wharton mba essay 2 examples

Wharton MBA Essay Examples

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Wharton MBA Essay Samples

Wharton looks for exceptional career trajectory, quantitative chops, and demonstrated leadership, teamwork, and interpersonal skills. In recent years, they have worked to deemphasize the GMAT so it’s not quite as rigid as it once was as in order to diversify class. With less emphasis on stats, the Wharton essays are essential to showcasing character and experiences.

Successful Examples of Wharton MBA Essays

Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team .

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School HBS MBA

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School Kellogg MBA

Director HBS Admissions at Harvard Business School MBA, the Wharton School

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School

Director HBS Admissions at Harvard Business School HBS MBA

Admissions Officer at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) MBA, Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB)

Asst Director MBA Admissions at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) Director MBA Admissions at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

MBA, Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) Minority Admissions, the GSB Diversity Programs, the GSB

Associate Director MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania

Associate Director MBA Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute

Director, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania Professional Writer

Assistant Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS) NYU Admissions

Assistant Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS) M.S.Ed, Higher Education, U of Pennsylvania

Associate Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS)

Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure.  Ashley  holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years,  Ashley  was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...

Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions. Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and  ...

A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally.  Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM.  For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...

Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS).  In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds.  Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students.  In additio ...

Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years.  Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...

Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years.  In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School.  Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...

Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...

Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...

Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications.  She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...

Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford.   Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...

Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year.   Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...

Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...

Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team.  During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students.  She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...

Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS).  During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...

Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business. At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...

Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director.  Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants.

As a Wharton MBA, I plan to seek opportunities that exploit my strengths contributing to team environments. First, I thrive in settings where I can leverage my broad knowledge base and strong analytical foundation to help solve problems across a number of functions. Similarly, my empathetic style of leadership has been effective in engaging a range of perspectives and voices towards a common goal. Both aspects position me uniquely to take on roles where I can bridge Wharton with the surrounding community.

Dance education is an initiative I’m highly motivated to support, as dance has been an amazing therapeutic outlet for me. The countless hours I’ve spent bhangra dance moves have been both highly meditative and endlessly entertaining. Dance is also perhaps the most powerful unifier of people I’ve ever experienced. All personal differences seem to wash away when people can join around their common love of dance. While at Wharton, I plan to combine my appreciation for performance and excitement to engage with the community by working with Wharton Dance Studio, which brings Wharton students together in a broad variety of styles and and cultures, for events such as the Wharton Dance Studio & India Club’s joint Bollywood Fusion Diwali Dance Workshop. Whether teaching, organizing live events for the community, or even taking the stage as a dancer myself, I am excited about the range of ways I can spread the joy of movement through the Wharton Dance Club.

Another area of personal interest where I intend to contribute meaningfully to the Wharton community is golf. I played golf extensively growing up, but talents lie less on the fairway and more in the front-office. For years, I have maintained an avid interest in the advanced analytics of golf as a scouting / decision-making tool, even going so far as to create my own statistical models. As a widget industry professional, I’ve become well-versed in the emerging technology companies advancing the applications of data analytics to the golf handicap industry. Working with the Wharton Golf Club, I am eager to help lead the Wharton team competing at the MBA Masters tourney at Duke University and the annual Spring Scramble, and I would love to organize teams of Wharton golfers to work with inner-city Philadelphia high school and collegiate kids, helping to promote the adoption of advanced golf statistical handicapping to elevate athletic performance at the amateur level.

My short-term post-MBA goal is to join the Strategy and Operations team at a widget tech firm such as well-known-companies-that-recruit-at-Wharton A and B, to gain experience in creating growth opportunities in digital widgets. Long-term, I hope to become the COO of a widget-tech firm and drive the expansion of widget inclusion, particularly in REGION X where I grew up.

Widget inclusion is in a state of disarray, both in the United States and around the world. While going to college in COUNTRY X, I learned about the struggles migrant workers faced in accessing the widget services they needed. Foreign domestic helpers and construction workers told me how difficult it was to do xxx, yyy or zzz in countries where they lacked institutional ties. I became interested in Widget-tech after seeing widget-tech companies’ potential for expanding inclusion and widget literacy issues.

The Wharton MBA will prepare me to become a leader in the widget-tech industry. In my consulting experience at CONSULTING GIANT X, I have worked primarily with traditional widget manufacturing corporations, and developed expertise in improving risk management operations. I want to use the Wharton MBA to build on my experience while learning about managing operations more holistically across an organization, and developing relationships and expertise in the widget-tech industry.

Wharton’s Strategic Management major and elective offerings will help me succeed in a strategic and operational role. STUDENT 1 (Wharton’2X), recommended the course “Managing the Established Enterprise,” which provides frameworks on generating value and competitive advantages. “Technology Strategy,” taught by Professor Rahul Kapoor, will help me apply this knowledge to the widget industry specifically. Learning more about Professor Kapoor’s research on managing emerging technologies will also help me understand the market applications of new widget technologies.

Beyond the classroom, I will gain hands-on experience through participating in an Independent Study Project with the Widget Center for Innovation. STUDENT 2 (Wharton’2X) told me about her project identifying opportunities for technological innovation for Widgets Inc. Projects like these will provide me with new real-world insight into how technology is transforming conventional widgeting models.

I also plan to use Wharton’s Widget-tech Club to build ties in the widget industry. I will benefit from the community-building event and content development support the club facilitates. I am particularly interested in Career Treks related to digital widgets and manufacturing, and the annual widget-tech Conference. Listening to speakers such as Famous Executive, Strategy and Operations Lead at Widgets-R-Us, who spoke at the 2022 Conference, I will learn from industry leaders who are in roles I someday hope to inhabit. Current club member STUDENT 3 also told me about the club’s focus on member education and how it helped him communicate effectively when networking with widget-tech firms. The weekly lunch-and-learns and alumni fireside chats offered by the club will also deepen my content expertise and credibility in the widget industry.

Speaking with students and alumni showed me the supportive nature of Wharton’s community and I look forward to leveraging Wharton’s global network throughout my career in the widget industry.

When I was in my freshman year of high school, I signed up for the girl’s [sport] team. However, as the tryouts neared, I got cold feet; I had only played [sport] for one year prior to ninth grade. The high school coach was also my gym teacher, and she knew I was supposed to go out for the team. I could not imagine telling her that I had gone back on my word, so I dragged myself to the first practice.

That turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made. My coach gave us individualized cards before every game with that day’s goals—evidence of how deeply she cared for her players. I was a starting player by my sophomore year, and she would make me yell out directions to organize my teammates. This included telling the seniors who to cover, which was intimidating. Her confidence in me translated into confidence in myself, and I went on to play for her in the state championship game my junior year. We were not the most-skilled team in the state, but preparation, dedication and hard work helped us achieve a better record than we would have otherwise.

I continued to play in college, where my experience was completely different. At [College], we barely had enough players to field a team my senior year, so we had to recruit from the women’s [sport] and [sport] teams and other athletic friends. Learning to compete with an eclectic group of women with drastically different skill levels was a challenge. But remembering how to motivate individuals and focus on strengths helped me to succeed as captain.

My experience playing [sport] has shaped my career thus far by helping me to find ways to win in the competitive world of sales and trading and equity research. I know it will affect my contributions to the Wharton community as well. By trying out for the team my freshman year, I learned that I need to put myself out there—even if it’s uncomfortable—to gain new experiences and grow individually. I will be very active in on-campus groups, like Women in Business and Wharton’s Fintech club. Given all of the opportunities to get involved in business school, I understand the dedication it takes to get things like the Women’s Summit across the finish line. [Sport] also taught me how to empower individuals and work with a diverse group of people. By recognizing each person’s strengths, I will not only bring my Learning Team together, but also contribute to a greater sense of togetherness across the teams I am a part of at Wharton.

Finally, I would also like to contribute to the greater Wharton community by helping to coach [sport] locally in Philadelphia. I believe extending my network beyond Wharton’s walls will strengthen my leadership development, and I hope to inspire confidence in other young girls who are just beginning to think about their careers.

I am an avid runner, and am empowered by the physical feats my body is capable of. I share this outlet by volunteering with [Nonprofit], a [Description of Nonprofit]. Most recently, I [Description of achievement]. Reaching this milestone together required teamwork, leadership and commitment to action, all of which I will bring to the Wharton community.

As a team of mentors, we were charged with leading participants through a 10-week training program prior to our big event. Each week, we integrated our different professional backgrounds to appeal to the members’ diverse personalities. May, an outdoor adventure leader, was accustomed to exerting control in chaotic environments and expertly channeled energy into physical activity. June, a special event planner who is used to calming her clients in high-stress environments, easily dug into people’s underlying emotions to understand their excitement or concerns for race day. On my Wharton Learning Team, I will leverage this same collaborative approach to tackling challenges — actively contributing my own perspective and encouraging my teammates to do the same, all while pushing the group to integrate our ideas into the strongest possible response.

As we prepped the girls for the event, I gained a deeper appreciation for how passion develops leadership. I am passionate about our work, but I feel even more strongly about using it to empower the younger community. This heightened sense of purpose motivated me to work through challenges and help our members reach their goals. As a member of Wharton’s PE/VC Club and Wharton Women in Business, I will use my passion for improving businesses through investment and promoting women’s leadership to enhance the clubs’ respective communities and execute events. I am particularly eager to serve as Co-President of Wharton Women in Business and work with my team of Co-Presidents to host the Wharton Women’s Summit.

Finally, inspired by a member of my [Nonprofit] team, I will promote a commitment to action while at Wharton. AAA had struggled to gain her parents’ support during the season, but nonetheless continued to compete with a quiet determination. The day before our big event, she confided in me that she had been apprehensive about being able to do it, knowing that her parents would not be among the supporters. However, she also revealed her excitement to compete and to share in the success of her friends. Their collective hard work superseded her fears. Wharton’s campus celebrates the same type of commitment to action on behalf of others that AAA so maturely displayed that day. I will channel this practice by serving on the Deans’ MBA Advisory Council, deepening my understanding of the diverse initiatives of my peers, and then promoting their interests across the broader community. I aim to augment Wharton’s culture of sharing in each other’s successes, just as AAA did for our team.

In my Research role at [Company], I cover industrial companies that have been around for decades. I’ve noticed that in these organizations, the most exciting work is being done in the newer, software-led divisions. That’s why after graduation, I would like to expand my knowledge of new technologies in a digital transformation consulting role at a firm like Bain or BCG. Ultimately, I would like to be COO at a financial services or fintech company like PNC, Paypal, or Betterment.

To reach these goals, I hope to gain a better understanding of operations to complement my finance background. Classes in Wharton’s Operations, Information and Decisions department, such as “Information and Business Transformation” and “Enabling Technologies,” would provide a strong foundation and help me be in on the conversation about how businesses of the future will be run. Joining the Fintech club will increase my exposure to smaller growth companies and developing technologies, while allowing me to network with likeminded students.

Wharton can also help me develop the skills necessary to succeed in an upper-management position. I would take “Managing the Emerging Enterprise” to learn how to not only retain and attract talent, but also improve organizational processes. Further, I know I would benefit from taking classes with Adam Grant and Stew Friedman in particular. “Negotiations” would help me build a critical skill, and “Executive Leadership” would give me the tools to become a better leader inside and outside of work. I am also eager to learn how to encourage employees to bring their “whole self” to work.

I plan to network with [Alum] co-founder and CEO of [Company], and ask him about his experience running a fintech company and the impact his platform has had on smaller business.

[Alum], [Company] founder, is another alum I would like to connect with. I want to know how he grew his company and how customer demands have changed over the last few years as data analysis has become more mainstream. I am also interested in learning about investor’s openness to using this information to make investment decisions.

Finally, I intend to join Wharton Women in Business to network with classmates and industry leaders. I also hope to assist in organizing the Wharton Women’s Summit and bring inspiring female trailblazers to Philadelphia to share their experiences and accomplishments. I believe broadening my perspective through leadership expeditions and my classmates’ experiences will make me a more effective leader. Wharton’s diverse alumni network, leadership programs and faculty will help fill the gaps in my background and put me in the best possible position for a job in a digital consulting and ultimately for a COO role at a fintech or financial services company.

I love traveling to interview potential investment targets’ management teams; I have talked with executives at organic food producers, auto manufacturers, concrete block fabricators, and 30 other unique businesses. However, I have yet to encounter more than one woman serving in a senior-level position. I need a Wharton MBA to change this statistic.

In the short term, I will use my MBA to transition to a private equity investment role at a multinational investment firm like Carlyle, Blackstone or KKR. By capitalizing on Wharton’s advanced elective finance classes, I hope to sharpen my analytical proficiency and deepen my investment strategy knowledge.

I will complement the core’s rigor with electives such as The Finance of Acquisitions and Buyouts, which will expose me to real-world investment scenarios and improve my understanding of nuanced transaction-related details. Further, Wharton’s Learning Team model will enhance my perspective as I work with my team to incorporate our diverse backgrounds into problem solving. As [Alum] has proved, Wharton is unmatched in developing well-rounded investors and teammates.

Ultimately, I hope to leverage the leadership skills I develop at Wharton to land an executive position in the private equity division of a global investment firm. I intend to use my platform to campaign for the promotion of women to leadership positions across the industry. Through courses such as William Lauder’s Decision-Making in the Leadership Chair, I will have direct exposure to C-suite professionals and learn how to both position myself for a similar role and overcome challenges once in the position.

At the Diverse Perspectives on the Wharton MBA event in NYC, [Alum] recommended Stew Friedman’s Total Leadership to learn how to think about personal and professional fulfillment. I developed a greater appreciation for the role fulfillment can play in women’s career decisions while serving on a women’s initiative task force at [Company]. This course will be instrumental in achieving my future goal of campaigning for more female industry leaders.

I also intend to put classroom lessons into practice by serving as a Venture Fellow. I am intrigued by [Alum]’s role as a Fellow for the Andes Leadership Venture, which she detailed during conversation at an Admissions event in NYC. Just as she applied learnings from this experience to her role at the [Organization], I will do the same as an executive within a global investment firm.

Wharton’s clubs will further contribute to my development. Wharton Women in Business will serve as an excellent platform to refine my knowledge of women’s professional challenges across industries, and the Wharton Private Equity & Venture Capital Club will expose me to the diverse investment backgrounds of my peers. I also intend to serve as a Co-Chair for the PE/VC Conference, and I will use the opportunity to expand my network within the investment industry.

Wharton will help me develop the nuanced thinking and bold leadership necessary to incite change for women across the financial services industry.

My long-term goal is to combine my experience in finance and my passion for technology by starting and leading a technology company in China as a CFO. I developed an appreciation for technology companies during my time with Firm Q. I always believed they help to boost innovative ideas and make great products affordable to people from all walks of life. When I later moved to Bank, I got to know these companies more in-depth through working in the leading technology research team. I came to understand that business and innovation often go hand in hand. I want to lead a technology start-up of real social impact and propel innovation with the power of finance.

To achieve this goal, I intend to first earn an MBA and then work in Investment Banking M&A covering the technology sector in a major bank such as Goldman or Morgan Stanley after graduation. Working in the primary market would allow me to look at the technology industry from a different angle and help me be more prepared for my ultimate goal of building one of these companies.

Wharton gives me access to the tools I will need to succeed. Distinguished alumni such as Person 1 and Person 2 have spoken at length about their Wharton experiences. At Wharton, I will not only gain the knowledge needed for a leadership role in a tech start-up, but also attain deeper understanding of finance and how it functions inside and outside start-ups. Courses such as Venture Capital and Finance of Innovation, International Corporate Finance, Entrepreneurship through Acquisitions, and Enabling Technologies will provide me with insights into how finance connects with technology start-up companies in a global setting.

The role I envision for myself is that of a CFO. However, startups don’t often have the luxury of a full executive suite so I will need to sharpen my leadership and knowledge application capabilities. Speaking with ’17 student Tracy and attending info sessions, I got excited about Wharton’s broad array of courses and extra-curricular activities that emphasize leadership. Courses such as Managing the Emerging Enterprise and the Executive Coaching and Feedback Program will be central to developing my leadership skills. Besides, the Mack Institute for Innovation Management is an excellent platform for me to apply knowledge learned in management courses and develop practical approaches. In addition, I am extremely interested in the Global Immersion Program, which could offer me valuable insights through practical experience of direct interaction with local business leaders, managers, and government officials.

Outside the classroom, I will take leadership roles in the Technology club and Entrepreneurship club, where I will connect with students of similar belief and passion. Moreover, the strong Wharton alumni network in China also sets a solid foundation for my long-term career development.

Wharton is the school that not only helps me achieve my short-term goal, but also prepares me for my long-term goal by providing knowledge across subjects, leadership and immersive application training, extra-curricular activities, and community.

When I was twelve, I traveled alone to California to visit my mom’s former colleagues. While enjoying my first cup of Starbucks, I introduced Chinese traditions such as green tea and Beijing opera into these foreigners’ lives. As a Chinese girl who inherited traditional cultural values yet has also obtained a global viewpoint from living in Hong Kong and many visits to the U.S., I will contribute to Wharton by blending the western and eastern cultures and enhancing communication between both sides.

In the classroom I will contribute my deep accounting and finance knowledge and insights into the technology industry such as Apple’s supply chain competitive landscape. My international background and global perspective will allow me to provide the class with fresh angles to approach problems. In learning groups I will contribute to discussion and teamwork by playing various roles including teammate, motivator, and leader. My previous experience working with international teammates at Firm A and Bank Z strengthened my teamwork and communication skills.

In student clubs, I will contribute through taking a leadership role in the Technology Club and leveraging my contacts with technology companies and experts. For example, I could invite the CEO of StartUp Q, a leading Chinese artificial intelligence player, to talk about AI development trend. I will also join the Asia club as an officer and help with organizing the annual Asian Business Conference. I successfully organized the ABC Conference under the competition started by Wharton and the World Bank. I also attended the Harvard JKL Conference as a delegate. These experiences make me prepared to lead and contribute to the club. As an experienced student club leader, I will use my skills to identify merits in each teammate, utilize their strengths, and motivate the team.

Lastly, I want to contribute through community service. Specifically, I will apply to the Wharton Nonprofit Board Leadership Program. My commitment to community service started during college when I founded a social enterprise aimed at helping underprivileged families in Hong Kong bringing their handcrafted products to market. I worked at a Non Profit, 123 Health, on the project planning team at Uni. I am ready to contribute, and also excited to learn more Board skills at Wharton.

My perspective has been shaped by experiences spanning three different countries, and I am committed to sharing my unique experiences with the diverse Wharton community.

My long-term plan is to launch a company focused on providing solutions that allow teachers to tailor academic content to students based on their individualized needs. I have been involved in the education sector for many years, as a tutor throughout high school and college, and currently as a board member for Los Angeles Teach for America. I have long been interested in educational technology given its potential to dramatically alter the engagement level and overall learning process for students and enhance the education system. To achieve this goal I first need an MBA and an initial strategic planning role in an early stage education technology company, such as ABC Learning or Real Knowledge, where I will gain more experience in the industry, develop better cross-functional skills, and learn how to build a young business. Wharton is the first step on my journey.

While my undergraduate education and professional experiences have provided significant practice in the fields of finance and accounting, I will expand that exposure at Wharton across the full spectrum of other business functions such as strategy, sales and marketing, and operations. Courses such as Professor Siggelkow’s Strategy and Competitive Advantage will teach me to build competitive advantage for an enterprise through strategic decision-making, a key topic to meet my near-term career objectives. Entrepreneurial-focused learning like the Formation and Implementation of Entrepreneurial Ventures class will help as well, as I’ll learn to build and implement an effective start-up business model. Outside of the classroom, Wharton’s Entrepreneurship Club will offer exposure to different ideas and business plans developed by classmates, provide the opportunity to connect with alumni and learn from their entrepreneurial experiences, and serve as a network for potential funding sources down the road. Across both classroom and extracurricular activities I am excited to learn from the varied and diverse experiences of my peers in the Wharton community and benefit from their unique perspectives.

Personally, a Wharton MBA will further enhance my softer management and leadership skills. I am excited to take Foundations of Teamwork and Leadership which will allow hands-on development and application of these skills from the very beginning in Pre-Term. I also plan to serve as a Board Fellow in the Nonprofit Board Leadership Program, which will combine an interactive leadership learning opportunity with the ability to give back to local non-profit organizations – a continuation of the non-profit board work I have enjoyed over the last several years. Taking on a leadership role in the Entrepreneurship Club will give me additional experience leading a group of my peers and increase my engagement in the entrepreneurial community at Wharton. Lastly, I look forward to developing strong relationships with classmates during the program and with other Wharton alumni more broadly. The unique talents of classmates and global reach of Wharton’s deep alumni network will provide an invaluable source of ideas, resources and guidance throughout my career and entrepreneurial endeavors. Ultimately, Wharton serves as the ideal platform for me to continue my professional and personal development to achieve my career goals.

To me, academic engagement encompasses the whole Wharton learning community. I see myself contributing through the classroom, clubs and volunteer organizations.

In the classroom, I will help my learning group going through the fixed core because of my academic background and my professional experience in finance and consulting. My college coursework includes honors econometrics along with undergraduate and graduate level courses in regression analysis. This background will allow me to help my group as we go through Regression Analysis for Managers. Additionally, my professional experience will be valuable in Marketing Management which covers customer segmentation and pricing strategy, among other topics. As a consultant, I worked on several growth strategy projects based on customer segmentations. At ABC Private Equity, I helped develop pricing strategies for various businesses including a dental lab, a chain of ambulatory surgery centers and a software company. My professional experience will help me contribute to classroom discussion in elective courses outside the fixed core. For example, I plan to take Negotiation and Dispute Resolution. At ABC Private Equity, I negotiated reimbursement rate increases with health insurance companies and a multi?company deal for document printing services with a print vendor.

I also plan to contribute through leadership roles in student clubs such as the Healthcare Club. I believe that I could leverage some of my contacts in the healthcare industry to help organize a speaker series for this group. I could reach out to Mike Jones , a former president of XYZ Healthcare, to speak about the implications of healthcare reform legislation. I am working closely with Mike to develop a reimbursement management strategy for our clinical lab business.

