Each year, the University of Pennsylvania runs a series of “youth programs” targeted to academically ambitious high schoolers across the nation. The crowning jewel of these is the Leadership in the Business World (LBW) program, “an intensive summer program for a select group of rising seniors who want an introduction to a top-notch undergraduate business education and the opportunity to hone their leadership, teamwork, and communication skills.” LBW is marketed as a pre-Wharton enrichment program that tacitly exchanges the increased likelihood of admission to Penn for a small fee of $10,999. But does this program actually improve an applicant’s case for admission to Penn? The answer is a resounding no!

What Is Wharton’s LBW Program? Essentially, It’s a Fancy Summer Camp

Participation in LBW, or really any summer youth enrichment program sponsored by an elite university, reeks of privilege, not renown. Sure, one might have to meet academic minimum requirements to be admitted, but don’t fool yourself: Penn values the fee, not the student that comes with it. That’s why they so aggressively advertise LBW and other such programs. Have you ever seen them advertise any of their undergraduate colleges? We didn’t think so!

Admissions officers at Penn have a responsibility to curate incoming classes with a high degree of socioeconomic diversity. As such, it actually works against an otherwise promising applicant to have participated in LBW at the expense of almost anything else, because all it conveys is privilege, not initiative. On the other hand, the students who have worked all summer, started their own businesses, conducted research, or otherwise cultivated their singular hook are much more highly prized by Penn admissions officers. 

Save yourself the money, and develop your leadership and business skills by making an impact in your own community. Or, if you’re intent on having a summer camp experience, attend a regular old sleepaway camp in the wilderness, where at least you won’t be kidding yourself that your time there will improve your case for elite college admission or have anything to do with academic or pre-professional enrichment!

How Wharton’s LBW Program Hurts College Applicants

But that’s not the only way participating in LBW can work against otherwise promising applicants. Let’s say you’re an academically ambitious high schooler who attended LBW during your rising senior summer. You have aspirations to attend the Wharton undergraduate program, and submit an application by the Early Decision deadline. Inevitably, admissions officers at Penn are none too impressed with your LBW-studded resume, for all of the reasons stated above, and defer or deny you admission to Penn.

With your tail between your legs, you must now put together Regular Decision applications. Only, there’s a problem. Admissions officers at these second fiddle schools have a strong intuition that Penn was your first choice because of the LBW program on your resume, and they feel quite scorned to have received your application during the Regular Decision round. Many of them don’t even have undergraduate business programs, and fail to understand why LBW is on your resume in the first place! It’s a bad situation all around, made all the worse by the fact that you could have avoided it and saved money in the process by ignoring all of those ads for LBW.

Ivy Coach’s Advice: Skip the Youth Enrichment Program, Pay Ivy Coach Instead

If your family is eager to spend money to improve your case for admission to schools like Penn, pay Ivy Coach instead of completing the LBW program. Not only will you come across as less privileged on your applications (including to Penn), but you also won’t put a bad taste in the mouths of all of your Regular Decision colleges should your Early Decision application to Penn fail to pan out. It’s much better to come across as an application procrastinator than a high-income Penn reject!