Customer Reviews

The Running of the Bulls: Inside the Cutthroat Race from Wharton to Wall Street

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have recommended this book to everyone I know who is either entertaining or enrolled in a business school. I liked Nicole Ridgway's candor and her effortless writing.

This book is a great inside guide to the Wharton School. It was never a secret to me that Wharton is the oldest and most prestigious business school that absolutely packed with extremely successful people.

That said I was still surprised to learn the extent of the Wharton Alumni network power and the "halo effect" of Wharton that lasts for life and travel around the world. If you graduate from one of the lesser schools, you will always be judged by your most recent job and will not be able to move to another country and have people go WOW and waltz into a Goldman Sachs, Private Equity firm, Bain or whatever. However a Wharton graduate who has bumbed around for a few years will still be given the benefit of the doubt 10 years down the track and will have friends and alumni to help him/her out.

There is a definite mystique to anyone who has a degree from Wharton. Unless you read this book, the mystique of the place can't be escaped.

Ever wonder what it's like for college students to try to enter the job market these days? What about the high achievers who are aiming for Wall Street? "Running with the Bulls" gives you key insights into handling interviews--- much more than one could ever get from watching The Apprentice. Here is a look into how several Wharton graduating students threaded the maze. Written with an engaging style, this is a must read for anyone considering a finance career and specifically someone considering a Wall Street career. While I am sure Wharton alum will enjoy it immensely, it targets college students and their parents who are in the process of making decisions about their studies, their futures and their quality of life. A solid thumbs up!

As a Penn Alum, Class of '04, I must say that Ridgway has captured many of the elements that are endearing not only to Whartonites, but to all Penn students--from familiar Penn lingo to various campus sites and their nicknames lovingly tagged on by and known only (up until now) to us Quakers. This book serves many purposes. It is not only a nostalgic keepsake for the Penn Class of '04, but a guide for the current Quakers-in-Making--of course, tailored more for the Wharton students who want to follow in such footsteps. In addition, Ridgway paints a very realistic portrait of the number one business school in the world. She describes the profiles of the 7 students so accurately and pinpoints not only the milestones of their grueling journeys, but also the subtle nuances in their paths, all of which set Wharton students apart from anyone else. Indeed, there is a certain rift that exists between Wharton and the 3 other schools at Penn. There is no denial in that, which Ridgway correctly points out. That being stated, there remains a universal aspect to this book: Ridgway has successfully shifted through the thick ivy vines to reveal to her readers what the stereotypical Ivy League mindset is all about. She breaks down the mystery by describing what it takes to become the "cream of the cream of the crop" from the infant stages of student life.

The trials and tribulations of several elite Wharton students are superbly described by Ms Ridgway in her captivating new book. Without question Wharton is one of the best business schools on the planet and for good reason. The Wharton curriculum is unbearable, by most human standards, but it's the countless finance, accounting and economic courses that keep you warm during the cold Philadelphia winters. The Running Of The Bulls is an insiders guide to the life of "super humans", better known as Whartonites, who never get the chance to experience college life as 20 year olds. Ms. Ridgway unveils how a 3.6 GPA is normal and one can't help but become baffled that these kids are willing to sacrifice sleepless nights (even weekends) studying to achieve a 3.8 GPA. Summer vacation for the Wharton elite is working 120 plus hours 7 days a week with little pay and certainly NO play time! The grueling Wharton curriculum is welcomed by several students for which Ms. Ridgway describes their optimism, aspirations and realizations during their life as a privileged intellectual. The end result is having your cake and eating it too. A wonderful story book!

Pretty interesting, informative book, but the writing is terrible. The author uses weird phrasing over and over again, and some of the passages just sound strange and jarring to the ear.

Get this book for its informative info, not for the actual writing.

I enjoyed Running of the Bulls a lot. It's less about Wharton than it is about the drive that some individuals have that sets them apart from others. These kids are immensely driven to succeed financially and professionally, however, what they sacrafice in order to acheive their goals may, ultimately, deflate their success. While they may make it to the Wall Street Board Room, they're likely to fail in other parts of their lives. It will be interesting to read a second version of this book some 10 years from now to see how their determination effected their professional and personal lives.

What does it take to make it at Wharton's undergraduate program?

This book details kids going through the program with incredible insight. Knowing a few kids from Wharton myself when I was in college, I can say many of the events highlighted are true.

Truely interesting read. It will make you appreciate what it really takes to work at Wall Street. Overall Great Book to get ready for recruiting and a great, fast read for anyone interested in what it takes to make it in "The Street" or Corporate America for that matter.

Personally, I absolutely loved this book. A student from any business background will probably enjoy this book. Much of it applies to a certain stigma of Ivy League students, the ambitious undertakers who know no boundaries for themselves, but I believe that this book given to anyone who's ambitious and never content with being complacent will absolutely love this book. I don't attend Wharton, however, reading the journeys of these students leaves the reader at times, wishing they had.

For those are in the careers described in this book, investment banking, investment management, consulting, Fortune 100 companies, - they will immediately understand what the students went through as many of them had to go through it themselves. As a result, they will be attracted to the sharing of the stories that are listed.

Much of the public has no idea how hard it is to break into the more lucrative ideas of business. Wharton may appear to be in a world all by itself, understandably, they are. Wharton students are famous not only because of their alma mater, but because of the accomplishments that they themselves now have completed. With a majority of students dreaming of entering Investment Banking, realizing that the 130k compensation comes with 80-100 hour work weeks, these students are motivated. This book is a great insight into the culture of Wharton students. A must read for those aspiring to enter IB/IM/HF and those hoping to call themselves someday as a Whartonite.

I am currently a student at Wharton and I found the book to be very interesting, although quite harsh at times.

This is a funny book that also rewards with insights about what getting a business education at the top school feels like.

There are two other books on business educations by Robert Reid, titled "Year One", about life at Harvard Business School and by Peter Robinson, titled "Snapshots from Hell." All three books are fantastic reading, great writing and fun. Read it if you have any interest in the b-school experience.