I would also seek an officer position with the Technology Club. My experience creating web applications including a procurement management app and a pricing calculator for a dental business will make me a valuable addition to that club; I can help students from non?technical backgrounds become conversant in programming concepts.

Finally, I would like to contribute through volunteer activities. I will apply to the Wharton Nonprofit Board Leadership Program, and hope for a board position at a nonprofit focused on child/teen education. I firmly believe in the value of education and this has led me to help educate others. This started in college, where I worked as a calculus teaching assistant and continues today. I currently volunteer, through DEF Scholars, as a mentor helping underprivileged high school seniors apply to college. I also volunteer with XYZ Tutoring, a nonprofit providing free ACT prep to Chicago Public School students. At XYZ, I lead a team of three programmers building a web portal for students to take practice tests.

Wharton brings together students from diverse backgrounds to create a pool of complementary knowledge, talent and connections that all can draw from to accomplish their goals. Everyone must be willing to give into the pool. I value this dynamic and am committed to contributing.

Professionally, I want to further develop skills needed to achieve my career goals. My short term goal is to join a corporate strategy team at a large healthcare company. Subsequently, I would transition into a management role at one of that company’s business units. I would then pursue a CEO position at a mid?size healthcare IT business such as Vitera Solutions. I grew up close to someone with a chronic illness. This situation created turmoil in my family and eventually led to my parents divorce. The condition eluded effective treatment until one doctor found a combination of six drugs that brought the symptoms under control. This experience motivated me to pursue a career in healthcare and particularly healthcare IT, where data mining can be used to identify novel treatment combinations. To reach my career goals, I need to refine my leadership and analytical skills.

Ive demonstrated leadership potential through projects inside and outside of work but need to further develop as a leader to be highly effective in corporate strategy, as a manager, and as a CEO. I would accomplish this at Wharton through coursework and extracurricular activities. Specifically, I would take courses focused on leadership including Executive Leadership and Advanced Persuasion. Outside the classroom, I would take advantage of the Executive Feedback and Coaching Program. I would also participate in the Tall Ship Sailing leadership venture, first as a participant and then, hopefully, as a venture fellow.

At Wharton, I would improve analytically by learning to better apply academic theory to business problems. I studied economics and mathematics at the University of Chicago. Whereas Wharton’s philosophy is Knowledge for Action, the University of Chicago’s could best be described as Knowledge for Theory. This training gap has prevented me from fully utilizing economics/statistics to solve business problems. I would address this at Wharton through collaboration with other students and faculty on research projects. For example, I would apply for a Mack Institute Research Fellowship to explore novel ways to use patient data to improve healthcare outcomes.

Personally, I want to make close friends who share my interest in business. I met most of my close friends in college. Very few went into business. I could build similarly close relationships with other students at Wharton through my core learning group and student clubs. I have been impressed with the professional aptitude and personal qualities of the Wharton alums that I have met in my career and would be excited to build friendships with others like them. As an example, I worked on a project with John Smith (WG 99), an executive at CDE Medical. John is not only one of the smartest guys I have ever met, he is also one of the nicest.

Wharton is the only program that can help me attain my professional and personal goals: developing skills inside and outside the classroom to be an executive of impact, and forming networks and lasting friendships with like?minded individuals.

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Wharton MBA Essay Examples

Read these Wharton MBA essay examples for some inspiration when writing your own! The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania is considered one of the best MBA programs in the world , and getting accepted is tough. The Wharton MBA admissions essays are one way for you to give your application a boost and stand out. In this blog, we’ll look at how to write an MBA essay for Wharton School of Business, what the requirements are and some samples to help guide you.

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Article Contents 6 min read

How important is the mba essay for wharton.

Wharton School of Business is a part of the HSW trinity, along with Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business , and is considered one of the best MBA programs in the US and globally. Wharton’s reputation as a top business school and its relatively competitive admissions means it is challenging to get accepted. The acceptance rate at Wharton is around 12%, which is quite selective for an MBA program. Wharton also receives thousands of applications every admissions cycle. This means successful applicants need to not only have a strong application, but they also need to stand out from a pool of competitive applicants.

The Wharton MBA essays are one way to help distinguish your application, strengthen your candidacy and personalize your application. Wharton is looking for more than a high GPA, impressive GMAT scores and a stellar MBA resume . You need to make a lasting impression on the admissions committee. You need to share why you want to pursue an MBA and how you will contribute to the MBA program at Wharton.

As you’re preparing to write your Wharton MBA essays, keep in mind the school’s mission and values. Your aim should be to demonstrate as much as possible how Wharton’s specific MBA program will contribute to your achieving your goals, how your experience and background will contribute to Wharton and why you have chosen Wharton, in particular, over other MBA programs. Wharton’s mission statement is:

“Our mission is  to develop leaders who act with a deeper understanding of themselves, their organizations, and their communities, and contribute positively to the growth of each .”

As you can tell, leadership and self-awareness are important at Wharton. The admissions committee also wants to hear your genuine voice and perspective. Wharton highlights these three tips when it comes to writing your admissions essay:

• Don’t worry about word count at first
• Be yourself
• Connect your ideas

For the first two tips, it’s a reminder to dig deep and self-reflect on your personal and professional decisions. Let your genuine voice shine through your essay. And as for the word count, worry about editing your essay later, or ask someone to proofread your work for you.

As for connecting your ideas, your essay should seamlessly connect ideas about where you are coming from or what you have already done, what you hope to learn or accomplish after your MBA, and lastly, why Wharton is the program that will help you do those things. It’s important to have a strong answer to the question “why Wharton?” and share which specific aspects or values of the school drew you in.

If you’re not sure where to start with writing your MBA essay, check out our Wharton MBA essay samples below, or look into an MBA essay writing service or MBA essay consultant to help you craft a stellar admissions essay.

An MBA personal statement is one of the common MBA requirements and acing the Wharton MBA essay questions is an important step. For the traditional MBA program at Wharton, there are 2 required essays, an optional essay, and a required essay for any reapplicants. Your essays are written in response to specific prompts set by the school. These questions ask you to share your motivations, experiences and career goals, beyond what can be found in your MBA extracurriculars or work experience.

The Wharton MBA essay prompts are:

This optional essay can be useful for applicants who have a gap or weakness in their application. For instance, if you need to know how to explain a low GPA in an MBA application or how to explain gaps in your MBA resume. Other applicants might use this optional essay to explain a period of unemployment if they are applying to an MBA while unemployed or have a major career change. ","label":"Optional Essay","title":"Optional Essay"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

Want more tips for writing an MBA personal statement?

Check out these Wharton MBA essay examples to help spark some ideas for writing your own! Or read some Harvard MBA personal statements or Stanford MBA personal statement examples if you’re applying to the HWS trinity of MBA programs.

Wharton MBA Essay Example #1

Prompt: How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words max)

Having worked in a dynamic corporate environment for several years, I have developed a solid foundation in strategy and leadership. However, to achieve my entrepreneurial goals of becoming an app developer serving international travelers and students abroad, I recognize the need for a more comprehensive skill set and a deeper understanding of global business practices. The Wharton MBA program provides the perfect platform to bridge these gaps and take my career to new heights.

The Wharton MBA program's commitment to social impact and entrepreneurship perfectly aligns with my aspirations. The access to the Wharton Social Impact Initiative and the extensive entrepreneurship resources will empower me to develop sustainable business models and effectively tackle social issues. The program's emphasis on ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility will further shape my understanding of the intersection between business and social impact, enabling me to drive change as a responsible leader in the corporate world. Furthermore, Wharton’s emphasis on experiential learning through real-world projects and case studies will enable me to develop practical problem-solving skills and a strategic mindset, which are crucial for effective decision-making in complex business scenarios.

Wharton’s extensive courses covering technology, analytics and finance will be essential for developing my understanding of the industry and provide me with practical, real-world skills I will need to achieve my goals. I am especially intrigued by the program’s courses on Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation, and Digital Marketing and e-Commerce, which is an area of my professional skillset I am keen to develop further.

Lastly, Wharton's strong network of alumni and industry connections will offer unparalleled opportunities for internships and networking, allowing me to gain hands-on experience and forge valuable relationships. As an aspiring entrepreneur, fostering these partnerships and collaborations are essential to my success and continued learning as I find new career paths.

By leveraging the Wharton resources, I am confident that I will emerge from the Wharton MBA program as a transformative leader, ready to make a positive impact and contribute meaningfully to both the business community and society at large.

Prompt: Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words max)

Drawing upon my diverse background encompassing personal, professional, and academic experiences, I am eager to contribute to the vibrant and dynamic Wharton community. The program has many unique and enticing student clubs and activities which have piqued my interest. By actively engaging in traditions such as Follies and student clubs like the Brewmasters' Guild, I aim to foster a sense of camaraderie, creativity, and innovation, while also leveraging my skills to enhance the Wharton experience for my fellow students.

I have cultivated a passion for performing arts throughout my life, and I believe that my background in theater and comedy will bring a unique perspective to the Wharton community. I plan to contribute to the Wharton Follies by utilizing my creative talents in writing, acting, and directing. I am a long-time participant of the Wildfire Improv Troupe in [city] and I have participated in the [city] Fringe Festival as a comedic actor, director and playwright for the past 6 years. By participating in Follies, I hope to entertain and engage my peers, creating a space for laughter and lightheartedness amidst the demanding academic environment. Through collaborations with fellow students, I aim to create memorable performances that celebrate the diverse talents within the Wharton community.

My professional experiences have fostered strong skills in event planning, organization, and team leadership. As a member of the Brewmasters' Guild at Wharton, I intend to utilize these skills to contribute to the community in a distinct way. By organizing and hosting beer tastings, workshops, and networking events, I seek to create a platform for students to explore the art and science of brewing while cultivating a sense of community. As Philadelphia is a hotspot for microbrewing and craft beer making, I am excited at the prospect of exploring what Wharton and the city have to offer my taste buds.

I am eager to see how my passions will blossom and add to the student community at Wharton, and how I might use my professional and extracurricular skillsets to enhance an already vibrant and exciting community.

Your Wharton MBA essay should share the highlights of your professional experience so far, why you want to pursue a Wharton MBA, what your future career goals are and why Wharton’s MBA program will help you achieve them. Your essay should be no more than 500 words.

To stand out in an MBA essay, it’s important to be genuine and allow your natural voice to come through. You should answer the prompt as directly and fully as you can, while remaining succinct and within the word count. Share specific career goals you have and concrete reasons why you chose the school you are applying to.

Wharton MBA has one of the lowest MBA acceptance rates in the US , as it is also considered one of the best MBA programs in the world and is highly selective. So, getting into Wharton MBA is quite challenging.

The Wharton MBA essays have a word count limit of 500 and 400 words for the required essays. The optional essay prompt has a word count limit of 500 words.

The Wharton MBA essays have fairly straightforward essay topics. They ask you to explain why you chose Wharton and what your future career goals are, and they want to know how you will meaningfully contribute to the Wharton MBA program.

Some of the biggest things Wharton looks for in its applicants is professional maturity and demonstrated leadership. This means no matter your career background, you should show a progression of professional development, responsibility and a variety of contributions to the workplace. What you’ve done for work or how many years of experience you have is less important than how and how much you contributed to your field.

Wharton has 2 required essays. The prompts are: “How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton” and “Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community?”

Yes. Wharton receives thousands of applications every year, and your MBA personal statement or admissions essay is one of the best ways to distinguish yourself from all the other applicants. Your MBA essay also reveals important information about you and your goals that the Wharton admissions committee will want to know.

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• The Wharton School Essay Tips and Examples

June 13, 2023

Jeremy Shinewald

Wharton 2023–2024 Essay Tips

Essay 1: How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)

In just 500 words, you must discuss your career aspirations—giving sufficient context for why they are realistic for you—and illustrate how Wharton will help you pursue these goals by demonstrating a thorough understanding of what the school offers and a well-thought-out game plan for availing yourself of particular resources. To effectively do this and write a reasoned, nuanced essay, you must first familiarize yourself with Wharton’s various offerings, events, and extracurriculars and pinpoint those that truly pertain to you and the direction in which you hope to move. Go the extra mile in learning about the school—connect with multiple students and alumni, attend admissions events in your area, participate in the school’s webinars and other online/virtual offerings, read recent press releases from the program and any news stories about it published elsewhere, check out the Wharton School YouTube channel, and especially, visit the campus if at all possible. This will provide the kind of in-depth insight that you can use to show the admissions committee you are really serious about Wharton and are confident you belong there. Simply presenting a list of classes and clubs you think sound interesting will  not  suffice, and you must absolutely avoid vague, pandering statements about how great the school is. Your goal is to reveal clear connections between your aspirations, what you need to achieve them (e.g., skills, experience[s], connections, exposure), and what Wharton in particular can provide that will enable you to fill those gaps.

That said, take care to not talk exclusively about the Wharton side of this equation. The admissions committee wants to more fully understand the vision you have for your future career, how you have developed this vision, and why you believe it is feasible and fitting for you (with respect to your interests, work style, strengths, values, and/or other such factors). In a post from 2021 about the essay prompts (the same ones the program is using this season), Blair Mannix, Wharton’s director of admissions, noted, “We made slight revisions to Essay 1 to ensure that the question remained applicant-centered while still requiring applicants to think carefully and specifically about how they can maximize two years at Wharton to prepare for their future career goals” (emphasis ours). Connect the dots, so to speak, between what you are bringing to Wharton yourself as a student and what you feel Wharton will provide to complement and strengthen that to set you on the path to success.

Note that Wharton asks you to address only the professional aspect—not the professional  and personal  aspect—of your business school goals. This means you should focus solely on sharing your career-related stories and ambitions here and then use the other essay(s) to discuss non-work aspects of your life, thereby providing a more complete and well-rounded picture of yourself for the admissions committee.

In many ways, this prompt is asking for a traditional MBA personal statement. We therefore encourage you to download a free copy of the  mbaMission Personal Statement Guide , in which we offer detailed advice on approaching and framing these kinds of topics, along with multiple illustrative examples. 

Essay 2: Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

In a blog post posted when this prompt took on its current wording, Mannix explained, “Our main goal is to get to know you the best that we can, and the change to our second prompt was largely motivated by that desire.” The breadth of this essay question allows you to provide a well-rounded impression of yourself for the admissions committee because you can discuss multiple aspects of or stories from your life and draw from any area (personal, professional, community related, and/or academic), thereby allowing you to highlight your strongest and most relevant options. However, the word count is fairly restrictive, so you need to be concise in doing so, without sacrificing effectiveness or thoroughness. 

We recommend using approximately one-half of your allowed word count to describe your chosen experience(s) or quality(-ties), so that you have sufficient space in which to then explain how it (they) will enable you to contribute to the Wharton community in a meaningful way. Do your best to “show,” or really spell out, your story—rather than just flatly presenting or stating it—to give the admissions reader some perspective and context. You then need to demonstrate both self-awareness and, again, a thorough understanding of the Wharton MBA experience by drawing connections between this aspect of your background and what you can subsequently bring the school as a member of its community. For example, a past project might have given you some critical insights and skills you could now pass on to your classmates in a related class or club. Or maybe a personal challenge gave you an interesting new perspective on commitment, determination, or another valuable quality. What is most important in this essay is conveying how you envision applying the knowledge or attribute as a student in the Wharton program. 

In addition to the suggestions we offered earlier for ways of better familiarizing yourself with Wharton, be sure to download a free copy of the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania , which provides an in-depth look at the school’s academic program, unique offerings, social life, and other key characteristics.

Required Essay for All Reapplicants: Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected [on] and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 words)

Thankfully, this essay is pretty straightforward. Whether you have improved your academic record, received a promotion, begun a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement, or taken on some sort of personal challenge, the key to success with this essay is conveying a very deliberate path of achievement. Wharton wants to know that you have been actively striving to improve yourself and your profile, and that you have seized opportunities during the time since you last applied to do so, because a Wharton MBA is vital to you. The responses to this essay question will vary greatly from one candidate to the next, because each person’s needs and experiences differ. We are more than happy to provide one-on-one assistance with this highly personal essay to ensure that your efforts are presented in the best light possible.

Optional Essay: Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (500 words)

With this prompt, Wharton is acknowledging that some candidates have aspects of their profiles that might need a little clarification. This essay is therefore your opportunity—if needed—to address any lingering questions that an admissions officer might have about your candidacy, such as a low GRE or GMAT score, a legal or disciplinary incident, or, of course, one of the extenuating circumstances the school suggests. However, keep in mind that by submitting an optional essay, you are requiring the already overtaxed admissions readers to do additional work on your application, so do not rush to fill this space just because you fear that not doing so will somehow count against you (it will not), and also avoid being overly verbose or sharing more information than is truly necessary just because you technically can. You must ensure that the admissions committee’s extra time and effort are truly warranted. If you feel you might have a valid reason for submitting this additional essay or are not sure if the issue you are considering would warrant doing so, we encourage you to download a free copy of our  mbaMission Optional Essays Guid e , in which we offer detailed advice on when and how to take advantage of the optional essay, along with multiple sample essays.

Wharton MBA Essay Examples

How do you plan to use the wharton mba program to help you achieve your future professional goals you might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at wharton. (500 words).

After transitioning from banking to private equity, I first found the faster pace and expanded scope startling, but ultimately invigorating. Shifting from agent to principal, I leapt into formulating a go-forward strategy for rewardify.com’s rapidly growing consumer data analytics business and explored a complex carveout for the payments division of a Dutch online bank. I had absolutely no experience with either industry, but all that really mattered was that I could quickly learn, adapt and contribute. Over the past two years, I have learned to appreciate the “messiness” of investing and the vast opportunities it offers to create value via ingenuity, collaboration and old-fashioned elbow grease. I plan to return to technology investing after I graduate, focusing on later-stage venture or growth equity in Seoul or Shanghai, where wired populaces are driving innovations in consumer tech. Meantime, I aspire to use my Wharton experience to “accelerate my acceleration” both personally and professionally, refining the hard and soft skills I need to thrive in my chosen industry. 

As I assess my long-term needs, I recognize that to be a “full stack” partner to management teams, I must grow beyond the financial plain and develop my operations and marketing tool kit. Wharton’s Marketing and Operations Management Major is therefore ideal for me. Having an undergraduate degree in mathematics, I find myself guided largely by intuition in these areas and would take foundational classes like “Operations Strategy” and “Dynamic Marketing Strategy” to then extract the most from uniquely applicable advanced courses like “Contagious: How Products, Ideas, and Behaviors Catch On” and “Online Business Models and the Information-Based Firm.” Beyond Wharton’s vast course options, I find the opportunities to unify theory and practice to be incredibly compelling. The Startup Challenge would allow me to partner with an entrepreneur and engage in the entrepreneurial process, thereby making me a more operationally oriented and thoughtful investor. And a Global Modular Course, like “Global Supply Chain in China,” will provide invaluable insight into the world’s most vexing business issues, while enabling me to expand my industry-related network and form closer bonds with classmates.  

I feel fortunate to have already witnessed firsthand the role my diverse and dynamic classmates will play in my education; I visited my cousin Tarek Masoud (W ’19) on campus just before the pandemic, and while there, I observed his “Managerial Decision Making” class and attended that week’s Pub. Both revealed a community that truly comes together to share ideas—and even laugh sometimes at the intensity of the past week. Being a part of this warm yet fervent community greatly appeals to me. An intensive Leadership Venture will allow me to work with peers to actively reflect on and hone my leadership style, and I look forward to the awesome commitment and teamwork that characterize the Learning Team experience. I will enter Wharton with an open mind, ready to listen, absorb, and share, knowing that by bringing the entirety of my energy to the experience, I can confidently embark on the next phase of my career.

The Next Step: Mastering Your Wharton Interview

Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. To help you attain this high level of preparedness, we offer our free   Interview Guides . Download a complimentary copy of  The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Interview Guide   today.

To learn more about the essays for other top business schools, visit our  MBA Essay Tips and Examples Resources Page .

2023-2024 Business School Essays MBA Essay Tips University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)

Tags: business school essay free guides MBA application essays optional essay reapplicants Wharton

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2023–2024 MBA Essay Tips

• Berkeley Haas School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• BU Questrom School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Cambridge Judge Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Chicago Booth School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Columbia Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management Essay and Examples
• Dartmouth Tuck School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Duke Fuqua School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Emory Goizueta Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• Esade Essay Tips and Examples
• Georgetown McDonough School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Harvard Business School 2+2 Deferred MBA Program Essay Analysis 2024
• Harvard Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• HEC Paris Essay Tips and Examples
• HKUST Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• IE Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• IESE Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• INSEAD Essay Tips and Examples
• International Institute for Management Development (IMD) Essay Tips and Examples
• Ivey Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• London Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• Michigan Ross School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• MIT Sloan School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
• Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
• Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• NYU Stern School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Ohio Fisher College of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Oxford Saïd Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• SMU Cox School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Stanford Graduate School of Business Application Essay Tips and Examples
• Texas McCombs School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Essay Tips and Examples
• Toronto Rotman School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
• UCLA Anderson School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
• UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• USC Marshall School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• UVA Darden School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• UW Foster School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management Essay Analysis, 2023–2024
• Villanova School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Yale School of Management Essay Tips and Examples

Click here for the 2022–2023 MBA Essay Tips

MBA Program Updates

• Berkeley-Haas
• Boston University (Questrom)
• Cambridge Judge Business School
• Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)
• Columbia University (Columbia Business School)
• Consortium for Graduate Study in Management
• Cornell University (Johnson)
• Dartmouth College (Tuck)
• Duke University (Fuqua)
• Emory University (Goizueta)
• George Washington University (GWSB)
• Georgetown University (McDonough)
• Harvard University (Harvard Business School)
• IE Business School
• IESE Business School
• Indian School of Business
• Indiana University (Kelley)
• Ivey Business School
• London Business School
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
• New York University (Stern)
• Northwestern University (Kellogg)
• Notre Dame (Mendoza)
• Ohio State University (Fisher College)
• Oxford University (Saïd Business School)
• Penn State Smeal College of Business
• Rotman School of Management
• Saïd Business School
• Southern Methodist University (Cox School of Business)
• Stanford University (Stanford Graduate School of Business)
• University of California Los Angeles (Anderson)
• University of Cambridge (Judge)
• University of Chicago (Booth)
• University of London (London Business School)
• University of Michigan (Ross)
• University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)
• University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
• University of Southern California (Marshall)
• University of Texas at Austin (McCombs)
• University of Virginia (Darden)
• Vanderbilt University (Owen)
• Villanova School of Business
• Yale University (School of Management)

2023-2024 Wharton MBA Essay Tips and Example Essays

Jun 13, 2023

• Who is Wharton looking for?
• How should I answer Wharton essay questions?
• Get into the Wharton MBA
• Wharton Deadlines

UPDATE : This article was originally posted on July 10, 2018. It has been updated with new information and tips below.

