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Aaron Packles Explains the Wharton Effect in Wharton Magazine

A longtime executive with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Aaron
Packles currently provides strategic counsel to banks as the Head of
North American Depository Institutions in New York City. Aaron Packles
has also led Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s recruitment efforts for The
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned an
MBA.

In an article in Wharton Magazine, Packles reflected on the
“Wharton effect,” explaining that his education there helped him gain
entrance into Wall Street when he had no connections in the field. He
also recounted his admissions experience after he was invited to apply
to the MBA program while completing his BA at the University of
Pennsylvania. After weeks of waiting for news about his application,
Packles called the admissions office and discovered that he had long
since been admitted to the program; his acceptance letter had simply
been lost in the mail.

Since that moment of elation upon learning of his acceptance, Packles has continued to enjoy the Wharton effect, and he fully recognized the enduring strength of a Wharton
education as a recruiter with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He told
Wharton Magazine that the academic and ethical background of Wharton MBA
students immediately establishes their credibility as prospective hires.