WWW.VERITASPREP.COM2014|15THE WHARTON SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIAEssentialGuideiiEssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLVeritas Prep 2014/15 Essential Guide to The Wharton School, University of PennsylvaniaThank you for choosing Veritas Prep to assist in your journey to business school! We know that the application process can be a daunting and life-changing decision, so weve designed this Guide with you in mind. Many applicants may be looking only for essay tips and tricks, but success in business school admissions is not driven merely by a ashy essay. Conduct-ing deep due diligence on each of your target schools and demonstrating an academic, pro-fessional, and cultural t with each program will be critical in crafting the kind of personal and genuine application that admissions ofcers are looking for. This Essential Guide is de-signed to help you achieve success, no matter which stage of the application process youre at right now.COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL PACKAGES (most popular): Your complete, start-to-fnish service for everything from target school selection, resume review, essay brainstorming, and editing to mock interviews and waitlist assistance. Only with Veritas Prep will you work with a Head Consultant with insider admissions experience, plus a School Specialist with frsthandknowledge of Wharton. HOURLY PACKAGES: For applicants who seek ultimate fexibility, you may work with an expert consultant on any aspect ofthe application process on an hourly basis. MOCK INTERVIEWS: Prepare for your interview with a Veritas Prep Wharton Specialist who has frsthand knowledge of the interview process. Your consultant will provide feedback for improvement so that you can walk into your interviewprepared and confdent.Admissions Consulting ServicesIf you are interested in assistance in the application process, we have a number of servicesto ft your needs and the most diverse and experienced MBA admissions consulting teamever assembled. For more information, please visit our website.iiiEssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLWhats InsideGetting the Most Out of This Guide.............................2What Should I Look For in an MBA Program?.......................3Wharton School Snapshot..................................4What Wharton Is Known For...............................4What Makes Wharton Diferent .............................5Whats (or Whos) New at Wharton...........................5Wharton Is a Good Fit for You If ............................6Wharton at a Glance......................................8Academics at Wharton.................................... 10What Wharton Is Known For............................... 10Nuts & Bolts ........................................ 10Popular Professors....................................11Similar Academic Programs............................... 12Employment & Careers at Wharton............................. 14What Wharton Is Known For............................... 14You Oughta Know..................................... 15Nuts & Bolts ........................................ 15Similar Programs for Professional Opportunities................... 16Culture & Campus Life at Wharton............................. 17Learning Environment.................................. 17Similar Programs Culturally............................... 19Admissions at Wharton................................. 20What Wharton Is Looking For .............................20Preparing to Apply...................................20You Oughta Know..................................... 21The Essays........................................ 22Recommendations...................................23The Interview......................................25Veritas Prep and Your Wharton Application .......................27Your Personalized Wharton Consulting Team ....................27The Ultimate Admissions Committee........................27How it Works ......................................272EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLGetting the Most Outof This GuideDeciding Where to ApplyAs you determine where you want to apply, you can use the Academics, Employ-ment & Careers, and Culture & Campus Life sections to explore the school. Each sectionhighlightsdiferencesbetweenWhartonanditspeerschools,butthe Wharton Snapshot section may be most helpful to get a quick sense of the program and its student body.Maximizing Your Campus Visits & Info SessionsAlthoughyoullgainmanyinsidersperspectivesontheschoolthroughoutthis Guide,wehighlyrecommendvisitingcampusifyouhavethemeanstodoso.A campus visit will open your eyes to just how diferent each business school can be. Use this Guide to ask more insightful questions in your campus visit or informa-tion session.Discussing with Your RecommendersWesuggestthatyoulookcloselyattheWhartonSnapshotandothersectionsof this Guide, determine your prole strengths and weaknesses, and have frank dis-cussions with your recommenders about why youre applying to the school. This way,yourrecommenderscanemphasizestoriesandexamplesthatwillclearly make your case to the admissions committee.Writing the EssaysOnce youve decided Wharton is the right t for you, use the Admissionssection tondoursuggestionsfortacklingtheapplicationcomponents,particularlythe confusing array of required and optional essays.Preparing for Your InterviewIfyouhavereceivedoneofthecovetedWhartoninterviewinvitations,congrat-ulations! And beware! Wharton will again be using the frequently dreaded group interview for the 20142015 application season. Getting Ready for Campus LifeWere you one of the approximately 20% of applicants to be admitted to Wharton? Congratulations again: youve made it! Now its time to prepare for your new life in Philly. Check out the Culture & Campus Life section to learn where most students decide to live and what to expect on campus. The Academics section will help you step into class with condence on day one. Good luck!3EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLWhat Should I Look Forin an MBA Program?Manycandidatessimplylookatoneortwoofthebusinessschoolrankingsand