In 1881, Joseph Wharton started the world’s first collegiate business school. In the more than 100 years since, Wharton has maintained its position as one of the world’s top destinations for talented business professionals. 

With numerous opportunities (many of them overseas) to develop your leadership skills and build relationships with fellow students, Wharton offers a highly challenging yet highly collaborative approach to business education. 

However, with increasing competition to join this innovative, collaboratively-minded university, it’s more difficult than ever to successfully apply to Wharton. 

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Wharton admissions essays to stand out . We’ve rounded up our best tips and links to Wharton MBA sample essays to ensure you give your Haas application your best shot. 

1. Who is Wharton looking for?

“Our mission is to develop leaders who act with a deeper understanding of themselves, their organizations, and their communities, and contribute positively to the growth of each.” Wharton Admissions

As one of the most consistently top-ranked business schools, Wharton has become almost synonymous with elite business education. With a strong focus on innovation and their unique Lauder dual-degree program in international studies and Health Care Major , it’s no surprise that Wharton is at the top of many applicants’ lists of dream schools. 

Each year, Wharton selects just under 900 students from 77 countries to take part in its two-year program. Though there is no one “perfect” type of Wharton student, the university does favor high test scores. The median GMAT for the Class of 2024 was 733 (slightly down from 740 for last year’s class) and the average GRE score was 162 Quant, 162 Verbal.  

Though often called a “finance factory,” Wharton builds a diverse class each year by looking beyond traditional investment banking professionals to fill its class. In fact, the number of Wharton post-MBA graduates breaking into industries like tech has only increased over the past few years. With the launch of Tangen Hall last year, that number is only likely to continue growing. 

Beyond the numbers, Wharton tends to value students who demonstrate a collaborative personality, leadership potential, global mindset, and an ability to think outside the box and innovate. 

If this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll first have to prove you’ve got what it takes by successfully answering Wharton’s admissions essay questions. 

2. How should I answer Wharton essay questions?

Writing any admission essay is a tough task, especially when trying to convey you have the right mix of characteristics Wharton is looking for. 

According to Wharton, here is what they want to see in your admissions essays : 

“The Admissions Committee wants to get to know you on both a professional and personal level. We encourage you to be introspective, candid and succinct. Most importantly, we suggest you be yourself.”

More specifically, if applying to Wharton, you’ll need to answer the following questions.

Keep reading for a more in-depth look at how to turn this task into a standout essay! 

2.1. Essay 1

Essay 1: How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)

For many years, Wharton has maintained this rather traditional goals essay. This year is no different, though there have been very slight changes to the question’s wording. Rather than a more open-ended question, this year, you’re asked to specifically consider your past experience, short- and long-term goals, and how Wharton can help you achieve those goals. In short, everything we believe makes an outstanding goals essay! 

First, you might want to review the tips the Wharton admissions committee gives on how to approach the essays. 

Then, we suggest diving to your planning for Essay 1. Like most goals essays , we suggest you start your essay with a bit of context before revealing what you intend to do in your future career and how Wharton’s MBA can help you reach your professional goals. 

This essay tends to work best when you focus on one or several stories that demonstrate your professional excellence, collaborative mindset, and commitment to your own leadership development. 

In the Why Wharton section of your essay, identify two or three pillars you intend to work on during your MBA. Connect these in a meaningful way to Wharton, showing how this offering will bring you closer to your goals. This will require reflection and research into how the Wharton curriculum and program functions. You may want to use this type of structure:

PILLAR/Area for Improvement 1: 

Wharton Offering: 

How this impacts my goals: 

PILLAR/Area for Improvement 2:  

PILLAR/Area for Improvement 3:  

COMMUNITY/PERSONAL REASONS (list any relevant points here): 

*If you have also spoken with alumni or have visited the school and learned information about the program that is relevant to your growth targets , you should also add this as well. 

However, try to avoid general statements about people you know who attended Wharton or about a campus visit. Only add this information plus your analysis of why what you learned is relevant to your goals if it enhances your argument. 

We then suggest ending with a stellar conclusion sentence that ties your essay together and reinforces your thesis. 

Need more guidance? 

Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of Wharton MBA essays that worked to get our clients admitted to help you plan out a winning Wharton essay. Our library also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, detailed essay brainstorms, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join !

2.2. Essay 2

Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

For this essay, we highly suggest that you focus on multiple examples. In our experience over the years, 3 ways you plan to contribute tends to work best, though we have seen essays with 2 examples and 4 examples work in very special circumstances. 

There are many different ways you can contribute to the Wharton community, so many different stories and “lessons” you can apply at Wharton are valid here.  

For example, if you have worked extensively as part of an international team, highlighting a specific experience where diversity was the key to “winning the day” and showing how you would promote diversity while at Wharton could work very well. 

Or, you might have a specific ability that has proven valuable in analyzing business challenges, might be an outstanding communicator, etc. There really are endless opportunities for this essay. 

When telling your stories, make sure to use the STAR method to ensure you clearly demonstrate what happened, your role in the events, and what you learned. Then, link this lesson to specific resources and opportunities at Wharton, showing how you will improve the overall community. 

To create an amazing essay, stay focused, do your research on Wharton, and choose your examples wisely. Showing you’re a leader and team player who fully understands the Wharton experience and who is prepared to contribute to the Wharton community is the key to success. 

2.3. Reapplicant Essay

Required Essay for All Reapplicants: Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected [on] and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 words)

We have written two extensive posts on how to approach reapplying to business school and on how to handle the reapplicant essay . Make sure to check them out!

2.4. Optional Essay

Optional Essay: Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider.

As with nearly all elite business schools, Wharton does not want to see a summary of your profile or a restatement of why you want to attend Wharton. 

However, if you have extenuating circumstances that merit additional explanation (a good overview of what kind of circumstances quality can be found here ), make sure to explain them clearly and directly. 

Looking for Wharton MBA essay examples? Check out our real sample essays that got our clients admitted here .

3. Get into the Wharton MBA

One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA essays is that candidates fail to tell compelling stories . This is important because if your stories are not compelling, they will not be persuasive. At the same time, they must be backed by strong examples that establish a track record of success and prove to the admissions committees why you belong at their school. 

Striking this balance between content and creativity can be tough, however, as succeeding means not only choosing the right stories but ensuring they are told in an optimal manner. 

This is why our iterative developmental feedback process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting helps you mold your message through the application of our storytelling expertise until it reflects exactly what makes your profile stand out and show fit with your target program. 

Not only can you take advantage of our iterative feedback process through multiple edits – you can also benefit from it after a single review! If your budget is tight, our editors will be happy to help polish your text as much as possible and leave “bonus comments” so you can keep working on it on your own!

No matter how long we work with you, we will always ensure your essays shine . Sign up to work with our team of storytelling experts and get accepted.

4. Wharton Deadlines

The deadlines below apply to the 2023-2024 application cycle. You can start your online application here . 

Real MBA Essays That Got People In

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Wharton MBA Essay Analysis & Examples

Analysis of wharton's mba essay 1 and essay 2 with several essay examples from past wharton mba applicants..

I Overview II Analysis Essay 1 III Analysis Essay 2 IV Wharton Essays 1 + 2 Example – Associate Consultant V Wharton Essay 1 Example – Business Intelligence Scientist VI Wharton Essay 1 Example – Public Sector Consultant VII Wharton Essay 1 Example – Medical Doctor Intern

This article offers general guidance for crafting your Wharton MBA essays and features essay examples from past applicants. While the essay examples may be what brought you to this page, I urge you to delve into the essay overview and analysis sections as well. If you’re considering applying to several MBA programs, explore additional MBA essay examples and topic analyses available on mbaSTORY.builders for a comprehensive understanding.

The Wharton admissions committee has two goals a) to select the best applicants and b) to balance the skills, aptitudes, backgrounds, and experience of individual participants to create a diverse incoming MBA class.

Any top-20 MBA admissions committee can take half of the applications it gets and throw them in the proverbial poubelle (that’s French for garbage). They can do that right off the bat because at least half of applicants won’t meet their baseline criteria (at Wharton baseline criteria = 710+ GMAT). Other criteria include ‘insufficient work experience,’ ‘lackluster recommendations,’ ‘low GMAT/GPA,’ ‘too old,’ etc. For the admissions committee that’s the easy part. The challenge is in what to do with the other half of the applications – the ones that aren’t in the garbage.

Now the admissions committee needs to distinguish the super-excellent candidates from the merely excellent ones. But if the admissions committee were to take the academic and file data from all competitive c

The problem is that candidates with ‘good numbers’, ‘good jobs’ and proven abilities are all astonishingly similar to one another. What makes one stand out from the pack are a) a great, story-based resume (the backbone of any application), and b) good essays.

Return to table of contents

II Analysis Wharton MBA Essay 1

Essay 1: how do you plan to use the wharton mba program to help you achieve your future professional goals you might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at wharton. (500 words).

This is a classic Career Goals/Why MBA? essay. There are five main components to a Career Goals/Why MBA? essay:

• The Past : Personal and professional experience that have brought you to this moment in your life and have planted the seed for your future ambitions.
• The Present : Why do you want an MBA at this point in your personal life and professional career?
• The Future : What are your short and long-term goals/vision and how will you leverage your experience as a student, your MBA degree and the alumni network to achieve those?
• Why an MBA? : Why an MBA and not another kind of degree or why not forego a degree altogether in favor of just working and networking your way towards your goals?
• Why Wharton? : Why do you want an MBA from this school in particular?

What I like about these five components is that you can start off by answering them one by one. Then you can mix and match the components into paragraphs that flow well together. You don’t necessarily have to begin by talking about the past.

Here is an example of how you might leverage the five components to create your own, unique outline. You could lead with your short-term goal to transition from consulting into non-profit strategy (The Future). Then you might give us some of the backstory: What you’ve done in the past (work or personal experiences) and how that led you to be extremely passionate about the non-profit world (The Past). Next you might talk about how an MBA from Wharton will enrich you on a personal and professional level such that you’ll be uniquely prepared to take on future challenges (Why an MBA?). Finally you might circle back to your future vision and paint a picture of where you hope to be in 10-15 years time (The Future).

In this essay you need to discuss your professional goals and very briefly contextualize why those goals are realistic for you within the context of your career progression to date. You then need to aboard how you will leverage and engage with the resources at Wharton in order to pursue and reach your goals. You can do that by showing the Adcom that you understand the school’s offering and have given thought to how you will engage with the Wharton community and all the school has to offer. Don’t just rattle off a few course offerings, but look for deep connections between your goals and interests and the activities you plan to participate in. If you’re a bit stumped, take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left list resources at Wharton that will benefit you. On the right list resources at Wharton that you can impact upon and benefit through your knowledge, experience or interests. Basically you’re breaking things down into take and give relationships.

When thinking about the personal growth aspect of this essay I would encourage you to have a good think about what your true weak points are and how you might leverage your two years at business school to work on them. Would you like to be just a bit more extroverted? You’ll have plenty of opportunities for public speaking and voicing your opinion in the classroom. Has your leadership experience been limited to superior/subordinate type situations (with you leading from the front as the superior or you leading from the middle as the subordinate)? Think about how you might gain experience you don’t have by leading peers in your study group or being the president of a club? Do you just want to get outside of your comfort zone? Think about how a trek to a foreign country or the Wharton Follies might help you do just that. The idea here is to simply demonstrate a certain level of maturity and self-awareness.

III Analysis Wharton MBA Essay 2

Essay 2: taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the wharton community (400 words).

Need text here

IV Example Wharton MBA Essays 1 + 2 Example - Associate Consultant

Wharton mba essay 1: how do you plan to use the wharton mba program to help you achieve your future professional goals you might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at wharton. (500 words).

As a member of Accenture’s Transfer Pricing Team, I helped multinational organizations determine the price at which goods and services ought to be ‘sold’ between internal business units. An economist by training, over the course of many interviews with client-side managers, I developed an appreciation for the technical and political complexities of corporate operations as well as a deep understanding of GAAP accounting practices. More recently, as part of the Data First Advisory Team, I find myself leveraging creativity and economic research methodologies in equal measure to solve for unique and often unprecedented business problems: for instance, estimating the present-day value of land confiscated from the Sioux First Nation 160+ years ago or working out whether cannabis legalization in the State of Wisconsin will negatively impact Pabst beer sales.

In 20XX I was invited to join Accenture’s nascent Global Warming Advisory Team thanks to my track record of creating innovative environmental evaluation analyses such as a tool that helps communities identify environmentally sustainable infrastructure projects. Convincing clients to embrace progressively-minded ideas is extremely satisfying. In the future, I want to continue in that vein by helping companies to build profitable business strategies that are not just ‘sustainable’ but that proactively benefit the environment. Post-MBA I plan to do that as an Associate with a consulting practice like McKinsey Sustainability or the Bain Center for Climate & Sustainability. In the long-term I see myself transitioning to a client-side corporate strategy role with a focus on marrying sustainability and profitability.

I’m drawn to companies like Whole Foods which now give customers a choice between electric vehicles and conventional ones when using their grocery delivery service. This appeals to consumers’ desire to embrace green businesses and supports electric vehicle manufacturers. It’s a win-win scenario for Whole Foods, its stakeholders, and the environment. While most climate change news one reads about in the Wall Street Journal centers on the challenges it presents to businesses, there are likewise opportunities to ideate, innovate, and ultimately, profit.

Over the next two years, I hope to develop a better understanding of the environmental and financial issues and the complexities around operations, design, and communication that are key to crafting good business strategy. At Wharton I hope to combine traditional business courses such as Professor Allon’s Operations Strategy , with elective courses such as such as Professor Kousky’s Environmental Sustainability and Value Creation . Wharton’s Global Immersion Program will expose me to best practices in sustainable strategy from leading countries like Germany and Costa Rica. There are just a few of the many opportunities at Wharton that will equip me to drive business transformation that leads to long-lasting climate action.

Wharton MBA Essay 2: Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

Cost-benefit analysis is a technique that weighs the pros and cons of each variable involved in a decision. For example, in choosing to pare down its product portfolio, a company may weigh an initial decline in sales against the benefit of a product offering that is easier for consumers to understand, lower marketing costs, a decrease in the number of parts held in inventory, etc. At Accenture, I use cost-benefit analysis to help clients make decisions ranging from public transit investment to regulatory design. I also host presentations to internal teams and clients on the power of this technique which forces a person to document how they assign relative importance to each variable; something that people generally do subconsciously (without realizing it).

I would love to share my knowledge with the Wharton community; exploring new ways to use the technique. I could do that by hosting workshops for students who seek to enter sectors where decision prioritization is critical – namely the energy or transportation sectors via the Energy Club and Future Mobility Club . Hopefully other classmates might find the topic interesting as well, integrating the approach into their own decision-making. I would also like to engage with the Business, Climate, and Environment Lab to share my experience in evaluating the financial and non-financial impact of sustainability programs and to discover new ways in which this technique could be used in my own future, sustainability-centric professional journey.

My significant other, Andrea, is a fan of those personality quizzes one runs into online or in magazines and since meeting her in 20XX, I’ve completed enough to know that ‘inquisitive’ and ‘good listener’ are two of my defining personality traits. Besides making restaurant ordering tricky (as a foodie I always have too many questions for the server), being inquisitive and a good listener has facilitated conversations with stakeholders which have in turn allowed me to successfully lead complex client projects. I’ve come to appreciate the fact that there is almost never just one right answer or one path to it.

At Wharton, I will no doubt be working alongside incredibly accomplished and smart peers. In small team settings I hope to use my listening skills and ability to respectfully question ideas to help my team refine its ideas. Outside the Wharton classroom, I look forward to participating in the business school’s annual Innovation Challenge where I would likewise help facilitate brainstorming sessions while sharing my knowledge of frameworks from Deloitte such as the ‘Playing to Win’ framework, a playbook to develop and execute ideas.

In conclusion, I look forward to benefitting from and contributing to the dynamism that is the hallmark of the Wharton community – both as a student and as an alumnus of the school. I thank you for your time in reviewing my application.

V Example Wharton MBA Essay 1 Example - Business Intelligence Scientist

“I don’t think we’ve seen the tip of the iceberg. We’re on the cusp of something exhilarating and terrifying.”

“It’s just a tool though, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s not, no. The actual content is going to be so different to anything that we can really envisage at the moment. The interplay between the user and the provider will be such that it’s going to crush our ideas of what (communication) mediums are all about.”

This was a 1999 interview with the BBC. The medium in question was the internet. Journalists were still printing articles questioning whether the worldwide web would truly catch on. At the same time, the interviewee, David Bowie was clear-eyed and prophetic in his assessment of its potential. As a musician, Bowie was an expert communicator and therefore knew a thing or two about mediums ; songs being the primary way people got news prior to the internet’s precursor (i.e. Gutenberg and his printing press).

Like Bowie, I also feel (even in 20XX) that the internet and emerging technologies such as Chat GPT, are full of unrealized potential. One lesson I’ve learned during my career is that technology can’t be understood in isolation. It must be studied in conjunction with its human user. Together the two create a sort of Gestalt, which is larger and more complex than the sum of their parts. I mention this because a great deal of my work at T-Mobile has been at the intersection of technology, data, and human psychology.

At T-Mobile people are likewise at the heart of my work as a Business Intelligence Scientist. I’m currently working with a talented group of contributors on our new 5Ghome internet product line, a top priority for senior leadership. In its first year (20XX-XX) home internet drew 32 million home new subscribers, a figure that continues to grow. Lately I’ve been deepening my understanding of what drives a customer to entrust T-Mobile with their business by creating marketing ‘personas’ and dialoguing with end users. Their input is a luxury that can help the team quickly home in on an issue or a previously overlooked area for improvement, but it’s a luxury that we don’t always benefit from. Sometimes, oftentimes actually, we must work independently, with incomplete information, to identify and deliver on client needs.

That was the case a few months ago when I was asked to assess whether our network could deliver reliable data transmission for Boeing’s fleet of TU2SU drones. A multimillion-dollar contract was at stake, and while the sales team had only requested a yes or no answer, I felt that it wasn’t sufficient to really sell Boeing on partnering with T-Mobile. Instead, I imagined I built a drone prototype over the weekend so that I could walk into that Monday morning meeting and show rather than tell . The sales team was surprised, my boss was pleased, and Boeing signed on the dotted line. Although I consider myself to be first and foremost a team player, I’m equally comfortable thinking and acting independently and will successfully navigate the demands of the online MBA program by drawing on professional experiences like this one as well as the self-reliance I developed as a new immigrant to the U.S. in 20XX.

I’m looking forward to leveraging my lessons learned in conjunction with the formal business and leadership education offered through the Wharton MBA to transition to a product management role overseeing T-Mobile’s network infrastructure.

While a background in both engineering and product is a net strength, I lack formal training in accounting, financial analysis, human resource management, and business strategy; to name just a few areas where an MBA would shape me into a more well-rounded businessperson. To that end, the Fundamentals of Business course with instruction in financial accounting, microeconomics, and statistics, would serve as the perfect foundation for electives. I’m also eager to enroll in Managing Inside the Firm which delves into topics like employment law, operations, and organizational behavior as well as Strategic Planning for Growth and Technology and Information Systems Management . Improving my leadership skills is another one of my goals in undertaking an MBA hence my interest in Wharton electives such as Management Communication for Leaders and Business Environment and Leadership .

Reading about Timor Smith’s experience as a Wharton MBA, and how the program helped him transition from programming to product management, I was even more convinced that Wharton is the right place for me to pursue my own goals while contributing to the business school community. I look forward to connecting with you and thank you for your time in reviewing my application.

VI Example Wharton MBA Essay 1 Example - Public Sector Consultant

I wanted to let you know that my client came in today upset because we still cannot process her case.  She’s raising three grand kids, and her only income is her RSDI.  The food bank near her won’t have boxes until Wednesday.

In early March of 20XX, e-mails like the one above flooded my inbox. The issues stemmed from the implementation of the California Integrated Eligibility project, a computer system responsible for administering government assistance programs including food stamps and welfare. The personal stories of these individuals hit home, reminding me of the challenges my own family had faced in the past and the importance of my current work for the citizens of California.  Back in 1992, my family had emigrated from the Ukraine, penniless and escaping impending war. The U.S. government helped my parents feed our family while they learned English and secured employment.

Working within the public sector over the last three years, I’ve realized that the same fundamental business challenges private enterprise face, such as budgeting and managing changes in policy and technology, are fundamentally the same one stack led by governmental organizations. After honing my business skills at Wharton, post-MBA I hope to return to public sector consulting to deliver strategic and fact-based policy recommendations. In the public sector, our stakeholder is the everyday taxpayer who rightfully demands that their money be spent judiciously. I view managing large-scale projects that improve access, lower overhead, and provide effective government services as worthwhile and gratifying professional endeavors.

I’ve been impressed by the strategy and data-driven policy recommendations developed by firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain. In fact, the project I’m currently implementing for the State of California is founded on strategic advice from McKinsey on freeing individuals from a cycle of poverty through effective job training.

One policy issue I’m particularly drawn to is food availability in rural and inner-city areas, where a lack of grocery stores limit access to nutritious food and negatively impacts quality of life. By majoring in Business Economics and Public Policy, I want to learn to leverage analytical frameworks to promote effective policy decisions. To that end, courses like Introduction to Business Economics and Public Policy, Risk Management, and Urban Fiscal Policy would be particularly relevant.

In addition, courses that address policy implementation on the global stage, such as Conflict, Leadership and Change: Lessons from Rwanda , are unique to Wharton and would allow me to stretch myself beyond a purely domestic perspective.

