is pretty much what kind of student I figured he would be.
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 05:21 PM
Aug 2016

As a side note, I was a 'short term' Philadelphian - I lived on Broad Street while I was stationed at the Naval Ship Yard. I absolutely fell in love with Philadelphia and regret, to this day, not staying when I left the Navy.

spooky3

(34,427 posts)
12. I wonder what Hillary Clinton's cohorts say/said about her.
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 05:55 PM
Aug 2016

Everything I ever read was very positive.

PCIntern

(25,518 posts)
13. and therefore, applying the Rovian transform:
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 05:57 PM
Aug 2016

Hillary was HATED at school, but Donald was BELOVED!!!

Gidney N Cloyd

(19,831 posts)
15. Interesting. Wasn't Mitt held in similar regard by his schoolmates?
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 06:07 PM
Aug 2016

"No one who knew him then had one good thing to say about him"

jaxind

(1,074 posts)
16. I want to see his transcripts!
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 06:09 PM
Aug 2016

Trump always wants to see everything from everyone else....well, what about his UPenn transcripts, his tax returns, Melania's immigration records, and his divorce records??!!

 

jtuck004

(15,882 posts)
17. You might have stopped this. You could have left a bag in his room with some
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 06:12 PM
Aug 2016

stories by Thoreau and a joint. Or something.

We might have been watching movies about how you saved the country on that fall day.

One never knows...

DFW

(54,330 posts)
24. I'm a Penn grad
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 07:24 PM
Aug 2016

Though I never went farther than undergrad (recruited for current outfit a year after graduation, never looked back). I must say I somehow missed out on the indiscriminate sex, but did run into a few insufferable types from some of the grad programs.

But I graduated from the same high school (for lack of a better term) as W, so I learned way early about insufferable blowhards.

brooklynite

(94,483 posts)
26. I assume he didn't actually LIVE in Grad Towers...it would never meet his standards.
Sun Aug 14, 2016, 08:02 PM
Aug 2016

(I went to Penn in the 70s and used to deliver newspapers there).

SleeplessinSoCal

(9,107 posts)
30. I want the truth out about his college days as payback
Mon Aug 15, 2016, 03:08 AM
Aug 2016

... for the insidious trashing of Obama's time in three different colleges: Occidental, Columbia, and Harvard Law School. For Mrs Obama to have raised and prepared her son for a meaningful life ought to be celebrated by all, rather than questioned and trashed via conspiracy theories. And one of those conspiracy theory promoters to have an actual hidden from view record who is a scam artist and con man extraordinaire, needs to be exposed from now til doomsday.

RobinA

(9,888 posts)
32. "Academic Minimalist"
Mon Aug 15, 2016, 08:08 AM
Aug 2016


I like that. I was an academic minimalist as well in high school and undergrad. Many years later in grad school I went in the complete opposite direction - royally pissed off if I got an A-.

Big_K

(237 posts)
33. Funny, I was the same way
Mon Aug 15, 2016, 11:30 AM
Aug 2016

Though I did pick it up after about a year as an undergraduate. Potentially failing Chemistry 101 kicked me in the butt. Am happy I did get straight As in my major and minor - anthropology and religion. Yep, gotta love them "hard" disciplines...

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