I will teach you how to bring your life stories to essays faster with F1GMAT's essay guides. Download below or subscribe to F1GMAT's Service and work with me - Atul Jose, Author/Editor/Founding Consultant, F1GMAT(16 Years of helping applicants gain admissions to M7 and Top 30 schools) Wharton MBA has set a new record on crossing the 52% women percentage in the class while also crossing another milestone – reaching a $200,000 total salary for the Investment Banking function. The school’s strength in attracting excellent Finance offers has led career switchers and career enhancers to leverage the Wharton brand.
In this application breakdown of the Wharton MBA program, we cover:
• Deadlines
• Biographical Information
• Program Information
• Application Information
• Personal Information
• Work Experience/Resume
• Academic Information
• Recommendations
• Essays
• Test
Deadlines
Wharton MBA Application is accepted in three rounds – September, January and March with the deferred admission round extending till April.
| Rounds | Deadline | Interview Invitation | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Sep 6, 2023 | Oct 24, 2023 | Dec 14, 2023 |
| Round 2 | Jan 4, 2024 | Feb 16, 2024 | Mar 26, 2024 |
| Round 3 | Apr 2, 2024 | April 19, 2024 | May 13, 2024 |
| Deferred Admissions Round | Apr 24, 2024 | May 28, 2024 | Jun 27, 2024 |
Biographical Information
The biographical information section captures Name, Birth Information, Citizenship, Primary Address, Contact Information, and Communication Preference.
Program Information
The full-time MBA program selection page requires that the applicant chooses from MBA, MBA/JD (3 Yr. program), MBA/JD (4 yr. program with Pennsylvania Carey Law School), MBA/MA (International Studies - Lauder), MBA/Sub matriculation or Moelis Advance Access Program.
Application Information
The Application information section asks whether you are re-applying or currently enrolled for another program (applying for a Dual Degree program).
Personal Information
Demographic: The personal information section starts with demographic details (sex, marital status), and military experience (current or previous and spouse/dependent serving in the military).
Language: The language section offers the option to add up to 4 languages starting with native language and an appropriate rating (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Fluent) for each language.
Family: The family information sub-section asks specifically whether the applicant comes from a low-income family with an option to select "Prefer not to answer." The applicant is considered to be coming from a low-income household if their income falls within the poverty guideline that ranges from $13,500 (1-person) to $46,630 (8-person household).
The section also asks if the applicant is a first-generation college attendee. After adding Parent/Guardian details, including their college degree, applicants with family have the option to add details of their spouse and children.
The section asks if the applicant’s partner is connected with the university in any capacity (graduate from Wharton School or the University of Pennsylvania).
Community Honors/Recognition: Applicants have 2000 character/350-word space to list any community honors or recognition.
Extracurricular: Applicants can add up to 5 extracurricular activities with details of the Club, Position Held, Organization Size, Description of your role/project (250 characters), Number of Years involved, and the Average Number of Hours per week, marked for each activity.
Conduct: The applicant must declare that they have not been on probation, dismissed, or suspended from any college or university that concerns their behavior/integrity. If yes, there is a 1500 character space to explain the circumstances.
Minor traffic violations are exempt from this section. For felony or misdemeanor, there is a prior convictions section that offers space to include the details of the charge, punishment, the time frame of the punishment, and the learning experience.
Work Experience/Resume
Full-time Experience: The work experience should include time until the August entry in years. If it is 4.8 years, mention 4 years.
Area of Interest: Applicants are required to choose an area of interest after MBA from Consulting, Consumer Goods/Retail, Diversified Financial Services, Energy, Entrepreneurship, FinTech, General Management, Healthcare, IMPACT investing, Insurance, Investment Banking, Investment Management, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Private Equity/Venture Capital, Public Interest, Real Estate, Retail, Sales & Trading/Capital Markets, Social IMPACT, Technology, Telecom, Travel & Hospitality.
Employer: The employer sub-section has the option to add up to 4 employers with space to capture Employer Name, Industry, Job Function, Job Title, Current Base Salary (USD), Current/Projected Bonus, Beginning Job Title, Initial base Salary (USD), City, Country, Employment Begin and End Date, Phone (HR), Company Size, Work Number, Annual Revenue of Organization (USD), Hours Per Week (average), Employees under direct supervision with a 500-character space to mention details, for each employer.
Documents is the sub-section where applicants can upload their resume in txt, pdf, rtf, doc, or docx format. If there are additional employment listing that doesn't fit within the 1-page preferred format and cover a broad range of experiences before your full-time work experience, include them in the Additional Employment sub-section.
Certifications sub-section list professional certifications, including CPA/CFA/Chartered Accountant/Real Estate License or similar industry-body decreed certifications. Those who have completed pre-MBA certification in Statistics and Accounting can choose "Other." There is a specific Professional Certification checkbox section where applicants can choose from Series 63, Series 7, CPA, or other certifications. The sub-section also asks if the person is a CFA charter holder.
Academic Information
The academic Background section covers High School/Secondary School/Preparatory School, Undergraduate Degree, and Other Post-Secondary Degrees, including Associate, Master’s, and Doctoral Degrees.
For High School/Secondary School/Preparatory School, the details include Institution Name, Country, City, and End Date.
For Undergraduate Degree and other post-secondary degrees, mandatory fields include Institution Name, Country, City, Education Level, Majors, Transcript, Begin & End Dates, and Graduation Date. Optional Information section includes Degree Received, GPA, and Academic Awards.
For non-American applicants, choose "Other" from the Grading Scale and enter the appropriate grading scale like 10 or 100. Enter Percentage or your score in the GPA text field.