Through case studies and in-classroom discussions I know that my fellow students and professors will challenge me, helping me to question presumptions and expand my understanding of international affairs. That process is crucial for anyone who aspires to develop effective policy in the globalized world. I also hope to build a strong network of fellow classmates interested in tackling similar domestic and international challenges.

I’d like to bring my perspective and experience on governmental policy and my vision for the future of governmental services to Wharton and I’m eager to grow my leadership skills within the Wharton community of distinguished professors and swell as my future classmates.

VII Example Wharton MBA Essay 1 Example - Medical Doctor Intern

While the goal I set for myself when I embarked on medical school – to impact both human health and individual lives in concrete terms – hasn’t changed, after much reflection I’ve decided to recalibrate my career ambitions from practicing medicine as a doctor to working at the intersection of business and science.

Reaching my goal requires curiosity, creativity, and a penchant for innovation – characteristics that I’ve sought to cultivate as a student, medical intern, and active participant in my family company, Lejos Group, and its charitable arm.

At Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid, I helped reduce infection spread by collaborating with a team of peers in developing a unique system of flash cards that alert staff to the correct PPE (personal protective equipment) to use for individual patients. As a Junior Board Member at Lejos Group since early 20XX, I’ve tried to be a change agent, advocating for diversification and outside management. Last year I spearheaded the revitalization of our charitable arm – bringing in outside board members and introducing best practices in strategy setting and outcome measurement.

With the benefit of an MBA from Wharton Business School, I plan to pursue a career at the intersection of healthcare and technology. That could mean joining an innovative company such as San Francisco-based Enlitic or Boston-based PathAI, both of which help doctors make more accurate diagnoses through artificial intelligence, or securing a position within the innovation center of a large pharmaceutical company. Johnson and Johnson has four such centers where businesspeople and scientists collaborate to identify investments in promising medical innovations from leading companies and universities.

With a view to the long term, I hope to return to the Lejos Group – a platform from which I hope to either start up or invest in a cutting-edge healthcare company.

While my education in life sciences and my formation as a medical doctor have taught me to be a team player and to use critical thinking to tackle complex problems, I lack the foundational business knowledge that will prove crucial to me in my future professional endeavors. I look forward to participating in core Wharton MBA courses like corporate finance, operations, and marketing before enrolling in pertinent electives. One such class is Managing Health Care Organizations which places special emphasis on measuring performance as a first step to tangible improvement. Professor William Alexander’s course Strategies and Practices of Family-controlled Companies represents an opportunity to think more deeply and strategically about the future of Lejos Group. I believe that honing one’s leadership skills is a lifelong endeavor. Wharton’s Leading Effective Teams is a thought-provoking course that emphasizes techniques that can be used to diagnose and intervene in issues within team settings.

If offered the opportunity to join the Wharton MBA class of 20XX, I plan to bring my optimism, energy and professional knowledge to the community in order to build new and long-lasting friendships and advance my dream to impact others through technology applied to healthcare.

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Everything You Need To Know About The Wharton MBA Essays

The Wharton MBA essays are an essential aspect of your application. By allowing a deeper look into your values, experiences, and motivations, your essay submissions significantly affect the way Wharton’s admissions committee views your MBA candidacy. This information can cause the writing process to seem extremely intimidating, but you don’t need to fret. This article outlines everything you need to know about the Wharton MBA essays.

What Are the Wharton MBA Essays?

Typically, there are two essay prompts in the Wharton MBA application, along with one optional prompt. There are also essays specifically for those applying to joint-degree programs and an additional essay for reapplicants.

The Wharton MBA essay prompts can change from year to year. However, you can find many of the same themes and ideas in the various essay questions. Here are some examples of past Wharton MBA essay prompts: ‍

What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)

This essay is pretty straightforward – How will Wharton benefit you?

How to Approach this Essay

Start by outlining specific short-term and long-term career goals, demonstrating a clear connection between these objectives and the Wharton MBA program. Highlight the program's unique features, emphasizing how these elements will contribute to your professional development. 

Showcase a keen understanding of the skills and knowledge gaps you aim to address through the Wharton MBA, stressing the program's experiential learning opportunities and collaborative community. Conclude by explaining the long-term impact you envision, both on your career trajectory and your ability to make meaningful contributions to your chosen industry. 

‍ Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

This prompt might take a bit more thought. What qualities, experiences, or skills can you use to contribute to the Wharton School?

This prompt might take a bit more thought. What qualities, experiences, or skills can you use to contribute to the Wharton School? ‍

Begin by reflecting on specific aspects of your background that have shaped your perspectives and values. Identify key themes or experiences that highlight your commitment to diversity, collaboration, and innovation. 

Be concrete in outlining your plans for active participation in cultural or affinity groups, as well as your contributions to student-led initiatives or clubs. Demonstrate an understanding of Wharton's community and how your skills and experiences will enhance it. 

Whether it's through leadership in projects, workshops, or events, emphasize the tangible and specific ways you plan to contribute to the dynamic and collaborative environment at Wharton. Conclude by expressing a genuine enthusiasm for being an integral part of the Wharton community and contributing to its continued success and growth.

Essay 3 - Required Essay for all Reapplicants:

Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 words)

This essay is an excellent way for reapplicants to highlight any growth they have had since the previous application cycle.

When addressing changes and growth since a previous application, focus on key areas of improvement. Clearly outline any additional coursework you've pursued for skill enhancement and highlight the impact of changes in your professional role on your skills and perspectives. 

Mention relevant extracurricular or volunteer engagements to showcase personal and societal contributions. Use concrete examples to illustrate growth and conclude by expressing ongoing enthusiasm for the program, emphasizing how these developments strengthen your candidacy. 

Essay 4 - Optional Essay: ‍

Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider.

While this essay is optional, it can be a good space to clear up any issues that the admissions committee could have with your candidacy.

As you can see, these essays are meant to be relatively brief yet provide personal insights into who you are as a person. Using these prompts as examples, this article will outline the best ways to approach your Wharton MBA essays.

When addressing this essay prompt, use space to provide unique insights not covered elsewhere in your application. If there are gaps or inconsistencies, address them transparently, emphasizing the lessons learned or steps taken to overcome challenges. 

Use the opportunity to highlight distinctive strengths, experiences, or perspectives that contribute to your candidacy. Maintain a professional tone and focus on offering valuable information that enriches the admissions committee's understanding of your journey and qualifications.

Purpose of the Wharton MBA Essays

You can find the following statement on Wharton’s website regarding their MBA essays :

“The Admissions Committee is looking to understand more about you and your unique personality and how that can ultimately contribute to the Wharton community. We are a student-driven campus and need each and every MBA to bring something to the table.”

There are many essential pieces of information that you can glean from this statement about the purpose of the Wharton MBA essays. 

1. The Wharton MBA essays allow the admissions committee to see your personality.

The admissions committee has your resume and test scores, meaning that they already know the basics of your education and experience on a professional level. Essays are a way for them to dig a bit deeper and learn about who you are as a person, the events that have impacted you, and the values that you have gained through your experiences.

2. The Wharton MBA essays portray what you can contribute to the community and how well you can collaborate with others.

Business school is a great place to strengthen your skills and further your career on an individual level. However, what ideas or experiences can you bring to Wharton that will benefit your classmates or the program as a whole? The essays show the admissions committee how you will serve as an addition to the Wharton MBA program.

3. The Wharton MBA essays portray your leadership capabilities.

By stating that they are a “student-driven campus,” the admissions committee shows that they are looking for people that can carry out plans and lead their classmates toward goals that will benefit the program overall. This statement also indicates that the committee is looking for individuals who can find problems and work to solve them, creating change effectively.

By keeping these ideas in mind, you can then begin crafting your own essays.

Top Tips for Crafting the Wharton MBA Essays

Now that you understand the primary purpose of the essays and the possible themes, here are some tips to help you determine how to craft your Wharton MBA Essays.

Wharton’s website outlines these three tips for writing your MBA essays:

1. Write out everything first, then worry about word count.

‍ The essays are pretty short, and when it comes to your career aspirations or your background, you might have a lot more to say than just 400 or 500 words. The short word count can make the writing process intimidating, as you might be constantly checking the word count and hesitating to write anything out in detail.

When writing your first draft, ignore the word count; just get your ideas out there. Then, once you’ve finished, start looking for areas to cut out or shorten. By doing this, you can get through the writing process while also ensuring that you include everything you want to portray.

2. Connect the “Three Career Dots.”

Wharton’s website outlines these “three career dots” as follows:

“What have you done to date, what unique things do you already know, and what do you have still to learn? How can Wharton help you and how can you help the Wharton community? How does that all connect to your goals post-MBA?”

Basically, in the Wharton MBA Essays, your past, present, and future should connect. What are some unique skills and experiences that you have gained through your studies or career that you can bring to Wharton’s MBA program? What do you hope to gain from Wharton, and how does that relate to your future career goals? By answering these questions, you can begin to paint a holistic picture of your hopes and aspirations for the Wharton MBA program. ‍

3. Be yourself.

‍ Writing these essays is a process that will already be difficult enough, and being anything but authentic will only make it more challenging. Don’t write what you think an admissions committee wants to hear; be true to yourself and your goals in your essays, and it will pay off in the long run.

Here are some additional tips for crafting your essays: ‍

1. Do your research.

Why are you applying to Wharton? What makes this school a suitable program for you? Which classes are you hoping to take, or which faculty members are you excited to meet? By being specific about Wharton’s program, you will show an admissions committee that you have extensively researched the program, know what you are getting into, and understand how Wharton can help you achieve your goals. ‍

2. Make sure you are answering the prompt.

‍ This tip might seem like a no-brainer, but it is a common mistake that many applicants make. Maybe there was an impactful experience in your career that made you want to pursue an MBA, or you have a unique background that you want to express in your essay.

These are important details about who you are , but are those experiences applicable to the essay prompts' specifications?

Sometimes, the most exciting or unique stories aren’t the most relevant. Everything in your essay should serve a purpose, and if you cannot relate that purpose to the question Wharton is asking, then it might be time to cut some things out.

3. Less storytelling, more concrete points. ‍

This tip relates to the previous one. You have a minimal amount of space in these essays, so make sure that every word has a purpose. Don’t fill your essay with a long story about the moment you decided to pursue an MBA or a detailed history of your childhood. If these events are important, you can briefly mention them, but try to focus on your skills, goals, and why Wharton is right for you.

Wharton MBA Essay Examples and What Made It Successful

The following is an excerpt from a successful Wharton MBA Essay written for the 1st previously mentioned example prompt.

Essay 1: What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? 

Introduction:.

Innovation in healthcare has historically existed in two spheres: the sophisticated yet aspirational, and the simple yet practical. I’ve experienced both sides of the coin; from developing AI for cancer detection and intensive care while at [University] to now dissecting commercially-successful healthcare businesses at [Company]. The bridge between aspiration and result in healthcare is fraught with well-known obstacles to innovation.

In this introduction, the writer brings up their past and present career experiences and explains how those experiences have shaped their understanding of the healthcare field. They also introduce an existing problem, thus setting up the rest of the essay for how they hope to solve this problem.

Body Paragraph 1:

My overarching goal is to bridge this gap and develop next-generation AI to mitigate physician and nurse burnout. By building and commercializing tools that reliably automate routine elements of patient care, I wish to create a more resource-efficient and outcome-centric global healthcare system. I’ve cultivated the raw engineering and business skills at [University], [Company], and [Company], and the Wharton MBA will equip me with the venture toolkit, network, and relevant healthcare entrepreneurship skills to succeed.

Strengths:‍

Having established the existing problems that the writer has observed in the healthcare field, they now drive the essay forward with how they hope to solve those issues. They also outline the skills they’ve learned through their past experiences and explain how the Wharton MBA will further develop those skills.

Body Paragraph 2:

Central to the lasting success of my MBA experience would be the Wharton community. The prospect of developing lifelong relationships and collaborating with accomplished peers through the cluster model inspires and excites me. I also look forward to mentorship opportunities from professors like Christian Terweisch. I often used his concept of innovation tournaments to drive collaboration at client organizations as a management consultant.

Here, the writer explains in detail how Wharton will help them to achieve their goals. By mentioning the cluster model and the mentorship opportunities that Wharton offers, the writer shows the admissions committee that they have done their research. Also, by naming professor Christian Terweisch, the writer further establishes that they understand how the Wharton MBA program, in particular, will assist them in pursuing their aspirations.

Conclusion:

Wharton startups such as Burrow and Harry’s have revolutionized numerous industries, transformed value chains, and changed millions of lives worldwide. Standing at this critical juncture in my career, I am excited to follow in their footsteps, realize my true potential, and build an organization that improves healthcare around the world. For that, I see no better platform than a Wharton MBA.

In this conclusion paragraph, the writer gives examples of successful products of the Wharton MBA program and how those startups specifically benefited the world. This connects to the writer’s previously mentioned goal of creating change in the healthcare field. The writer shows that they understand how Wharton can help them take the necessary steps in building their career.

Overall, this essay incorporates all of the tips mentioned above. The writer briefly summarizes their past experiences, what they learned, and the issues they observed in the healthcare field. 

Then, the writer links the past to the present, detailing how their experiences have contributed to their current goals. They then discuss the future, outlining how specific aspects of Wharton’s MBA program will help them achieve their career aspirations. 

Each sentence has a purpose, and overall, the writer connects past, present, and future to concisely answer the prompt.

Essay 2: How do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community?

As a Wharton MBA, I plan to seek opportunities that exploit my strengths contributing to team environments. First, I thrive in settings where I can leverage my broad knowledge base and strong analytical foundation to help solve problems across a number of functions. Similarly, my empathetic style of leadership has been effective in engaging a range of perspectives and voices towards a common goal. Both aspects position me uniquely to take on roles where I can bridge Wharton with the surrounding community.

In this introduction, the author talks about their strong skills and how they’ll use them to contribute to the community. The author mentions specific skills and sets up a scene of how effective their skills are. 

Dance education is an initiative I’m highly motivated to support, as dance has been an amazing therapeutic outlet for me. The countless hours I’ve spent bhangra dance moves have been both highly meditative and endlessly entertaining. Dance is also perhaps the most powerful unifier of people I’ve ever experienced. All personal differences seem to wash away when people can join around their common love of dance. While at Wharton, I plan to combine my appreciation for performance and excitement to engage with the community by working with Wharton Dance Studio, which brings Wharton students together in a broad variety of styles and and cultures, for events such as the Wharton Dance Studio & India Club’s joint Bollywood Fusion Diwali Dance Workshop. Whether teaching, organizing live events for the community, or even taking the stage as a dancer myself, I am excited about the range of ways I can spread the joy of movement through the Wharton Dance Club.

Another area of personal interest where I intend to contribute meaningfully to the Wharton community is golf. I played golf extensively growing up, but talents lie less on the fairway and more in the front-office. For years, I have maintained an avid interest in the advanced analytics of golf as a scouting / decision-making tool, even going so far as to create my own statistical models. As a widget industry professional, I’ve become well-versed in the emerging technology companies advancing the applications of data analytics to the golf handicap industry. 

In this body paragraph, the author uses personal anecdotes and connects it to how they have contributed to those interests. The author also explains how they plan on using those experiences and use them to contribute to the Wharton community. 

Working with the Wharton Golf Club, I am eager to help lead the Wharton team competing at the MBA Masters tourney at Duke University and the annual Spring Scramble, and I would love to organize teams of Wharton golfers to work with inner-city Philadelphia high school and collegiate kids, helping to promote the adoption of advanced golf statistical handicapping to elevate athletic performance at the amateur level.

The author does a great job using their working experience at the Wharton Golf Club and explaining their dedication to helping the golf team succeed. The author also uses a specific example of how they’d support the community with this specific experience. 

If you still have questions, check out these frequently asked questions. 

1. Should I answer the optional Wharton MBA essay prompt?

The optional essay prompt is a great way to address any discrepancies you might have in your application, including poor academic performance, gaps in your resume, or low test scores. Use this essay to clear up any lingering questions that an admissions committee might have regarding your candidacy.

2. I’m reapplying to the Wharton MBA program; Do I have to answer essay prompts 1 and 2? Or can I resubmit my previous essays?

Wharton requires reapplicants to answer both essay prompts 1 and 2 and a prompt specifically for reapplicants. The writing prompts may change from year to year, so your previous submissions may not be entirely relevant anymore. If the prompts haven’t changed, it is still a good idea to reevaluate the quality of your past essays.

3. Is it okay to submit essays that I used for other applications if the prompts are similar?

Generally, you should avoid submitting the same essay that you’ve used for another school. You can use pieces from other essays you’ve written, but you need to make sure that you tailor your Wharton MBA essays explicitly to the Wharton MBA program.

Different programs have varying missions and values, so using the same essays for every application will not benefit your application.

4. What should I talk about in my Wharton MBA essays?

Generally, the purpose of essays is to “make the invisible visible,” meaning that they are a place to show the admissions committee a side of you that they cannot see anywhere else in your application. Rather than listing experiences that the admissions committee can already find in your resume, try to focus on things you’ve learned or your future goals.

5. If I’m applying to a joint-degree program at Wharton, do I have to write additional essays?

Those applying to the Francis J. & William Polk Carey/JD MBA program “are strongly encouraged to answer the application essay questions in relation to the Carey JD/MBA Program as opposed to only the Wharton MBA Program.” Those applying to the Wharton/Lauder Institute Joint-Degree Program must answer one additional Lauder prompt.

6. Can I write about my undergraduate experiences in the Wharton MBA essays?

Your undergraduate years were likely full of learning opportunities and growth, which is why briefly mentioning them could be insightful in your essays. However, don’t make them the focus of your essay, especially if you have several years of work experience.

Use your undergraduate experiences to establish where you came from and how much you’ve grown, and then connect them to your present motivations and future goals.

The Wharton MBA essays offer the admissions committee a brief glimpse into your personality and motivations. The writing process may seem intimidating at first, but just make sure to stay true to yourself and don’t focus on word count in your first draft. Then, in the editing process, you can evaluate areas to cut and refine, focus on connecting the past, present, and future, and highlight why you chose Wharton in particular.

By following these tips and tricks, you can craft an essay that genuinely portrays who you are and why you would be a great fit at the Wharton School of Business.

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Wharton MBA Essays & Tips for a Successful Admit

MBA & Beyond Team

22/12/2023 | 1:45 pm

If you’re a student looking to study abroad and dreaming of joining the ranks of Wharton’s MBA program, you’re in the right place. Wharton isn’t just any business school; it’s a beacon of elite business education, synonymous with innovation and leadership. With a diverse mix of international studies and a strong focus on health care and technology, Wharton is often at the top of the list for many MBA aspirants. But what exactly is Wharton looking for in its candidates?

Let’s dive in. Wharton seeks individuals with an exceptional career trajectory, demonstrating skills in leadership, teamwork, and interpersonal relations. Don’t fret if your GMAT scores aren’t sky-high; Wharton has recently been diversifying its class profiles beyond just high test scores. This shift places a greater emphasis on your essays to showcase your character and unique experiences.

Wharton MBA Highlights :

• All About Wharton’s MBA Program
• Wharton MBA Class Profile
• Wharton MBA Scholarships for International Students
• Wharton MBA Eligibility
• Wharton MBA Average GMAT & Admit Tips
• Wharton MBA Essay Tips & Samples
• Wharton MBA Interview Questions & Tips

ESSAY TIPS AND STRATEGIES

Striking the right chord with your essays.

When it comes to writing those crucial essays, it’s like walking a tightrope. You need to be introspective, candid, and most importantly, succinct. Your essays are not just written responses; they are a window into your personality, your aspirations, and how you view the world.

Here’s a tip: Wharton loves compelling stories. If your essays don’t tell a story that’s both engaging and backed by strong examples, they might not resonate with the admissions committee. Think of your essays as a narrative of your journey – where you’ve been, where you want to go, and how Wharton is the bridge to get you there.

Essential Elements for a Compelling Wharton Essay:

• Introspection: Dive deep into your experiences and motivations.
• Candidness: Be honest and authentic; don’t just tell them what you think they want to hear.
• Conciseness: Be clear and to the point; every word counts.
• Storytelling: Weave your experiences into a narrative that highlights your strengths and aspirations.

Remember, writing these essays is a journey of self-discovery. Take this opportunity to reflect on your path, your achievements, and how you can contribute to and benefit from the Wharton community.

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF EACH ESSAY PROMPT

Essay 1: professional goals and wharton’s role.

Your Future Vision: Articulating Your Goals Wharton’s first essay prompt is your stage to showcase your future aspirations and how their MBA program fits into this puzzle. It’s all about connecting your past experiences, your future goals (both short and long-term), and Wharton’s unique resources to build a compelling narrative.

Key Points to Cover:

• Past Experience: Reflect on your journey so far. How have your experiences shaped your career goals?
• Future Goals: Be specific about your short-term and long-term ambitions. What are you aiming to achieve?
• Wharton’s Role: How will Wharton’s MBA program help you get there? Highlight specific aspects of Wharton’s program that align with your goals.

ESSAY 2: CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WHARTON COMMUNITY

Showcasing Your Unique Value The second essay is your chance to demonstrate how you will enrich the Wharton community. Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions?

Aspects to Highlight:

• Personal and Professional Experiences: Discuss experiences that have shaped you.
• Your Contribution: How will these experiences enable you to contribute to Wharton? Think of specific clubs, initiatives, or interactions.

REAPPLICANT ESSAY

Showcasing Growth and Improvement If you’re reapplying, this essay is crucial. It’s about reflecting on your growth since your last application. What’s changed? What new experiences or insights do you bring to the table?

Focus Areas:

• Reflection: Highlight your self-reflection process.
• Growth: Discuss any new achievements or experiences.
• Why Wharton Again: Reaffirm your interest in Wharton and how it aligns with your improved profile.

OPTIONAL ESSAY

The Extra Mile: Explaining Unique Circumstances The optional essay is a space to discuss anything not covered in other parts of your application. This can include explaining any gaps in your work experience, academic challenges, or other personal hurdles.

When to Use This Essay:

• Addressing Gaps: Be honest about any inconsistencies in your application.
• Adding More to Your Story: If there’s something significant about your journey that hasn’t been covered, this is the place to do it.

BEYOND THE ESSAYS: OTHER ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

Even though essays are a critical component of your Wharton application, there are other elements that play a vital role in painting a complete picture of who you are.

GMAT/GRE SCORES: MORE THAN JUST NUMBERS

While Wharton has been diversifying its class profiles beyond just high test scores, your GMAT or GRE scores are still important. They’re not the be-all and end-all, but they do matter. Here’s the twist: Wharton is looking for well-rounded individuals. So, if your scores aren’t stellar, your essays, recommendations, and interviews can compensate.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: THE UNSPOKEN STORYTELLERS

Your extracurricular activities can speak volumes about your leadership, teamwork, and other interpersonal skills. Whether you’re leading a community project, excelling in a sport, or involved in cultural activities, these experiences can strengthen your application and give the admissions committee a glimpse into your character and potential contributions to the Wharton community.

PREPARING FOR A WHARTON MBA: LONG-TERM VISION

Crafting a career pathway.

Wharton isn’t just a stepping stone; it’s a launchpad for your long-term career aspirations. How you plan to leverage the MBA in the long run is as important as your immediate post-MBA goals.

ENVISIONING YOUR FUTURE

• Long-Term Goals: Think big. Where do you see yourself in 10, 15, or 20 years? How does a Wharton MBA fit into this vision?
• Building a Network: Wharton’s global alumni network is a goldmine for career advancement. Plan how you’ll engage with this community to aid your long-term career strategy.
• Specialized Learning: Identify specific courses and professors at Wharton that align with your long-term objectives. How will these elements of the Wharton MBA shape your future?

Remember, Wharton is looking for visionaries. Your application should reflect not just where you want to be right after the MBA, but where you aim to go in the distant future.

Conclusion: Crafting a Winning Application

Congratulations on making it this far! As you gear up to craft your Wharton MBA application, remember that it’s not just about showcasing your academic and professional achievements. It’s about telling your story, your aspirations, and how Wharton fits into this bigger picture. Be introspective, be genuine, and most importantly, be you. Your application should be a reflection of your unique journey and your vision for the future.

Embarking on the Wharton MBA journey is not just about earning a degree; it’s about joining a global community of leaders and changemakers. Use your application to express how you intend to contribute to this community and how Wharton will help you realize your long-term goals.

Best of luck on your journey to joining one of the world’s most prestigious MBA programs. Go forth and make your mark!

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Wharton MBA Essay Tips

W harton has unveiled their essay questions for the 2021-22 MBA application season. As a Wharton alum, I wanted to share my tips on creating an essay set that will impress your readers on the Wharton Admissions Committee.

Wharton MBA Essay 1

The prompt for Wharton Essay 1 has appeared on the school’s application in one form or another for several years now. Firstly, you should communicate a clear narrative arc in this essay. The arc begins with the path you have taken in your career so far, but your goal should be to devote the majority of your essay to a discussion of where you imagine yourself going and how Wharton will propel you there.

Wharton wants to understand your overarching career goals – the “big picture” of where you want to go in your career in the long term. At the same time, they want to get a sense of where you imagine yourself immediately post-MBA. Whereas you can and should dream big on your long-term goals, your post-MBA career plans must appear realistic and achievable. Moreover, you are going to be in a stronger position in an admissions officer’s eyes if the field you want to enter is one in which Wharton has historically excelled in placing students (e.g., finance) or is growing its footprint (e.g., tech, entrepreneurship).

Secondly, your essay needs to demonstrate how the Wharton MBA will prepare you for the next step in your career with some specificity. This essay is the place to show off your knowledge of Wharton’s unique resources and culture. Your essay is going to stand out from the pack if you have visited campus, spoken to current students and/or alumni, and researched course offerings and extracurricular activities in depth. The more you show a clear connection between your aspirations and what Wharton specifically offers, the more successful this essay will be.

Finally, the AdCom expects you to be both “candid and succinct” in your essay. A 500-word essay is only about one page single-spaced; use this space wisely to provide the reader with as much specificity and supporting detail as possible. Weave a narrative but don’t waste words fluffing up your story or trying to flatter.

Wharton MBA Essay 2

Wharton’s Essay 2 question — first introduced in 2020 — offers you the opportunity to showcase distinctive aspects of your background that will enrich the Wharton community. Here, the AdCom asks you to connect your past with your future in Philadelphia. My advice as you set out to draft Wharton Essay 2: Ground the essay in your personal and professional experience while showing admissions officers that the Wharton community presents perfect outlets for your talents, knowledge, and interests.

What I like about Wharton’s essay question is that you are granted the freedom to take your response in any direction you choose. As the AdCom suggests, be yourself. You may find it helpful to cite two or three specific examples from your personal, professional, or undergraduate experience to ground your essay in something easy for the reader to visualize.

How will what you’ve experienced make you a more valuable community member? A persuasive essay will describe specific and concrete contribution areas. Do not leave it to the AdCom to connect the dots from your past to your future. Prove to them that you have done your homework on Wharton and show them how you plan to operate on campus.

For example, an essay that focuses on self-discovery and leadership gained while facilitating difficult group conversations might increase your value during a Wharton Leadership Venture or in the P3 Program. Alternatively, an experience that taught you about intercultural communication in a non-profit setting is a natural place to discuss how you can play a leading role in Wharton’s Global Impact Consultants initiative.

Where can you start your Wharton research? Try the Wharton Office of Student Life’s website. There you’ll find many outlets for your energy and talents amongst a multitude of clubs and conferences. Complement your online research by speaking with student leaders — many clubs’ websites include contact information for club officers, and Wharton students are usually generous with their time for prospective students. An A+ essay clarifies for the AdCom both how and where you see yourself contributing to the Wharton and Philadelphia communities.

Avoid topics where any experiences or accomplishments you cite benefited you more than others. This essay is not the place to talk about graduating at the top of your class or training for a marathon, no matter how real and hard the obstacles were. AdCom’s usage of the word “meaningful” speaks to its desire to see that you have done great work in the service of others and that you plan to add significant value to the Wharton community. Unsuccessful essays that I have seen focus on topics like dining out, meeting diverse classmates or playing on an intramural sports team. While these examples may be of intrinsic importance to the candidate, they don’t show how, in Wharton Professor Adam Grant’s terminology, you will act as a giver to — and not just a taker from — the Wharton community.

Lastly, watch out for a credibility gap between your experience and your aspirations as a Wharton student. If you’ve never taken a finance course, don’t write about leading a finance tutoring group. If your resume is light on community service, don’t pitch the idea of founding a non-profit initiative. If you do, you’ll only raise questions about your self-awareness and ability to set realistic goals.

In both essays, specificity is critical. The Wharton AdCom is using these essays to find candidates who will add to their diverse student body of socially aware individuals who are excited about contributing to small teams and the broader community.

Demonstrate that you are an influencer with a coherent career narrative and developed a sense of self through your essays. Picture yourself making a tangible difference at Wharton, and with some luck, the admissions committee member reading your application will picture you in a future Wharton class!

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2023-2024 Wharton MBA Essay Analysis: A Comprehensive Guide for Aspiring Applicants

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most prestigious business schools in the world, offers a highly sought-after MBA program. If you’re aspiring to join this elite institution, it’s crucial to understand the intricacies of their application process, particularly the essay section. In this article, we will delve into the Wharton MBA essay analysis for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, offering valuable insights and tips to help you stand out in this competitive landscape.

If you want to read more about the admission process check  this blog out !

Understanding the Wharton MBA Application

Your Gateway to Excellence

Wharton’s MBA application process is renowned for its rigorous selection criteria. Here are the key elements of the application:

1. Personal Essay

• Your Story Matters : The personal essay is your canvas to paint a picture of your unique journey, experiences, and aspirations. Be authentic and let your voice shine through.

2. Professional Essay

• Showcase Your Achievements : The professional essay is where you can highlight your career accomplishments. Focus on your achievements, leadership roles, and impact.

3. Recommender Questions

• Choose Wisely : Select recommenders who can provide meaningful insights into your abilities and character.

4. Academic Transcripts

• Highlight Your Academic Prowess : Ensure your transcripts reflect your dedication to academic excellence.

The Wharton MBA Essays: Deconstructed

Essay 1: How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)

Introduction (1-2 paragraphs):

• Start with a strong hook or a brief personal anecdote that connects to your career and educational journey.
• Clearly state your short and long-term professional goals.
• Mention your intention to use the Wharton MBA program as a pivotal step in achieving those goals.

Body (3-4 paragraphs):  In this section, elaborate on your plans and how the Wharton MBA program aligns with them. Be sure to consider the following:

• Past Experience : Discuss your relevant work experience and how it has shaped your career aspirations. Highlight specific achievements and skills you’ve gained.
• Short-Term Goals : Clearly define your immediate post-MBA goals. Explain how these goals relate to your past experience and how they fit into your overall career plan.
• Long-Term Goals : Describe your long-term career vision. Explain how your short-term goals are stepping stones towards your long-term objectives. This should demonstrate a logical and coherent career progression.
• Wharton Resources : Discuss specific resources, programs, or opportunities at Wharton that will help you achieve your goals. Mention professors, courses, clubs, or any unique features of the Wharton program that align with your ambitions.
• Why Wharton : Explain why you believe Wharton is the ideal place to pursue your MBA. Mention the school’s strengths, culture, or values that resonate with your goals and values. Show that you’ve done your research and are genuinely enthusiastic about the school.

Conclusion (1 paragraph):  Sum up your essay by reiterating your commitment to achieving your goals and emphasizing how Wharton’s MBA program will be the catalyst for your success.

General Tips:

• Be concise. You only have 500 words, so every sentence should serve a purpose.
• Use specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points.
• Make sure your essay flows logically and coherently.
• Proofread for grammar, spelling, and clarity.
• Connect your narrative, goals, and reasons for choosing Wharton in a cohesive manner.
• Tailor your essay to Wharton’s unique offerings and culture to show you’ve put thought into your application.

Remember that this essay is an opportunity to not only convey your career plans but also to demonstrate how Wharton’s program is an essential part of realizing those plans. 

Essay 2: Essay 2: Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

The Wharton School’s Essay 2 prompt is a critical part of your application, as it asks you to reflect on your background (personal, professional, and academic) and outline your plan for making meaningful contributions to the Wharton community. This prompt is designed to assess not only your fit with Wharton but also your understanding of how you can contribute to the school’s culture and values.

Here’s how you can approach this essay:

• Understanding Your Background:  To respond effectively, you need to start by reflecting on your life experiences. Consider your personal, professional, and academic journey. What unique experiences, skills, or perspectives have you gained along the way? This is your opportunity to showcase what makes you stand out.
• Research on Wharton:  It’s crucial to understand Wharton’s values, culture, and community. What specific programs, clubs, or opportunities at Wharton align with your background and interests? Doing your homework on Wharton’s offerings will help you tailor your response.
• Your Contribution Plan:  In the essay, you should clearly outline how you plan to contribute to the Wharton community. This should be specific and realistic. What clubs or organizations will you join? How will you actively participate and add value? Are there particular academic or extracurricular initiatives you plan to lead or support?
• Fit with Wharton:  Demonstrate that you’ve thought deeply about why Wharton is the right place for you. Highlight the aspects of the program that align with your background and your goals. This helps the admissions committee see that you’re genuinely interested in their program.
• Be Genuine and Personal:  This essay is an opportunity to showcase your authentic self. Don’t just list achievements or generic qualities; share stories and personal anecdotes that highlight your unique qualities and experiences.
• Conciseness and Clarity:  Remember that you’re limited to 400 words. Make every word count. Avoid being too broad or too verbose. Instead, focus on a few key points that illustrate your potential impact on the Wharton community.
• Proofread and Edit:  Like any essay, it’s essential to proofread your response for grammar, spelling, and clarity. Sloppy writing can detract from the impact of your essay.

Here’s a sample structure for your response:

Introduction:  Briefly introduce yourself and your background.

Body:  Discuss your personal, professional, and academic experiences that have prepared you for a role in the Wharton community. Link these experiences to specific Wharton offerings and explain how they align with your goals.

Contribution Plan:  Describe in detail how you plan to contribute to the Wharton community. Be specific about the clubs, programs, or initiatives you want to be a part of.

Conclusion:  Summarize your key points, reiterate your enthusiasm for Wharton, and express your commitment to making meaningful contributions.

Remember that the goal is to create a well-rounded and authentic portrayal of yourself and your fit with Wharton. Be sure to tailor your response to the specific resources and opportunities that Wharton offers to its MBA students.

Required Essay for all Reapplicants: Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 words)

The Wharton School’s MBA reapplicant essay prompt is an opportunity for you to demonstrate self-awareness, growth, and your commitment to the MBA program. In a limited 250-word space, you should aim to address the following key points:

• Acknowledge the Past Application:  Begin by acknowledging that you are a reapplicant. Briefly mention the previous application to set the context for your growth and reflection.
• Self-Reflection:  Discuss how you have reflected on your previous application and the feedback you received, if any. Highlight any specific areas or weaknesses you’ve identified, and explain how you’ve taken steps to address them.
• Personal and Professional Growth:  Share the ways in which you have grown since your last application. This could include professional achievements, promotions, new responsibilities, or personal development.
• Academic and Extracurricular Updates:  If you have pursued additional coursework or taken part in new extracurricular or volunteer activities, mention these here. Explain how these experiences have added value to your candidacy and helped you develop relevant skills.
• Why Wharton:  Conclude by reaffirming your interest in the Wharton School and how the changes and growth you’ve undergone make you an even stronger candidate for their program.

Here’s a sample response within the 250-word limit:

“Since my last application to the Wharton School, I have embarked on a journey of profound self-reflection and growth. The feedback I received from my previous application served as a catalyst for self-improvement, and I have taken significant steps to enhance my candidacy.

Professionally, I have been promoted to a senior management position at my current organization, leading a cross-functional team that has achieved record-breaking results in revenue growth. These experiences have not only bolstered my leadership skills but have also deepened my understanding of the dynamic business landscape.

In terms of academics, I pursued additional coursework in [abc] and data analytics, which I believe has better equipped me to thrive in Wharton’s rigorous academic environment. Moreover, I took on a leadership role in a non-profit organization, where I helped to [work done] to giving back to the community.

My journey of growth and self-discovery has reaffirmed my strong desire to be a part of Wharton’s transformative MBA program. I am excited to apply again and confident that the experiences and self-improvement I’ve undergone make me an even stronger candidate for Wharton.”

This is only a sample cue.

Optional Essay: Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (500 words)

The optional essay for the Wharton School is a valuable opportunity to provide additional context, share personal insights, or address any aspects of your application that may require clarification or elaboration. Here’s a suggested structure and approach for your optional essay, keeping it within the 500-word limit:

Introduction (1-2 sentences):

• Start with a clear and concise introduction that states your purpose for writing the optional essay.

Additional Information (2-3 paragraphs):

• Use this section to share information about yourself that is not covered elsewhere in your application. This could include personal experiences, hobbies, passions, or unique qualities that make you stand out.
• Explain why this information is important for the Admissions Committee to know. How does it add value to your application or provide a more complete picture of who you are as a candidate?

Extenuating Circumstances (if applicable, 2-3 paragraphs):

• If you need to address any extenuating circumstances, such as gaps in work experience, a dip in academic performance, or concerns about your choice of recommenders, this is the place to do it.
• Be honest and transparent about the situation. Explain the circumstances and the steps you’ve taken to address or overcome them.
• Highlight any lessons learned or personal growth that resulted from these challenges.

Why Wharton (if relevant, 1-2 paragraphs):

• If you have specific reasons for choosing Wharton and they haven’t been adequately covered in your main essay, you can briefly touch on them here. Be concise and clear about why Wharton is the right fit for your goals.

Conclusion (1-2 sentences):

• Conclude your essay with a brief summary of the key points you’ve addressed in the optional essay.

Tips for Writing the Optional Essay:

• Be concise: Stick to the word limit and keep your writing clear and to the point.
• Focus on the positive: Even when addressing extenuating circumstances, emphasize how you’ve grown or what you’ve learned from the experience.
• Be honest and authentic: The Admissions Committee values genuine self-reflection and authenticity.
• Use this space wisely: Avoid repeating information from other parts of your application, and only share what adds value.
• Proofread: Carefully review your essay for grammar and spelling errors to ensure it’s well-written and polished.

Remember, the optional essay is a valuable opportunity to strengthen your application or address any concerns, so use it thoughtfully to present yourself in the best possible light to the Admissions Committee at the Wharton School.

Crafting Compelling Essays

Your Path to Success

Now that we’ve outlined the components, let’s discuss how to craft compelling essays:

• Be Authentic : Use your own voice and be honest in your storytelling. The admissions committee appreciates authenticity.
• Show Impact : Demonstrate the impact you’ve made in your professional and personal life. Use real examples.
• Research Wharton : Understand the unique features of Wharton and explain why you’re a great fit.
• Edit and Proofread : Ensure your essays are free of errors and well-structured.

In conclusion, the Wharton MBA essay analysis for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle reveals that being true to yourself and effectively showcasing your achievements and aspirations is the key to a successful application. Take the time to create well-crafted essays that reflect your unique journey and ambitions. Incase you need any help with crafting your essays – Contact us at [email protected] or via phone at (+91) 8766202047 and (+91) 9990493487.

1. What are the key elements of a successful Wharton MBA application in 2023-2024?

• Providing an overview of the application components and what Wharton looks for can be a valuable resource for applicants.

2. How can I make my Wharton MBA essays stand out in the competitive admissions process?

• Offering practical tips on creating compelling essays that resonate with the admissions committee can help applicants set themselves apart.

3. What are the common mistakes to avoid when crafting Wharton MBA essays?

• Discussing errors to steer clear of can guide applicants in refining their essays for better chances of success.

4. Is it advisable to hire a professional editor for my Wharton MBA essays?

• Exploring the pros and cons of seeking professional editing services can be informative for candidates considering this option.

5. How does Wharton assess the fit of an applicant with their program, and why is it important to address in the essays?

• Explaining how demonstrating a genuine connection with Wharton can enhance an application’s competitiveness is crucial information for prospective students.

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How to Tackle the Wharton MBA Essays

• September 20, 2022

Wharton MBA Essay Questions

• How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)
• Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

Wharton MBA Essay Tips

The Wharton essay prompts are direct and allow enough word count to paint a robust picture of who you are and why Wharton is right for you (and vice versa). As such, this application can be a good one to tackle early in the process. The Wharton deadlines are also early in each round (September 7 th is the Round 1 deadline), which lends additional credence to this approach.

While the Wharton essay questions read as fairly straightforward, don’t let them lead you down the path of writing bland essays.  Run of the mill essays do nothing to help you stand out from the sea of applications Wharton receives. To be precise, Wharton received 7,338 applications last year and only accepted 1,338 of those applicants. Additionally, despite the generous word count, you will absolutely need to be strategic about what you include – and don’t.

Essay 1 Should Be Grounded in Concrete Career Goals, a Solid ‘Why’, and a Thoughtful ‘How’

When it comes to the first essay, the critical thing to keep in mind is that all of your content should be ‘anchored’ by your short- and long-term career goals. If you haven’t given robust thought to these and done your due diligence to ensure they are sound, now is the time to do so. In short, your immediate post-MBA goal should be specific down to the title, function, and industry you will target – you may even include a few potential companies you would like to work for. Your long-term career goal can be higher level but should be ambitious and a reasonable follow on to your targeted post-MBA role.

Once you have shared your career goals, look to address the ‘past experience’ part of the essay prompt. What the Wharton adcom is looking for here is your ‘why’. Think about the formative experiences that led you to your post-MBA career goals. Perhaps in your work as a consultant you were staffed on a healthcare project that opened your eyes to how complex yet exciting the healthcare industry can be. This sparked your interest in shifting to a strategy role within a healthcare company where you can make a lasting impact on the industry and those it touches. Tell this story so the adcom can really feel your passion and the authenticity behind your goals.

After sharing the ‘why’ underlying your goals, shift focus to the ‘how’. While you likely bring a host of really impressive skills to the table, there are also inevitably gaps in your experience that you will need to close in order to achieve your ultimate career ambitions. Do an honest and detailed assessment of these gaps and then describe the unique elements of Wharton’s program that will help you to build them. If the examples you cite are offered by other business schools, they are not specific enough to make a compelling argument as to why Wharton will best position you for success. Getting this part right takes work and that is exactly why it matters.

Essay Two is All About Differentiating Yourself

When it comes to the second essay, take a cue from what Wharton professor extraordinaire Adam Grant’s concept of ‘givers and takers’ . Whereas the ‘why Wharton’ section of the first essay can cover what you will ‘take’ from the experience, this essay should focus on the ways in which you will be a ‘giver’ while at Wharton and even after graduation. A giver ‘…[looks] to help others by making an introduction, giving advice, providing mentoring, or sharing knowledge, without any strings attached.’

To be in a position to ‘give’, you need to have a unique knowledge base, personality trait, or past experience from which others will benefit. This is the crux of what you should share in this essay. It is, first and foremost, the place to share what distinguishes you from other applicants. Because the first essay is so career focused, we urge clients to write about something personal here, if possible.

To begin the essay, preview your ‘differentiator’ and why it will make you an asset to the Wharton community. This will likely entail telling a story from your past from which your ‘differentiator’ originated. Next, think to the future and share ~two concrete ways you will leverage your ‘differentiator’ to make an impact at Wharton. Perhaps you will bring a unique perspective to classroom discussions or leverage exemplary teambuilding skills to unite your cohort? The key is to communicate contributions that are specific, unique to you (i.e., every other applicant wouldn’t be equally as well positioned to make them) and demonstrate knowledge of Wharton.

For example, a past client discussed how she would use the determination that had helped her overcome personal challenges to motivate her peers in Wharton Women in Business. She went on to describe a specific area of programming she would bring to the club that tied in with some of the personal challenges she had conquered.  The essay was strategic, specific, and thoughtful (and it was successful in earning her an acceptance with full scholarship).