The applicant is required to choose an intended major at Wharton from Accounting, Business Analytics, Business Economics & Public Policy, Business, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Finance, Healthcare Management, Management, Marketing, Marketing & Operations Management, Multinational Management, Operations, Information and Decisions, Organizational Effectiveness, Quantitative Finance, Real Estate, Statistics, and Strategic Management. Although there is an option to choose "Undecided," we recommend against it as any indecisiveness will suggest poor planning and motivation.
Recommendations
Wharton requires two letters of recommendation. Both should be in a position to offer perspective on the applicant's performance in a work setting. It is important that the person has worked closely with the applicant. Familiarity with the applicant's performance is more important than the titles of the supervisor. Applicants can change recommenders if they have not submitted the letters.
While adding recommenders, there is an option to examine the letter of recommendation (according to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974). Keep the option. This would come in handy in case you are waitlisted or dinged. The letter often is the culprit in weaker applications. The narrative lacks context, or the enthusiasm is missing in the endorsement. If you can’t read the letter, the next time, you might have to second guess the reasons for the rejection.
The recommender must provide their personal information, including office address, relationship with the applicant, duration of supervision, and whether they are an alumnus of Wharton or a faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Schools/Wharton.
Summary Appraisal: The first section is the summary appraisal, where the supervisor must capture up to two traits that summarize the applicant. The traits should be selected from Determined, Humble, Disciplined, Engaged, Intellectually Curious, Analytical, Flexible, Persistent, Conscientious, and Results-Oriented.
The supervisor must also choose up to two traits from the second set of traits: Collaborative, Persuasive, Innovative, Confident, Self-Aware, Professional, Resilient, Energetic, Emotionally Stable, and Agreeable.
The second set of traits measures the emotional intelligence and teamwork of the applicant, while the first set is a reflection of the applicant's personal strengths.
If you have subscribed to our Recommendation Letter Editing service, you will know that we create an elaborate guideline document for supervisors that ensures that the right qualities are highlighted both in the essays and the recommendation letter. This would ensure that the branding is consistent.
Applicant Assessment Questions: The applicant assessment is done through two questions:
Q1) Please provide example(s) that illustrate why you believe this candidate will meaningfully contribute to the Wharton MBA community. (Word count: 300)(7500 characters max; 7500 characters left.)
Q2) Please provide example(s) that illustrate why you believe this candidate will find success throughout their career. (Word count: 300)(7500 characters max; 7500 characters left.)
(Optional) Is there anything else we should know?
The first question is about the applicant’s teamwork and emotional intelligence. For this question, ensure that the second set of traits under the summary appraisal is included as examples for the narrative.
The second question is about the candidate’s unique strengths that warrant their success in their career. Refer to the first set of traits from the summary appraisal while creating the narrative for this question.
While answering the two required questions, the supervisor must use specific examples to highlight the qualities. For help in coordinating, subscribe to our Recommendation Letter Editing service.
Essays
There are two required essays, regardless of whether the applicant is a first-time or a re-applicant. You have to copy-paste the essay in a text area. Make sure that the formatting doesn’t change.
Q1) 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 first Essay is about professional goals and the role Wharton MBA would play in fulfilling them. While narrating the answer, make sure that your pre-MBA experience is also sufficiently highlighted to improve the feasibility of the goals. Read our Essay Guide to learn how.
Q2) 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 second essay is about your potential contributions at Wharton. The extra-curricular information that you filled in the application would come in handy here. Mention how you will repeat the success you had with the extracurricular engagements at Wharton. Research about the initiative at Wharton. We have summarized them in our Essay Guide that includes Sample Essays to answer the Wharton professional and contribution essays.
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)
For Sample Essays and a detailed breakdown of how to approach Wharton MBA Essays, Download F1GMAT’s Wharton MBA Essay Guide.
Test
Applicants can take either the GMAT or GRE test. While selecting GMAT/GRE, the application prompts for the number of times the applicant had taken the tests with details of the format (online or offline - GMAT) also required to be filled.
There is an option to enter scores of two GMAT/GRE tests with details required of the Date of Test, Verbal (Score and Percentile), Quantitative (Score and Percentile), Integrated Reasoning (Score and Percentile), Analytics Writing (Percentile), Total Score and Total Percentile for GMAT.
For GRE - Date of Test, Verbal (Score and Percentile), Quantitative (Score and Percentile), Writing (Score and Percentile) are mandatory information that applicants must fill.
Up to two GMAT and GRE test details can be entered in the application.
If you have earned your undergraduate/Master's degree in an English-speaking country (commonwealth) or from an institution where the primary mode of instruction was English, you are eligible to waive off TOEFL or PTE requirements. For others, enter the latest TOEFL/PTE scores.
Additional Language Information: Applicants can also emphasize their language skills by writing a 200-word essay on the context in which they use spoken or written English in their daily engagements. This is especially useful for those who couldn't reach a great Verbal Score (top 1%) in GMAT/GRE. Essays for optional questions and required questions are covered in our All-in-One Essay Review Service (1-School). Subscribe here and improve your admission chances to Wharton.
Ethics Code and Statement of Integrity: The application ends with a self-declaration on the authenticity and integrity of the data provided to Wharton. There is an option to opt-out of a general communication newsletter involving the Wharton Alumni community.
Related Services
• F1GMAT’s MBA Application Review Service (Wharton) (Resume Editing, Essay Editing, Recommendation Letter Editing and editing answers for short application questions)
• F1GMAT’s Essay Editing Service (Essay Editing and editing answers for short application questions)
• F1GMAT’s Career Planning Service (Choose your post-MBA goals and target schools)
Related Download
• F1GMAT’s Wharton MBA Essay Guide
Reference
• Wharton MBA Application