We hope these tips ideas are helpful as you work to differentiate yourself and demonstrate the amazing mark you would leave on the Wharton community. If you’d like assistance with your Wharton essays or your broader MBA application strategy with Vantage Point MBA, click here to schedule an initial consultation!

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October 17, 2023

Wharton MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2023 – 2024], Class Profile & Podcast Episode 545 with Blair Mannix

Wharton has not changed its application essay questions for several seasons now. This is usually a sign that the admissions committee is happy with the kind of essays applicants are providing in response. Wharton asks candidates to share what they plan to do with their MBA in the short and long term and to discuss what they can contribute to the school’s community. The school’s optional essay then lets applicants address any issues with their profile, if needed.

And don’t miss our  Admissions Straight Talk  podcast interview with Blair Mannix, Executive Director of Graduate Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.  She encourages applicants to take risks and be themselves in their applications. The interview also covers the team-based discussion component of the admissions process and provides advice for reapplicants and those considering applying in the future. Listen below or click the image to read the full transcript.

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Ready to get to work on your Wharton application? Read on.

Wharton application essay tips

Wharton application deadlines, wharton class profile, wharton essay #1.

How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)

This question is future focused and exclusively professional. What do you want to do professionally that you can’t do now and that a Wharton MBA will enable you to do? What “soft” and “hard” skills do you hope to acquire at Wharton? How will a Wharton MBA (the education, credential, and experience), combined with your past experience and education, help you achieve your dreams? Wharton Director of Admissions Blair Mannix explains:

“We want students to do self-reflection on why they want this degree. We want students to explore the pivot moment – when they decided they wanted to do this – and unpack the talent and treasure they can bring to the MBA. Spend the time and really think about the top three things you will get out of the program.”

As with most MBA goals questions , Wharton wants to see how you plan to connect your MBA education to your future. Keep in mind that Wharton has an incredibly rich curriculum. How will you take advantage of its premier offerings to prepare yourself to realize your vision?

To answer this question well, you need to have professional direction and you need to know which of Wharton’s myriad resources make it the perfect next stop on your professional journey. There are many ways you could structure your response. You might start with a pivotal experience that either illustrates what you seek to accomplish or shaped your short- and long-term goals. Then explain why this experience – ideally, an accomplishment – is important to you and how it relates to the question. In doing so, make sure you answer all the elements of Wharton’s essay question.

Wharton Essay #2

Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

For this essay, start with the end in mind: How do you intend to contribute to the Wharton community?

To answer that question, research the cocurricular opportunities and pedagogical approach at Wharton. How will you add to the program and its community? Based on your experience, what difference do you intend to make? How will you participate and, yes, contribute?

Now decide on the aspects of your experience and background that have prepared you to have your intended impact. You can highlight achievements, challenges overcome , initiatives you’ve led, and teamwork situations, and that’s just for starters. 

You’re now ready to write.

You can start this essay with the impactful experience from your past and then analyze the lesson you learned from that accomplishment. Then bring it forward and apply it to your intended role at Wharton.

Alternatively, you can start with your intended impact at Wharton and then go back to your past experience. Regardless of how you structure your essay, you want Wharton to see you as a giver and contributor.

Wharton Reapplicant Essay 

Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 words)

The name of the MBA reapplicant game is “Growth and Improvement.” Wharton is asking for reflection, and you need to provide it, while also showing how that reflection has led to action and improvement. Demonstrate to Wharton that you are a better candidate this time than last.

Wharton Optional Essay

Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (500 words)

“Addressing extenuating circumstances” means that you should describe the issues and situations in a straightforward way. Give the admissions committee context, and absolutely avoid giving excuses or whining. If possible, provide evidence that those circumstances either were temporary or will not affect your performance. Also note that this question is broad enough that you can use it to bring to the committee’s attention and interest, achievement, or obstacle overcome that you would like them to know about and that isn’t covered elsewhere in your application.

The Wharton MBA Team-Based Discussion

If you are invited to participate in a Wharton MBA Team-Based Discussion, be sure to listen to this advice from Mannix: What Is Wharton’s Team-Based MBA Interview Like? Tips From Director of Admissions Blair Mannix .

What’s next?

For expert guidance with your Wharton MBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages , which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped thousands of applicants get accepted to top MBA programs and look forward to helping you, too!

To be considered for a round, you must submit a completed application by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the day of the deadline.

Source: Wharton website

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with Wharton directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

Here is a look at the Wharton MBA Class of 2024 (data taken from the Wharton website ):

Applications: 6,319

Enrolled class: 877

LGBTQ+ students: 8%

U.S. race/ethnicity: 

• Asian American: 23%
• Black/African American: 7%
• Hispanic/Latinx: 5%
• Native American/Indigenous/ Native Alaskan: >1%
• Did not report: >1%

International students: 35%

Countries represented: 77

Average GMAT score: 733

GMAT range: 530-790

Average GRE Quant score: 162

GRE Quant score range: 146-170

Average GRE Verbal score: 162

GRE Verbal score range: 143-170

Average GPA (from students who attended universities with a 4.0 grading system): 3.6

Undergraduate major:

• Humanities: 34%
• Business: 32%

Interdisciplinary and dual degree programs (students):

• Health Care Management: 75
• Moelis (Deferred Admission): 19

Average years of work experience: 5

Range of years of work experience: 1-24

Previous Industry Experience:

• Consulting: 27%
• Technology: 12%
• Nonprofit/Government: 11%
• Investment Banking: 8%
• Investment Management: 7%
• Financial Services: 5%
• Health Care: 5%
• Media/Entertainment: 2%

Are you dreaming of a Wharton MBA?

 Get started with your b-school research:

• Which MBA Is Right for Me? The Ultimate Guide to Choosing an MBA Program
• M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 202 3

Once you have decided that Wharton is the place for you, Accepted can help you make your application stand out from the rest:

• Get Accepted to Wharton, a webinar
• What’s New at Wharton MBA , podcast Episode 440, an interview with Wharton Director of Admissions Blair Mannix
• Applying to Wharton Lauder? Do Your Research! , podcast Episode 465, an interview with Kara Keenan Sweeney, director of admissions marketing and financial aid at the Lauder Institute

With only 877 students attending Wharton out of 6,319 applications, you know that the competition is tough. Get Accepted! Speak with an admissions expert today in a free 30-minute consultation . 

What’s New at Penn’s The Wharton School. And How to Get In. [Episode 545]

Welcome to the 545th episode of Admissions Straight Talk . Thanks for tuning in. Are you ready to apply to your dream business schools? Are you competitive at your target programs? Accepted’s MBA admissions calculator can give you a quick reality check. You’ll not only get an assessment, but tips on how to improve your chances of acceptance. Plus it’s all free. 

It gives me great pleasure to have back on Admissions Straight Talk , Blair Mannix, Executive Director of Graduate Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Blair first came to Penn as a graduate student where she earned her master’s in higher education management in 2010. She joined Penn’s undergrad admission staff in 2008. She’s been at Wharton since 2012 and became Director of Admissions in 2017 and the Executive Director in 2022. She was last on Admissions Straight Talk almost exactly two years ago . Let’s learn what’s new and exciting in the Wharton MBA program and admissions process. 

Blair, welcome back to Admissions Straight Talk . [1:50]

Awesome. Thank you so much for having me, Linda. It’s great to be back.

It’s great to have you. So first question, can we start with a basic overview of Wharton MBA program for listeners who may not be that familiar with it and focusing on its more distinctive elements? [1:56]

Absolutely. So the Wharton MBA program is a two-year graduate program in the city of Philadelphia starting in August of the year that you enroll through to the summer where you go on an internship away from campus. And I think the thing that really makes the Wharton MBA program stand out amongst peer programs is its flexibility. We offer a lot of flexibility within our core curriculum and 200 electives that students can choose from. We really feel passionately that we want people to chart their own course through the MBA program and not just get classes taught in similar ways to the same people in the same cadence over and over again. We really want people to get, the way I describe it is wringing every ounce of utility out of this program, and we think the flexibility of curriculum really does that.

Another thing that Wharton does really well is that the Wharton MBA program is a very tactile degree, meaning that our students really are getting into the guts of understanding models or marketing strategic plans. And we’re not just teaching students to be leaders and managers, which of course we are, but we do really believe that you need to understand the inner workings and core operations of a company in order to lead it well. And so our degree is very hands-on in that respect as well.

One of the things that always struck me about Wharton is not only that you have this incredible plethora of options and flexibility, but the support that you give your students to take advantage of all that wealth of opportunity. [3:21]

Thanks for saying. That’s something we’re really proud of. I say it in jest, but I really do not think there’s going to be a time in your adult life that you are more supported than when you’re at the Wharton MBA program. We call it your personal board of directors, our advising support network. You’ll have advisors and support across all of our main components, the leadership program, career management of course, advisors, and how to navigate your career search and beyond, of course academic advisors and even student life advisors. So you do have this particular board of directors to help you navigate what is a lot. Wharton is a lot. There’s a lot of resources and how do you take advantage and again, wring that utility out of your two years.

Right now in preparing for the call, I noticed that Wharton seems to have in my mind, clarified its vision, namely in defining the Wharton Way, which boils down to, according to your website, elevate research impact, innovate through your pedagogy, collaborate through disciplines and divides, all to be accomplished through a data-informed approach aiming towards scalable solutions and equitable outcomes. Can you dive into the impact of these principles on students’ MBA experience? Sounds great, but they’re general and out there. [4:13]

I’m very happy for the question. I’m happy to talk about the Wharton Way. I’m really happy to talk about the Wharton Way. So this is Dean Erica James’ vision for her tenure of the Wharton School. So it’s something that of course is near and dear to my heart as it is near and dear to her heart. And so the three pillars, elevate research and impact, innovate through pedagogy and collaborate across disciplines. A couple of examples under that. First and foremost, the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School are research universities. That’s the bread and butter of what we do. And I think something that’s interesting that a lot of folks probably don’t think about is we have deep ties to government and obviously business. So a lot of the research you see coming out of government organizations or a lot of the research that’s cited across Fortune 500 companies is Wharton research and that pipeline and those pipelines through our centers of innovation and our centers of research already exist.

So when she says elevate that research impact, she just wants to continue that and continue doubling down on faculty research, getting out into the business and government community. So I think that’s something that we’re really excited about internally, and how do we create opportunities, mechanisms, and operations to get that done? So that’s something that has a lot of energy behind the scenes, so that’s exciting. And then of course innovating through teaching, innovating through teaching. Here’s an example I think is great. We have a fabulous professor by the name of Ethan Molik who runs our Wharton Interactive News Center. He’s a faculty member that teaches through games, and Wharton Interactive is now a revenue center. So we are trying to bring this pedagogy through innovative games to the world. And so that’s an example of what we’re trying to do there. Basically what the Wharton way is when everything boils down is that we don’t want to gatekeep Wharton resources.

I’m not saying we’ve been doing it a lot in the past, but we really want to give that to the world. So Wharton Interactive is an example. We have a great program called Wharton Global Youth that we’re trying to bring Wharton classes down to 16, 17 year olds and making sure that is just a lot more in the community. And the last thing, collaboration across disciplines is, the problems of society are not going to be solved by business faculty, business students and people within the business world operating alone. Public private partnerships, collaborating across governments, collaborating across medical, engineers, all of those things that’s going to be at the core. The University of Pennsylvania does a really good job of that just naturally through its own history and culture, and I think Dean James really wants to double down on that. And so that’s the third pillar of the Wharton Way.

Now in addition to the Wharton Way, what’s new at Wharton? I mean, there’s always something new at Wharton. [7:15]

Yeah, so let me start with this. So one of the organizations I’ve been privileged to be a part of for the last 12 to 18 months is our Wharton Executive MBA. And about a year ago, so about 12 months ago, we launched the Wharton Executive MBA Global cohort. So we’re allowing folks to take an Executive MBA, living and working out of their homes, but the key metric of this is that they actually are coming together nine times throughout their time. So it’s not a fully online MBA, they’re coming together nine times across the world globally, to learn from each other and be part of an in-person cohort. So that’s really exciting. I’ve been at the forefront of obviously the admissions and recruiting for that, and it’s just been a privilege to talk about. I would encourage folks that are listening if they’re interested, do a quick Google on the Wharton Executive MBA WAVE classroom because we’re not just teaching this on Google.

I keep saying it’s not your grandma’s Google or excuse me, we’re not teaching this on Zoom. It’s not your Grandma’s Zoom. Technology is actually amazingly cutting edge and groundbreaking. And so faculty are teaching in the round and there’s a screen for every student and the camera follows the faculty member looking at a particular person. And so it’s very much a synchronous experience. You have to show up for class at nine o’clock on a Monday morning. And so that’s very exciting. But I would say otherwise, when I was thinking about the answer to this question, Linda, AI, the research around AI that I see pumping out of the Wharton School every week, it seems there’s another faculty authorship on –

I just saw an article in the Wall Street Journal that I think was Wharton professors on AI. [8:46]

Thank you. Thank you for calling attention to that. So you’re seeing what I’m seeing.

It was fascinating. [8:52]

Right. And it’s coming from all angles. And so I just think that’s another hallmark of the Wharton School. So let’s just use research on AI as an example, but it’s coming from the marketing space, it’s coming from the management space, it’s coming from the finance space. And so all of those things combined is just pumping out this research that is being cited all over the globe. So I think that’s really exciting. Research in AI, publications on AI and what Wharton is doing there. The last thing that I’ll say before I stop belaboring the question about what is new at Wharton is just the analytical powerhouse that Wharton always has been and continues to be.

Our analytics at Wharton hub for innovation has just been churning out really interesting pieces of content. We just had our third annual, I think, Women in Data Science Conference that’s bringing women in data science from all across the world to Philadelphia, the Future of Work through our Wharton People Analytics Conference, like what are we all expecting in a post Covid world, that’s really exciting. And we actually just launched our first class through Wharton Interactive called Machine Learning and Business Decisions through actually our sports business initiative. So it’s like the machine learning, the gamification, the pedagogy and the innovation are all coming together in the analytic space. So that’s pretty exciting too.

That’s always fascinating. But the article that I was citing, if I remember was about human beings versus AI and innovation and basically saying that AI has a lot to offer in terms of innovation, and it went through the steps, different steps. I’m a lay person, I’m not an expert in innovation, and it was something that I could really understand. It was just a very interesting article. [10:06]

Did it have a title, something like Is AI a Better Entrepreneur than Humans? I feel like I-

Innovator. [10:36]

Innovator, yeah. No, I’m right there with you. Yeah, it’s a really exciting time. I think it’s a really exciting time to be at Wharton when all of that’s swirling. So I’m happy you noticed that as much as I do.

What trends are you seeing in terms of interest from applicants in different sectors and geography? What trends would you like to see? [10:47]

I’ve been a member of the Wharton Adcom for 12 years. I think I’ll just maybe expand on the question slightly to see how I’ve seen it change over the last 12 upcoming 13 years. I think the main hallmark I’ve seen in the applicant pool is just a pure play diversification of where students are coming from. That doesn’t answer your question, but when I came to the admissions committee, it was a lot of more consultants, a lot more investment bankers, and I just think the ROI of an MBA has really expanded and I think that’s really important. For me, I don’t really have a specific answer, and I’m not trying to dodge the question. I really just don’t think I have an answer on what I want to see more of. But I’ll say this, this is what we want to see more of.

The MBA is transformative. It is a degree that can be utilized for the rest of your life across sectors. It’s not super specialized, clearly it’s not a credential. And so I think that my goal, at least in this role, is to try to continue to communicate that an MBA is valuable and can be valuable across sectors, from education to technology to energy to NGOs. I mean, a lot of applications say I get from the nonprofit sector that are really successful, they’ll say I’m in nonprofit, but even in nonprofit, you need to know how to run a business. You need to know how to pay people and do the accounting and things like that. And so I think that it’s a transformational experience that my goal is to get to as many different types of work experience backgrounds as possible. So that would be my goal, but not targeting a specific one per your question.

I was just thinking about my own MBA path and experience. Obviously the MBA has changed enormously since I got mine. I’ll admit I got it in 1979, but I did not follow a classic MBA path. And when I started Accepted, I had been doing different things. I’d taken off time for family and I questioned whether I got value out of it until I started Accepted, which was in the mid-nineties. And then I started a small business and it was valuable, it was invaluable. And I don’t mean the network and all that stuff. I mean the principles. I didn’t remember the formula for who knows what for a put or anything like that. I didn’t remember that at all. I didn’t need that. But the basic framework, the principles I had, and that helped me enormously. [12:22]

I mean for me, that goes back to the Wharton way, like innovation through pedagogy because people come for different reasons and you’re right, networking, meeting the people, getting your first job out of the MBA. We work hard at that, getting your first job, but that’s not what it’s really all about. It’s about what skills do you need in 20 to 30 years that you’re going to pop up from a classroom innovation in the types of things you’re learning in the classroom by faculty that you’re going to use in 20 years. And so Wharton works really hard at making sure that we’re being current in the marketplace of skills and ideas that students need to know. So it just makes me happy that you had that MBA experience ’cause what we hope to deliver.

Now what don’t people know about Wharton that you would like them to know? Or is there a common misconception that you’d like to dispel? [13:49]

Yeah, I have a common misconception. And the first is that it’s a very competitive place, very cutthroat, very competitive. The MBA program in particular, and I’ve said this over the years, but I always joke that when people meet me or the team or they come to campus and they say, “Oh, this is not what I thought this was, and it’s very different.” And I say, “Well, then that means I’m not doing my job. My job is to communicate to you in your own hometown or when you come to campus that what Wharton really is, not what you think it is.” And so I like to put out there that it’s actually a very collaborative place.

We have a system of grade non-disclosure, and we’ve had that for decades where there’s groups vote that they’re not going to share GPAs with potential employers, and that’s sexy and interesting to talk about, but really what that is: we want you to take chances. You’ve probably never taken a chance in your whole life. If you were admitted to Wharton, you got good grades, you had the right majors, you went to the right companies, you had the right political maneuvering and to get promoted and whatever you did, but we really want you to take chances because the business world is won by people that take chances. And so that’s why the curriculum is set up like that

Risk reward. [15:03]

Exactly. So that’s something we’re really proud of. Another thing that I think people sometimes lose in their maybe external opinion of Wharton, and it’s something we have struggled with internally, the duality of we are the best school to study finance in the world> Period. That’s something we’re really proud of. That’s something that’s been part of our DNA since our inception, but we’re also quite good at a lot of other things. We have top 10 programs and management and marketing, and these great dual degree programs like the Lauder Institute or our healthcare management program are groundbreaking. And so sometimes what makes my job difficult is finance, and we are very good at other things because a lot of times folks think, “Oh, Wharton’s not for me. I want to study marketing.” And we’re like, “Actually, it is for you.” So that’s something that I like to put out there as well.

Let’s turn to the application and start with testing. Now, Wharton requires either the GMAT or the GRE, no Executive Assessment for the full-time MBA. Is it okay for the Executive MBA, since you are now in charge of the- [16:04]

Yes, we do accept the Executive Assessment for the Wharton MBA for executives.

Could you review the rules surrounding the new GMAT Focus? Am I correct that you only really accept it for around three applicants? [16:07]

Yes, and I actually saw that you did a LinkedIn post about this Linda and I actually put in my to-do list to email you and I never did. So I’m happy we’re getting this chance. I mean all positive because-

Thank you. [16:24]

No, all positive. You got it right. Right now, the GMAT focus is launching this fall, but our deadline for round two is the first couple of days of January, and so it was too late for me to really have an evaluation selection process that felt fair and unbiased and equal. And so I just said we’re happy with the GMAT Focus. I believe in the efficacy of the test, I believe in the GMAT corporation, but we will be accepting the GMAT Focus starting in round three of this year, so April 2024, as well as with our Moelis candidates who apply in the same month. And so I won’t go into it, but there’s been a lot of mixed messaging. There was even a change on my website, which you very correctly noted when we were going to accept it, but I think the dust has settled. Final decisions are made. If you’re applying to the Wharton MBA program in the fall of 23 or the winter of 24, no GMAT Focus, but if you’re applying in round three or the Moelis Advanced Access round in April of 24, ready to go.

And obviously for the next application cycle. [17:20]

Exactly right.

What’s new in the MBA application? [17:23]

Nothing. And actually that’s very purposeful. There’s a lot of change. The MBA, excuse me, let me back up. The admissions business is changing. I have done nothing but this. I’ve been in this line of work for 18 years, and I have seen some shifts in the business and some ebbs and flows of changes. But I think, and there’s a couple of things to say under this, of course, the Supreme Court decision, but the GMAT changes as well. The market pressures on testing organizations, the GRE changes, and there’s questions, but I would love to talk about ChatGPT for college essays-

It’s next. [18:02]

Great. I have a lot to say about that.

How that works. I’ve been calling it admissions… We did something with our evaluation and selection process about eight years ago that I called Admissions 2.0. So internally, I’ve been calling this admissions 3.0, because the whole business is changing. And so given that scope and given that umbrella, I felt really strongly about not changing our application because enough is changing. Let’s not torture these applicants. And that’s where we’re at.

Or maybe the application readers also, I don’t know. [18:30]

Yeah. Maybe that too, but really it was for the applicants.

So you mentioned ChatGPT. What do you feel is the appropriate role of ChatGPT and AI in the application process? Obviously Wharton’s going all in on machine learning. You mentioned that a second ago. So what is the appropriate role? [18:34]

Faculty have done great work on the use of ChatGPT and passing Wharton exams. There’s a couple of fun articles about that too, but this is where the office of MBA admission stands. This is where I stand. My view personally is being fearful of ChatGPT and what it means for society is like being scared of email. It’s coming, it’s here. It’s an efficiency tool. People will be using it. I don’t believe it’s the right move to gatekeep using an efficiency tool, especially if we say that we’re cutting edge business leaders. Cutting edge business leaders outside of our walls should be using ChatGPT to speed up their work. Now ChatGPT, as we all know, has limitations. There’s studies in law schools that they put fake legal precedents on some of the answers they do.

You have to check it. [19:35]

Of course you have to check it, but I think it’s only going to get better. And so I think it’s an efficiency tool. Behind the scenes we use it for our own work. Faculty at Wharton use it for their own work. I think people should use it going forward. And so I have no reason to or no plans to put a disclaimer on our application saying, “Please don’t use ChatGPT” because we all know it’s not good. You’re going to have to work with it. And I think that’s okay.

I think it’s going to be another sign of judgment on the part of applicants. If they use ChatGPT wholesale and they don’t check it and they don’t add their own personal perspective to whatever ChatGPT produces, then they’re going to have very generic, superficial and substandard essays that will not enhance their chances of admissions. If they use it as a tool like spell check or grammar check, but the essay is still theirs, then it might just have a good place. It might take them some time. [19:59]

I was talking with some colleagues recently and they expressed concern about the tragedy competition or pity essays that seem to be proliferating. so two questions. do you feel that, a, it is proliferating do you feel that people may be revealing much more than you need to know of their personal private lives in essays so that’s question number one. and related, can you give some guidance as to what is too much information [20:35], talking about the changes in admissions. okay, there’s a change. [21:01].

Well, so let’s address the change and let’s address some history. For me, I’ve been reading applications in some form or another. I definitely have my 10,000 hours in for18 years. So saying, putting sad stories and essays is not a new phenomenon. It’s just not. And so anybody who’s newer to the business I think may think that, but it’s not a new phenomenon. So that’s going to exist. Admissions is changing. That hasn’t changed, at least in my experience. So I’ll just say that. In terms of advice, this is the advice I always give, and it’s not exactly to this, but I think we’ll hit the point. I always say, finish your application, close it, meaning click it off, walk away. Walk away for a week. Do you think there’s a story, and it gets to the optional essay, which I want to talk about. If you think there’s a story that you’re like a human being reading this really needs to know this story in order to understand me, I want you to write that story in the optional essay.

And it’s not a sad story, it could be a happy story, but I would say 50% of you have a story that explains who you are. And sometimes it’s a childhood story, sometimes it’s a promotion story, sometimes it’s a sickness story. Sometimes it’s how I found my passion story. But I would say if you don’t feel like you have a story, don’t write a story like that. So I would say about 50% of students write some additional component to their application that would be kind of addressed in the premise of your question and 50%. But that’s the advice I use. If you think that there’s a piece of you that somebody needs to understand to evaluate your candidacy, write it. But if you don’t, I don’t think I need to know that story.

I think just in terms of what I’ve seen and reality is that we frequently grow from the most difficult experiences and in order to show resilience, which is I think a quality that is increasingly valued, you have to overcome something. If you haven’t overcome something, you have nothing to be resilient from or to or whatever. So I think that’s part of what you’re seeing. But the point that others have made is sometimes people are revealing too much personal information or going into too much detail about the difficulty and less about the overcoming part of it. Have you seen that? [22:34]

Our essay questions are not geared towards that.

So you’re not seeing it. [23:18]

Yeah, as I think about it live, they’re not geared towards that. So I don’t really think I see a lot of that. But there are. I mean, listen, I’m a proponent and a student of this business. One of my favorite things to do is just talk admissions shop with people. People are in my email all the time. I’m like, “I will take a half an hour to talk shop with you.” And I say that because something I do regularly, but also people have questions on their applications from undergrad to grad school to professional schools, all of which I know and talk to that would draw you to those answers. And so my suggestion would be, if you don’t want to hear about these types of stories, maybe you don’t have essays that are geared towards that.

Now Wharton has two required questions and one optional. The optional asks, please use the space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the admissions committee. It gives a lot of latitude and space. Number one, is it truly optional? How would you like to see it used? Do most admitted students write one? And you said you wanted to address the optional question on your own. So if there’s something else you want to say that’s not included in those three questions, go for it. [23:51]

No, I answered that question like what I want people to use it for. If you close your application, feel like there’s a story you need to tell, please put it in that optional essay. But I would say people use it for two different reasons and I encourage people to do it in two different reasons. And I’ll take this moment and put a quick plugin for some admissions’ application tips webinars we do that are on the Wharton YouTube channel. I did one that has a ton of views that I’ve gotten some nice feedback on, but our teams does great ones and it talks about this. It talks about what you should use your optional essay for. But really what they say is this a lot of students are like, “I have some things to say” and I’m like, have a couple bullet points if you want to say, “Hey, listen, I was sick in senior year and that’s why I have a C in statistics.” Put it in a bullet point.

“I want you to know there’s a gap in my career because they pushed all the hiring back to January.” “Boom, boom, boom, boom.” Bullet points are great. That gives me context. I’m happy with it. But then there’s a lot of people that want to tell this story. So I would say half use bullet points, half use a story. It’s fully open and optional because I really want you to use it to just tell me what you need to tell me. There’s no hidden agenda with me. I just want to know what I need to know because I would rather you tell me than me have to go find it.

Or guess. [25:28]

Yeah. Or there was a pass-fail grade. What happened at Brown in the summer of 2018? I don’t want to have to go find it. I would rather you tell me.

March 2020. [25:35]

Well, that one, I know what happened. We all lived together. I was there for that.

We all remember that one. Do most admitted students write the optional or is there any data on that? [25:42]

I don’t know. That’s a good question. I really don’t know, but you can tell how much it matters. It matters, but I don’t not track that stuff. Yeah.

How do you review an application? What do you start with? [25:55]

Transcripts. Transcripts, resume. Those are the two most important things. I think applications, they have a natural cadence. When you open the application, you’re immediately, the way I describe it and the way I train our readers, you’re just trying to take the student in. You’re like, “Okay, they’re 27, living in Boston, working in healthcare, living in the Back Bay, taking in the student, taking in the student. And then you click on the transcript and you’re like, “Okay, and then they went to Duke and they majored in mechanical engineering”, and then you’re just watching them walk through your life. Our whole job is figuring out how you walk through your life. And so you’re like, “Oh, they were a member of the swim team and they did this at Duke and they did community service. Okay, great. And then they graduated in 2020, good year to graduate.”

Okay, great pivot. I always call it the pivot moment. All right. Then they went out into the world, then we read the resume. What did they do? Where did they move? What did they make? How did they feel about it? What are their things? And then that natural discovery process leads you most often to the essays, but sometimes to the letters. For example, if there’s a student that has a little bit less years of work experience, I might be like, “What do people say about this person?” So I’ll go to the letters first before the essays. But then sometimes if you’re working in consulting and you’ve been there for three years and you’re applying to the Wharton MBA, which is more commonplace, not bad, but just more common, I might go to the essays to see what you want to do here. So it’s a pretty standard path. And then it diverges between essays and letters and then that’s it.

How many people review an application? [27:27]

Two. [27:33].

We have two read each application before interview, and that’s really something I’m proud of. We have a “blind read” process, and so one reader does not know what the other reader says, and that’s to cut down on bias. There’s a lot of processes, and I’m a big student of decision analytics and decision science, and there’s a lot of not just admissions offices, but people that are hiring for jobs at scale that have one commentator’s comments read by another, and of course that influences you. So ours is blind. And then we do a full committee before interview to make sure that the decisions we’re making are strong and make sense. And then of course, robust interview, another read and then final committee.

What can an applicant expect if lucky enough to interview and participate in the team-based discussion? [28:12]

Yeah, so we’re on year 12 of the team-based discussion. So we’ve gotten good at it. I was part of some of the first waves, so I’m proud to say that. So this is what I like to say about the team-based discussion. I’m like, “We want to take the stress and the energy from here to here.” I’m like, “I’m never going to take it down here.” I know. Especially coming from my lips. I was like, “But I’m going to try.” So basically what the team-based discussion is when you’re invited to interview, you will know it. And I put on our website that we will be releasing decisions. I don’t quite know it off the top of my head, sometime in late October, but let’s just call it October 30th at noon. You’ll get your decision October 30th at noon. And that’s the story.

And so there’s no harangues, there’s no fear, there’s no waiting every week. It’s not rolling decisions. And then when you get invited to interview, you’ll get your prompt. We’re not going to spot prompt you and make you totally freak out, and you’ll get a one-page PDF on how you could prepare. But I think more importantly how you don’t prepare, because we don’t want people to be over preparing for something they can’t really prepare for. So you’ll get the discussion prompt, you’ll get how to prepare, more importantly not to prepare. And then it’s a 35-minute group discussion with four to five other applicants. So everybody’s in the same boat. Everything is on Zoom. We were actually Zoom beta users all the way back in 2018, 2019 before Covid. We’ve been doing this for a long time. Everything is on Zoom now, and you have a 35-minute discussion. I mean, and that discussion feels like a discussion at work.

How do you solve problems? How do you bring in different resources? How do you drive towards deadlines and decisions? And there’s a lot of academic and career research that says when people do certain things, they tend to get along better in groups. And that’s the type of stuff we’re looking for. So I always just tell people, imagine you’re walking into a conference room at work and you’re right about to take that left, and you’re thinking about who is in the room, and there’s some people that you’re like, “Yes.” And there’s some people that are ugh. Just think about what those people do, that’s a skill. Running a room and knowing how to work with people is a skill. And I think one of the things I’m proudest of in our process is that at the Wharton MBA Admissions Process, it’s not that you crest to the interview stage and then you interview and you either do really well and get in or you don’t do well and you don’t get it.

The skills of running a room are very different than the skills most times to get a 4.3 in physics at MIT, they just are. And so we’re a school and we want to have the room runners and we want to educate them to be the 4.3 In physics or finance, and then we want the 4.-

Marketing. [30:53] 

Then we want the 4.3s in finance, and we want to teach them how to run a room. And so that’s what it looks and feels like. After that, you’ll do a one-on-one with your interviewer, and the whole thing will be about an hour, hour and 20 of your life.

What’s the most common mistake that you see applicants make in the team-based discussion? [31:08]

The mistake questions are always tough for me because I don’t, it’s just like my brain isn’t oriented like that.

You’re much more positive than that. [31:20]

Yeah, I think I am. But of course, I’ve been in this chair for six years. I’ve just gotten asked the mistake question a lot, and I always don’t have a good answer. I don’t really think of it. I don’t think of it like that. I don’t know. I’m not talking at all –  want to be part of it. There’s a book that I think-

How about trying to hog airtime? [31:39]

Maybe. I mean, maybe. But there’s a lot of research on different ways to be successful in groups. And so this is my thing. I’m like, it’s just be a normal person. Be the person that you are at work for 35 minutes. Keep it together.

Be the person you’d like to work with. [31:55]

Yeah, maybe that. Well, that’s another thing. So we were training our interviewers last year and I said, “I don’t do interviews. I don’t do them.” And someone said, “Why?” And I said, “Listen, I can’t do them all. So if I did only a couple, that wouldn’t be fair or accurate”, which is two of my guiding principles for this work in this office. Because if I interviewed, let’s say seven to 10 people, I would have a predisposition to admit the seven to 10 people if they did well, and who’s in the driver’s seat? Me. So that’s just not fair if you’re not one of those 17 people that’s randomly assigned to me. So that’s just an aside, but that’s how we work it behind the scenes.

What advice do you have for applicants wanting to join the class of 2026? In other words, those applying this cycle and probably preparing for a round two application. [32:35]

Take a look at the resources we put online. We really do try to democratize all the information that it takes to put a strong Wharton MBA application together and a strong, I believe, business school application. So there are application tip sessions. They’re an hour long. We go through what it means when you select the dropdown menu to apply to a healthcare management major versus the Water Institute versus a JD MBA. And if you do what that means and who reads it and what the timeline is. And so we give you all of that information. We even talk about essay structure, how to write those essays and give you real guideposts on how you’re supposed to spend your time and your pros. So we try really hard to put that out there. So go check it out. Just it’s on the Wharton YouTube channel.

We touched on this just a little bit in a previous question, and I didn’t send it to you ahead of time, but I’m wondering, for people belonging to underrepresented groups, do you have any special advice for them in light of the Supreme Court decision or for the applicants, it doesn’t really make that much difference in terms of what they say. [33:29]

Doesn’t really matter. The only change in that is that we no longer will be asking the race question on the application, but it’ll be suppressed for all readers, evaluators, staff members, and for the entirety of the cycle. And so for me, I don’t think it changes applicants’ head space, what they write about, what they talk about. They’re going to put together the same application that their soul wanted them to put together before. So no real advice.

Well, you mentioned the Moelis program- [34:14]

I was pronouncing it incorrectly. any tips for applicants applying to that program, the deferred admit program at wharton [34:20].

Yeah. First of all, that program has grown like gangbusters since we launched the global audience. Yeah. We launched it to the global audience in the summer of 2019 and started receiving applications for the first cohort that is external to the University of Pennsylvania in the summer of 2020. And we just think it’s a beautiful pipeline and it’s a beautiful representation of talent. This is what I would say, if you are thinking about applying to an MBA program through a deferred enrollment program, you’re already there. You’re already talented. You know what’s going on. You’ve done your research, you have some sort of direction. So I would just say, be really confident in your application because the fact that you’re even thinking about this, you’re already top 1% of the population. So we’ll just say that. Second thing is that, again, with these deferred enrollment programs, we want you to take risks.

That’s one of the points of them that you can lock in your admission, and we don’t want you to go backpacking and never work for two to four years, but you can take a little bit more risk. So think about that when you’re thinking about lining up your second job or your third job or what you want that deferment period to look like, because we really do want you to take risks because again, business favors risk-takers. It just does. There’s a reason that the American culture produces more entrepreneurs than most of the rest of the world, and that’s our tolerance for risk and some loss, but that’s who we are and that’s what we want to be part of.

The Moelis program has been in existence now for several years, so obviously some of the people that were admitted via that program already in Wharton, right? [35:55]

Yeah. Yeah.

Are most of those people actually coming for the MBA? Are they deferring additionally, or are they just saying, “I said I don’t want it?” [36:04]

Good question, Linda. That’s a great question. So yes, you’re completely correct in saying that some of the first admits are starting to trickle back. So for the last couple of years I’ve had, I think, about 20 Moelis admits come back to the class. So about 20 in the class of 25, 20 in the class of 24, 20 in the class of 23. Next year is the year it’s going to skyrocket. They have a two to four year deferment. So numbers wise and statistically, we’re expecting about 60 to 80 come back next year.

So we’re really going to start to see that come back. You’re correct. We’ve had a couple of years to see if students get accepted through the MBA and decide, this is what I’m going to do or decide, “No, I don’t want an MBA.” And so far data says over 80% of our students are coming back. That’s something that they absolutely are committed to and want to do. That’s an interesting question. I feel like now I want to have a focus group about that. I’m serious. I’m like, I’m going to email someone. “Did you think of not coming back? Was there a moment where you thought like, “Oh, I’m just going to go out on my own and start my own company, whatever.”

I’m interested in the reasons that they came back or thought of not coming back. But the industry is one, meaning the industry of deferred enrollment programs is doing very well. So I think a really, it’s something that people were clamoring for because most of the top 10 MBA programs right now have deferred enrollment programs, and they’re all doing very well.

Now let’s turn to the applicants, which are, I guess, the other end from deferred admits. When you review a re-applicant’s application, and that would not be somebody who applied to Moelis and then applies later on, when you review a reapplication, do you look at the previous application, the notes on the previous application? Both. None. How do you approach a reapplication? [37:34]

I love that. Both. None. Yeah. We actually very, as a point of process, do not. We don’t want to be biased against a previous application because a lot of times with programs like this, it’s not that your application was not strong, it’s just the pool is so deep and we have a low admit rate. And so the way we read applications is not looking for your flaws. I say this all the time. We have a read-to-admit culture. We’re not looking for your flaws. And so it’s not like if I looked at the previous note, I would see a listing of your flaws. It’s just culturally, it’s not something that would ever happen. But we found over the years that if you do not put the old application in any way in the new application and a reader and a decision maker is not biased against the fact that they’re a re-applicant, the re-applicant admit rate actually goes up. So per round, our re-applicant admit rate is actually a couple percentage points higher than the overall admit rate.

In that. And so we fully credit that just to not being biased against reading your old application. So statistically, it actually is more beneficial for re-applicants for us not to read it.

Also, you would expect re-applicants, they have a year more work experience, they made some mistakes maybe on their application last time, they would be stronger applicants. [38:59]

Absolutely. Another really good point.

What advice would you like to give to someone thinking ahead to a fall 2024 application or even a later application? In other words, they’re not applying this cycle, they’re applying next cycle or later cycle. [39:12]

I would say really hunker down and think, and then speak to the people that you trust in your life, mentors, bosses about what you really want to get out of an MBA. We found, and this is anecdotal, there’s no data on this for us, but it’s like we found that if someone can come in pretty crystallized, and I’m not saying with exactly the type of company industry location that they want to work at post MBA, but I mean, what you want to do during your two years, what clubs you want to leave, what skills you want to learn, what do you want to use the program for, the more you’ll get out of it. And so it’s not necessarily a piece of advice towards applying. It’s a piece of advice on navigating, and that’s the advice that I’ve given over the years, and I’ve gotten some feedback that it’s been helpful.

It’s great advice. And what would you have liked me to ask you? [40:07]

Oh, goodness. I just think I’m excited for where… This is maybe not a question, but it’s an answer to a question you didn’t ask. I just want to say I’m excited for where the business of admissions and where the MBA admissions world fits into the grander ecosystem is going. I think with the changes to testing profiles and the bringing online of AI resources, most notably ChatGPT, which people use more often, as well as just the ecosystem of what’s been going on around the country, I think it’s really interesting moment to be a part of as someone that’s a student of the business. And so I’m really excited to be a part of it, and I’m excited to be a change agent within the four walls of an admissions office to hopefully the betterment of society applying to schools across the country. And that’s just where I will be putting my energy for the next 12 to 18 months. So stay tuned.

Happily. 

I want to thank you very much for joining me today, blair. where can listeners and potential applicants learn more about wharton’s mba program [41:05].

On the Wharton MBA website.

Relevant Links:

• Wharton MBA
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How to Nail the "Why Wharton" MBA Essay

Learn how to craft a compelling 'Why Wharton' MBA essay that sets you apart from the competition. Elevate your application to stand out.

Posted January 31, 2024

Featuring Keta B.

Telling Your MBA Admissions Story: How to Create A Wholistic Application That Weaves a Tale

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Table of Contents

The "Why Wharton" MBA essay is an essential part of your application to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In this essay, you have the opportunity to explain why you are specifically interested in Wharton and how the MBA program aligns with your career goals and aspirations. To help you stand out from other applicants and demonstrate your fit with the school, it is crucial to approach this essay strategically and thoughtfully.

Understanding the "Why Wharton" Essay

Before diving into the specifics of crafting a compelling essay, it is essential to understand why the "Why Wharton" essay holds such significance. This essay is an opportunity for the admissions committee to assess your motivation, fit, and potential contribution to the Wharton community. It enables them to understand your unique perspective and evaluate whether you will thrive in their program.

The admissions committee receives numerous applications, and the "Why Wharton" essay allows you to differentiate yourself and make a memorable impression. It is crucial to show genuine interest in the school and convey how your values and goals align with Wharton's mission.

The Importance of the "Why Wharton" Essay

The "Why Wharton" essay plays a pivotal role in the application process. It allows you to showcase your research, knowledge, and understanding of the school - highlighting why you believe Wharton is the ideal place to pursue your MBA.

When writing your essay, it is important to go beyond surface-level information about Wharton. Delve into the specific programs, courses, and resources that Wharton offers that align with your career aspirations. For example, you could discuss how Wharton's emphasis on experiential learning through the Global Modular Courses will provide you with the hands-on experience you need to excel in your chosen field.

Furthermore, you can explore the various student clubs and organizations at Wharton that align with your interests and goals. Whether you are passionate about entrepreneurship, social impact, or finance, Wharton offers a wide range of extracurricular activities that can enhance your learning experience and provide networking opportunities.

By writing a strong "Why Wharton" essay, you demonstrate your dedication and seriousness about joining the Wharton community. It shows your ability to think critically and explains how attending Wharton will help you achieve your professional goals.

What Wharton is Looking For

Wharton is seeking candidates who are not only academically accomplished but also possess qualities that align with their values. In your "Why Wharton" essay, you should emphasize your unique mix of skills, experiences, and interests that make you a valuable addition to the Wharton cohort.

Wharton values applicants who are intellectually curious, emotionally intelligent, and collaborative. They appreciate individuals who have demonstrated leadership potential and have a passion for making a positive impact on society. Therefore, your essay should reflect these qualities and emphasize how Wharton's program will enhance and nurture them.

For example, you could discuss a time when you took the lead in a team project and successfully motivated your teammates to achieve a common goal. Highlighting your ability to collaborate and inspire others will demonstrate your potential as a future leader in the Wharton community.

Additionally, Wharton values candidates who have a global mindset and are open to diverse perspectives. You can showcase your international experiences or discuss how Wharton's global immersion programs will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and business practices.

Ultimately, the "Why Wharton" essay is your opportunity to showcase your fit with the school and convince the admissions committee that you are the right candidate for their program. By highlighting your unique qualities, experiences, and aspirations, you can make a compelling case for why Wharton is the perfect place for you to pursue your MBA.

How to Prepare Your MBA Essay Writing

Before you start writing your "Why Wharton" essay, it is essential to take the time for self-reflection and goal setting. Begin by asking yourself why you want to pursue an MBA and how it aligns with your career aspirations. Consider your strengths, values, and long-term goals - how can Wharton help you leverage these?

Equally important is conducting thorough research on Wharton's MBA program. Familiarize yourself with the school's curriculum, faculty, clubs, and other offerings. Look for specific aspects of the program that resonate with your goals and interests.

Self-Reflection and Goal Setting

Self-reflection is a crucial step in the application process. It helps you identify your motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. Take some time to reflect on your professional journey, achievements, and the skills you want to acquire during your MBA.

Consider your short-term and long-term goals and how an MBA from Wharton will contribute to achieving them. Reflecting on your past experiences and future ambitions will enable you to articulate a compelling argument in your essay.

Research the Wharton's MBA Program

Wharton is renowned for its rigorous curriculum and world-class faculty. As you research the school, look for specific courses, clubs, or centers that align with your career goals or personal interests.

By highlighting these areas of alignment, you demonstrate a genuine interest in Wharton and its offerings. The more specific you can be about how you will leverage these resources, the more persuasive your essay will become.

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4 Ways to Craft Your "Why Wharton" Essay

Once you have completed your self-reflection and research, it's time to start crafting your "Why Wharton" essay. Here are crucial elements you should include:

Understand the Essay Prompts

Before you dive into writing, thoroughly understand the essay prompts provided by the business schools you're applying to. Break down each prompt, identifying key elements and requirements. This foundational step ensures that your essay addresses the specific aspects sought by the admissions committee.

Create a Structured Outline

Organize your thoughts by creating a well-structured outline for your essay. Divide it into clear sections, such as introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each section should contribute to a cohesive narrative that effectively communicates your story and goals. A well-organized essay is easier for the reader to follow and understand.

Focus on the Content

Begin your essay with a captivating introduction that grabs the reader's attention. Clearly state why you are interested in Wharton and briefly outline the main points you will cover in your essay.

In the body paragraphs, delve deeper into your reasons for choosing Wharton. Personalize your essay by sharing your relevant experiences, skills, and interests. Be specific about the resources, courses, and clubs at Wharton that will help you achieve your goals.

Remember to organize your thoughts logically and transition smoothly between paragraphs. Use relevant examples and anecdotes to add depth and authenticity to your essay.

Highlight Your Unique Perspective

Wharton values diversity and appreciates different perspectives. Use your essay to showcase your unique experiences and cultural background. Emphasize how your perspectives and experiences will enrich the Wharton community.

Consider discussing any challenging situations you have faced and explain how these experiences have shaped your character and prepared you for the rigors of an MBA program. By highlighting your resilience and adaptability, you demonstrate your potential for success at Wharton.

Remember to Polish Your Essay

After completing your initial draft, it's essential to refine and polish your essay to ensure a compelling narrative that captivates the reader. Here are some important steps:

Review and Revise

Set aside time to review your essay critically. Check for clarity, conciseness, and coherence. Ensure that your essay flows smoothly and that each paragraph contributes to the overall message.

Read your essay aloud or share it with a trusted friend or mentor for feedback. Revise as necessary to eliminate any unclear or redundant content.

Seek Feedback

Another valuable step in polishing your essay is seeking feedback from others. Reach out to professors, colleagues, or friends who can provide valuable insights and suggestions. Consider incorporating their feedback to improve the quality of your essay.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

While preparing your "Why Wharton" essay, be mindful of these common mistakes that you should avoid:

Being Too Generic

Avoid writing a generic essay that could apply to any business school. Your essay needs to demonstrate a deep understanding of Wharton's program and highlight the unique aspects that attract you to the school.

Instead of mentioning generic reasons like "world-class faculty" or "diverse student body," provide specific examples of how these factors align with your personal and professional aspirations.

Overemphasizing the School's Reputation

While it is important to acknowledge Wharton's prestigious reputation, avoid solely focusing on this aspect. Admissions committees are interested in understanding how you will contribute to the Wharton community and how the program will benefit you personally.

Balance your appreciation for Wharton's reputation with a genuine enthusiasm for the specific resources, courses, and opportunities that make the school an ideal choice for your MBA journey.

In conclusion, the "Why Wharton" MBA essay is a critical component of your application. By understanding the significance of this essay and following the strategies outlined above, you can craft a compelling essay that showcases your fit with Wharton's program, values, and aspirations. Remember to invest ample time in self-reflection, research, and revision to ensure that your essay stands out and impresses the admissions committee. Good luck!

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Wharton MBA Essay Questions & Tips

Applying to the Wharton MBA program ? If so, you’ve likely begun thinking about how to approach the Wharton MBA essay questions. You’ve come to the right place. Read on for the Wharton MBA essay questions and tips to ensure your responses are as strong as possible.

Wharton MBA Essay Questions

• How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)
• Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

Wharton MBA Essay Tips

The Wharton essay prompts are direct and allow enough word count to paint a robust picture of who you are and why Wharton is right for you (and vice versa). As such, this application can be a good one to tackle early in the process. The deadlines are also early in each round, which lends additional credence to this approach.

While the Wharton essay questions read as fairly straightforward, don’t let them lead you down the path of writing bland essays. Run of the mill essays do nothing to help you stand out from the sea of applications Wharton receives. Additionally, despite the generous word count, you will absolutely need to be strategic about what you include – and don’t.

Your Career Goals Are the ‘Anchor’ For Essay One

When it comes to the first essay, the critical thing to keep in mind is that all of your content should be ‘anchored’ by your short- and long-term career goals. If you haven’t given robust thought to these and done your due diligence to ensure they are sound, now is the time to do so.

Once you have defined and refined your career goals, you need to think backwards and forwards. By thinking backwards, we’re encouraging you to think about the formative experiences that led you to your post-MBA career goals. Perhaps in your work as a consultant you were staffed on a healthcare project that opened your eyes to how complex yet exciting the healthcare industry can be. This sparked your interest in shifting to a strategy role within a healthcare company where you can make a lasting impact on the industry and those it touches. Tell this story so the adcom can really feel your passion and the authenticity behind your goals.

By thinking forwards, we’re recommending that you think very specifically about the skills you need to build to be successful in your target career. Then, research and describe the unique elements of Wharton’s program that will help you to build them. If the examples you cite are offered by other business schools, they are not specific enough to make a compelling argument as to why Wharton will best position you for success. Getting this part right takes work and that is exactly why it matters.

Focus Essay Two on Being a ‘Giver’ Not a ‘Taker’

When it comes to the second essay, take a cue from what Wharton professor extraordinaire Adam Grant’s concept of ‘givers and takers’. Whereas the ‘why Wharton’ section of the first essay can cover what you will ‘take’ from the experience, this essay should focus on the ways in which you will be a ‘giver’ while at Wharton and even after graduation. A giver ‘…[looks] to help others by making an introduction, giving advice, providing mentoring, or sharing knowledge, without any strings attached.’

To be in a position to ‘give’, you need to have a unique knowledge base, personality trait, or past experience from which others will benefit. This is the crux of the essay. It is, first and foremost, the place to share what distinguishes you from other applicants. Because the first essay is so career focused, we urge clients to write about something personal here.

For example, a past client discussed how she would use the determination that had helped her overcome personal challenges to motivate her peers in Wharton Women in Business. She went on to describe a specific area of programming she would bring to the club that tied in with some of the personal challenges she had conquered. The essay was strategic, specific, and thoughtful (and it was successful in earning her an acceptance with full scholarship).

Structure Ideas

Note: In some cases, the topic noted under a single paragraph below may span two or even three paragraphs, but, topically, the below lays out a good flow.

For Essay 1, we recommend a structure somewhat like this:

P1: Directly and concisely share your short-term and long-term career goals P2: Share a story that explains the ‘why’ behind your goals P3-5: Describe 3ish key “things” you want to get out of the Wharton MBA to support those goals

For Essay 2, we recommend a structure somewhat like this:

P1: Introduce the ‘unique contribution’ you will bring to Wharton and preview how you will use it to benefit others P2: Share the ‘origin’ of this contribution (i.e., what experience or person/people helped you to develop it) P3: Forward-looking discussion of ~two specific ways you will leverage your ‘unique contribution’ to ‘give’ to the Wharton community while you are on campus or after you have graduated

We hope these frameworks and structure ideas are helpful as you work to differentiate yourself and demonstrate the amazing mark you are prepared to leave on the Wharton community.

If you’d like assistance with your Wharton essays or your broader MBA application strategy, click here to schedule an initial consultation!

Katie is a passionate mentor and coach, helping her clients craft a unique, compelling story by leveraging her experience as a corporate executive, alumni interviewer, and campus recruiter. Before completing her MBA at Kellogg, Katie spent five years in banking where she learned practical finance skills as well as how to operate in a demanding, high pressure environment. She pursued an MBA in order to transition to an industry role where she could utilize her finance knowledge to drive change within an organization. Post-MBA, she worked in finance and strategy for a leading CPG firm, progressing to an executive role leading the finance function for a $2B business segment. Her experience managing diverse teams led to a passion for developing others. In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, she led her firm’s MBA recruiting efforts and served as an alumni admissions interviewer for Kellogg.

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Wharton MBA Essays 2023-2024: Writing Your “Give & Take” Story

If you are reading this article, you probably already understand the absolute necessity of presenting a compelling case for your candidacy in the prompt for your MBA essay. If you are pursuing a University of Pennsylvania Wharton MBA , this is a great opportunity to think about  what you can give back to the business school community. As part of your MBA application to Wharton, you’ll have to answer a couple of questions that go something like this:

• What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words max)
• Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words max)

These two current Wharton essay prompts are deeply interlinked and must be tackled together. Below, we’ll give one perspective on how to think about these essays during the MBA admissions process, using some wisdom of one of the Wharton School of Business’ luminary professors.

Adam Grant on Givers and Takers

Adam Grant is a professor of organizational psychology at the Wharton School of Business and the author of a number of bestselling books. One of those books, 2013’s Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success , deals with the phenomenon of what Adam Grant labels “givers” and “takers.” In a nutshell, a giver is someone who approaches interactions hoping to contribute something to someone else; a taker is someone who has the opposite approach: every interaction is a chance to get something from someone else. Additionally, Grant identifies a third category which he calls “matchers:” people who balance give and take, living by a sort of de facto quid pro quo.

In brief, his conclusions are as follows: givers account for both the most and least productive people in a work environment. Some givers end up trying too hard to please clients and co-workers and end up either burning out or falling behind. But other givers are able to contribute to the work environment in small, vital ways over time, e.g. providing helpful feedback or making an introduction between two people who could benefit from knowing one another. 

Agreeable and Disagreeable People

Grant also goes on to create a second axis of interaction: agreeable and disagreeable people. This makes a two-by-two matrix where you have disagreeable and agreeable givers as well as disagreeable and agreeable takers. Grant insists that the most dangerous kind of individual in any work environment is the agreeable taker, who gives nothing in return, but is so friendly and pleasant about it that they often go unnoticed. He also makes an important point about the need for disagreeable givers, those individuals who may not have the most tact or personal skills but who, nevertheless, are interested in contributing to their community. He gives the example of the gruff but concerned employee whose feedback is harsh but valuable. 

You can get a more complete understanding of Adam Grant’s ideas about givers, takers, and matchers by watching his famous TED Talk on the subject.

Grant’s ultimate argument is that creating a work environment where givers don’t burn out and where people are not afraid to ask for help, lets the giver mindset be more pervasive, which is to the advantage and success of everyone involved. So, with that understanding, let’s return to the essays you’ll have to write for the Wharton MBA program.

Wharton MBA Essay 1: Takers

If you review the language of the first Wharton MBA essay, you’ll find that it is centered around Grant’s concept of taking:

“What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA?”

While this may be a more benign form of taking (after all, no one pursues an education without the hope that it will benefit them), it is important to remember that it still presents something of a trap for those applicants who address it in a purely selfish way. 

What do you want to gain from attending Wharton?

At its core, Essay 1 requires you to have a firm understanding of your career goals. You should be familiar with what you want to accomplish and also be able to specifically refer to the ways in which Wharton will help you achieve it. Listing a bunch of classes is a terrible way to approach this as it does not give the admissions committee sufficient insight into your understanding of the school. Anyone can look up a list of courses, and many institutions will have parallel classes that might fulfill your goals just as easily. 

Therein lies the taker trap: The first Wharton essay is really about understanding Wharton in such a way that your applied knowledge flatters and enhances the admissions committee’s understanding of what it has to offer. What you are doing–to paraphrase Grant–is allowing Wharton to be a giver in such a way that they don’t burn out. You are matching your career goals to what the Wharton MBA has to offer. You are letting them be an agreeable giver whose strengths are being recognized and rewarded.

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Wharton Essay 2: Givers

You knew this was coming! If Essay 1 is a prompt that asks you to consider your status as taker, then Essay 2 must be one that encourages you to think of yourself as a giver. If you look at the language of the second prompt, this is made clear:

“Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community?”

Those “specific, meaningful contributions” are what you can give to Wharton. And let’s be clear, you need to be able to give back to your MBA program. Part of an AdCom’s consideration in reviewing candidates is looking at those who can provide great ROI by becoming important members of the alumni network or building innovative clubs. 

It is important to consider the perspective of the school, the community, and the other students when discussing your contribution. Your contribution might be in joining or creating on campus clubs. It might be something about your background that contributes positively to your study group or a team-oriented project. Part of being a giver, however, means understanding what the school wants to receive. This requires a decent amount of research into Wharton student life and the existing campus centers . You don’t want to suggest creating an existing club or organizing a conference that they just had. That kind of misstep will not just fail to mark you as a candidate with something to contribute, it will also mark you as a taker: someone so concerned with what they are getting out of the bargain that they can’t be bothered to figure out what Wharton actually needs.

What will you give back to the school?

So what should you actually propose to give? It is important to pay attention to skills you possess that are in high demand for the MBA program. Without bragging about that skill, you can demonstrate your value as an MBA student while also reinforcing that you want to put your abilities at the disposal of the program that will undoubtedly be giving you a leg up. Similarly, you may want to propose some kind of collaborative effort that brings together two or more clubs, or involves a number of different available resources. Provided that the proposal is something that makes sense for you to put out there, this can be a great way to show Wharton that you are interested in working with others and that you want to enrich their already rich experience. 

One way to brainstorm about what you have to give to Wharton–and more broadly, the University of Pennsylvania –is to think about the help you received in putting together the application for the Wharton MBA program in the first place. What individuals or clubs were instrumental in giving you a hand? What did they offer and what did you learn from them? How might you pass on something similar to the students, organizations, and general community of Wharton Business School?

In the end, realigning your mindset to that of a giver is a valuable part of writing a Wharton essay that both reinforces what you have to offer the institution and also, subtly, shows your familiarity with its star professor and the philosophy behind the institution. 

Gain valuable insights into the Wharton AdCom’s preferences with the help of our experienced MBA admission consulting professionals , guided by professor Adam Grant’s theory.

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2023-2024 Wharton MBA Essay Analysis and Tips

Admit expert.

• July 5, 2023

The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1881 through a donation from businessman and philanthropist Joseph Wharton, the school is the world’s oldest collegiate business school. It consistently ranks among the top business schools in the United States. With a global alumni network of over 94,000 graduates, the Wharton School offers its students unparalleled networking and career advancement opportunities. If you are looking for a top-ranked business school that can provide you with an excellent education and great career prospects, the Wharton School is the right choice for you.

What stands between you and a place in the Wharton class is the rigorous application process. In this process, essays are the most crucial aspect and in this article, we’ll provide helpful tips to make sure you write the best possible responses to the Wharton MBA essay prompts.

Wharton MBA essay

Wharton mba essay for 2024 intake, general tips for the wharton essay, mba application deadlines 2023-2024, reapplicant essay, optional essay.

Your essays have a significant impact on how Wharton’s admissions committee views your MBA candidacy by allowing a deeper look into your values, experiences, and motivations. This information may make the writing process appear extremely intimidating, but don’t worry. This article will guide you through everything you need to know about Wharton MBA essays.

For the 2023 application season, Wharton will once again require applicants to submit the same two essays as last year. The word limit for all essays remains the same. However, while Wharton maintains its previous pattern of two required essays for its full-time MBA application process, applicants must exercise extreme caution when responding to these essays.

Because, even with strong profiles and 750+ GMAT scores, the school rejects several candidates every year, primarily due to their cookie-cutter approach and attempts to fit in too much in the limited space.

Candidates have 900 words to introduce themselves to the Wharton MBA program. Candidates may also submit an optional essay in order to provide additional information or explain extenuating circumstances. Reapplicants must submit an additional required essay.

Essay 1: How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)

Essay 2: Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

Required Essay for all Reapplicants: Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 words)

Optional Essay: Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (500 words)

Before you worry about word count, write everything out.

“How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals?” is a lofty question. The Admission Committee is asking you to write a 500-word essay bridging the last 4-10 years of your life to the goals of your next 30 years.

You’re probably thinking “How can I possibly convey everything important about myself and my career choices in only 500 words?”. Well, you can’t. However, you can cut it down to show only the highlights.

Connect the “Three Career Dots”

What have you done to date, what unique things do you already know, and what do you have still to learn? How can Wharton help you and how can you help the Wharton community? How does that all connect to your goals post-MBA?

This tip will also help you for Essay 2, “Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community?”

Remember that you’re writing your essay for Wharton, not just any other MBA program. It is fairly simple to determine if you spend some time researching why the school is the right fit for you, how you can leverage its resources, and how it will transform you as a business leader. Wharton is distinctive, and your essay should reflect this.

Wharton MBA essay analysis

How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)

The fundamental requirement of Essay 1 is that you have a clear idea of your career objectives. You should be aware of what you want to achieve and be able to describe in detail how Wharton will assist you in doing so. Listing numerous classes is a horrible strategy because it does not provide the admissions committee with enough information about your familiarity with the institution. Anyone can seek up a list of classes, and many universities offer parallel courses that might just as easily help you achieve your objectives.

Although your work history is not specifically requested in the essay, it is nevertheless important to give a succinct overview of the key professional events that have sparked your desires and helped you to clearly define your aims. Describe the talents you have acquired so far in your career and the professional goals you have for the near and long term. After that, describe your current perspective and why getting an MBA at this point in your career will help you achieve your objectives. Here, you should show that you are aware of yourself and the talents you lack.

To properly answer this question, you must have professional direction and understand which of Wharton’s numerous resources make it the ideal next stop on your professional journey.

You could compose your response in a variety of ways. You may begin by describing a crucial experience that either exemplifies what you hope to achieve or affects your short- and long-term ambitions. Afterward, explain why this event, which was ideally a success, is significant to you and how it relates to the issue. 

Include relevant details from your Wharton research and make sure to connect them to your objectives and core principles. For instance, you ought to discuss how Wharton’s distinctive educational possibilities, culture, extracurricular activities, clubs, and groups, rich and flexible curriculum, and experienced faculty may help you achieve your objectives. Be extremely clear about how a certain class or student organization relates to your desired job. Making your case for Wharton is what matters most.

Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

When this essay prompt was newly introduced, Wharton Director of Admissions, Blair Mannix , said, “Our main goal is to get to know you the best that we can, and the change to our second prompt was largely motivated by that desire. We hope to give applicants room to reflect on their unique backgrounds and think about what their value-add will be to the Wharton community. Applicants should remember that the admissions committee is looking for candidates who will contribute to all aspects of Wharton life.”

The admissions committee seeks candidates who will make an impact both while at Wharton and as alumni. This essay allows applicants to choose experiences from their personal, professional, and academic lives. As a result, this essay is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your enthusiasm and the impact you have had in these areas.

You can choose two or three most important instances from the past in which you created a significant impact on your organization or community. After that, describe how these encounters have equipped you to contribute to the Wharton community. Describe the difficulties you encountered and the solutions you came up with to have an impact. Additionally, you must discuss the lessons you took away from the event and then explain how the Wharton community might profit from your knowledge. Please be aware that any contribution should be based on your own professional, academic, and personal experiences. You can participate in a variety of ways, such as in the group project, in the classroom, or in any clubs or student organizations.

In essence, in this essay, you should consider how you can use your expertise and pertinent lessons to get involved in the Wharton community. You can provide a consistent and coherent image of your candidacy, as well as your professional and personal interests, by making a connection between your history and your projected future in the program. You’ll provide the adcom more justification for admitting you if you can be more specific about how you would contribute (by taking on a specific role in planning a specific annual event, for example).

Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 words)

Reapplicants will want to provide a straightforward account of the particular efforts they’ve done to strengthen their applications since they last applied to Wharton given the limited word limit for this response.

Share information in this essay if you have improved your GMAT, received promotions, gained more clarity on your goals this time, taken new quantitative classes or certifications, or been involved in volunteer activities.

In short, Growth and Improvement is the name of the MBA reapplicant game. Wharton expects introspection, which you must provide, but you must also demonstrate how that reflection led to action and improvement. Demonstrate to Wharton that you are a stronger candidate this time around.

Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (500 words)

“Addressing extenuating circumstances” implies that you should describe those circumstances clearly. Provide context to the admissions committee. Make no excuses or complaints. If possible, provide proof that those circumstances no longer exist and/or will not have an impact on your performance.

For example, you can explain a lower-than-average GMAT score, any grades below a C on your transcript, academic probation, or significant employment or education gap in this essay. Make sure your reason for providing context for a weakness in your profile is genuine in order to persuade the Ad Com that your low grades or employment gap occurred due to unforeseen circumstances beyond your control. Your response should be positive, direct, and fact-based, and should not sound as if you are making excuses for a flaw in your profile. Also, please explain in the optional statement if you are unable to obtain a recommendation letter from your current supervisor. Your flaws may also highlight a positive aspect of your personality.

For example, if you’re talking about your job gap, you could say that you did something productive during that time, such as traveling, volunteering, or dealing with a family medical emergency.

The opportunity to address any application-related irregularities, such as subpar academic achievement, gaps in your resume, or low test scores, is provided via the optional essay prompt. Use this essay to answer any remaining concerns a committee member may have about your application.

Essay Prompts 1 and 2 as well as a special reapplicant-only prompt must be answered by reapplicants at Wharton. Your past submissions might no longer be totally applicable because the writing prompts are subject to change every year. Reassessing the caliber of your previous writings is still an excellent idea even if the prompts haven’t changed.

Applicants to the Francis J. & William Polk Carey/JD MBA program “are strongly encouraged to answer the application essay questions in relation to the Carey JD/MBA Program rather than just the Wharton MBA Program.” Applicants to the Wharton/Lauder Institute Joint-Degree Program must answer one additional Lauder prompt.

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Wharton MBA Program for Executives 2025 Application Deadlines Announced

The Wharton MBA Program for Executives Admission Team is excited to announce its deadlines for the 2024-2025 admission cycle:

Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. ET the day of the deadline. Interviews are by invitation only and applicants will be notified via the application portal. The application will open in July 2024- stay tuned for an announcement when it goes live! In the meantime, you can learn more about the Application Deadlines and Timeline here . Please check out our events calendar to register for upcoming  virtual and in person admission events .

If you have any questions, please contact us .

The Wharton MBA Program for Executives Admission Team