decide where to apply to school. While the rankings can be a good start, you should diveinmuchdeepertodeterminewhereyouwillultimatelythrive.Werecom-mend that you ask the following questions as you research your target schools:1.Am I qualied to be there? Look at class prole statistics to see how you stack up. Be wary of full GMAT ranges, for example, because if you are about 35pointsormorebelowtheschoolsaverage,youregoingtobeinthebot-tom 10% of the class. You will need a dramatically compelling reason for the admissionscommitteetoadmityouoversimilarcandidateswhoaremore qualied.2.Do the schools academic oferings match my goals? Review the Aca-demics section to determine whether the schools teaching methods match your learning style. Dive into the curriculum structure to see what interests you most.3.Do my target industries/companies recruit at the school? Does this program send many people into my desired eld? This can be one of the key factors in determining whether a particular program is a match for your professional goals, so dont just gloss over the Employment & Careers section. To be honest, you can probably get a job in pretty much any industry comingoutofatop-tierMBAprogram.However,morestressandlegwork may be necessary to nd a job in particular industries, so you should under-stand the recruiting strengths and weaknesses of your target schools.4.Imgoingtobelivingtherefortwoyears(atmostfull-timepro-grams). Am I going to thrive in the schools culture and geography? Are you looking for a large program or a small one? Urban, suburban, or ru-ral?U.S.orinternational?EastCoast,Midwest,South,orWest?Aschool where almost everyone lives together close to campus or where the student bodytendstobemorespreadout?Anacademicmeatgrinderoratwo-yearvacation?Abuttoned-downormorecasualatmosphere?Checkout ourCulture&CampusLifesectiontoexperiencetheschoolfromthestu-dents perspective.Now that you know what to look for, lets see what Wharton has to ofer. 4EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLWharton School SnapshotWhat Wharton Is Known ForAnalytics. Its no secret that Wharton is a quant school; for better or worse, thats probablywhyyoureconsideringit!Butthatwell-deservedreputationdoesnt mean that Wharton is just a nance school. Quantitative and analytical skills are woventhroughoutthecurriculum,especiallyindisciplineslikemarketing.Itsa way of thinking as much or more than a discipline. Globaloutreach.Whartonofersanumberofgloballearningactivities,some integratedintothecurriculumandsomeoferedasextracurriculars.Highlights are the elective Global Immersion Programs, the Global Consulting Practicum (a marketing elective), and Global Modular Courses (ofered simultaneously to un-dergrads,MBAs,andEMBAs).Whartonalsoofersanumberofinternationally focused dual-degree programs (see below) and numerous exchange programs. Dualdegrees.WhartonleveragesresourcesavailableacrossPennandeven across other schools to ofer an impressive array of dual-degree programs. In addi-tion to the Lauder Program (a dual MBA/MA in International Studies), Wharton studentscanalsopursuejointordualdegreesinconjunctionwithPennsother leading graduate schools, including the law school, the design school, the medical school, and even the veterinary school. Wharton also ofers partnerships with the SchoolofAdvancedInternationalStudiesatJohnsHopkinsandHarvardsKen-nedy School. Admissiontodual-degreeprogramsrequirescandidatestoapplyseparatelyto Whartonandtherespectiveschool.WhartonsdecisiontoaccepttheGREasan alternativetotheGMATwasmotivatedbythevarietyofjoint-degreeprograms available (and, probably just as much, by the fact that schools like Harvard were ac-cepting it). Although there is a wide range of incredible options here, approximately 95% of Wharton students complete the single-degree, standard MBA program.Socialimpact.NamesakeJosephWhartonfoundedtheschooltoproduceedu-cated citizens who are pillars of the state, whether in private or in public life. The emphasis at Wharton is on creating economic and social good, anchored in the concept now termed Social Impact. The economic crisis has heightened Whar-tonsemphasisontheinterconnectedobligationtobothcreateeconomicwealth and improve the lives of the worlds citizens. The curriculum features a wide array ofcoursesandevenwholemajors,includingSocialImpactManagement,which isatimelyand,yes,innovativeoferingthatyouwontseeatmanyothertop businessschools.Whartonalsoofersaloanforgivenessprogramforgraduates employed in nonprot or social sectors, and the Nonprot Board Fellows program ofers students the opportunity to advise a local nonprot. Wharton emphasizes an obligation to both create economic wealth and improve the lives of the worlds citizens.Wharton also ofers a loan forgiveness program for graduates employed in nonprot or social sectors.SCHOOLSNAPSHOT5EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLSCHOOLSNAPSHOTBuilding leadership acumen is a core of the Wharton program.What Makes Wharton DiferentStudent involvement. Theres an old joke at Wharton that the school has just enoughclubsforeverystudenttobepresidentofone,andalthoughthatstate-mentmightbejustateensybitofanexaggeration,thearrayoforganizationsis wide.Insideandoutsideoftheclassroom,studentsplayaleadingroleinden-ing the Wharton experience for themselves, their classmates, and future students. The expectation is that Wharton students will be active members of the commu-nitya standard that manifests itself in all aspects of the Wharton experience. Experiential learning. Nearly every elite business school is advertising its ac-tion-basedorexperientialapproach,butWhartonhasrecentlyundergonea comprehensive branding and identity initiative, resulting in a new brand platform calledKnowledgeforAction.Thisbrandplatformemphasizesandcommuni-cates Whartons strengths of rigorous research, dynamic thinking, and thoughtful leadership.Gainingknowledgeandputtingitintopracticeareseamlesslyinte-grated into the student experience through initiatives such as the Global Consult-ingPracticum.Inaddition,proprietarysimulationexercisesarewovenintothe curriculum in both core and elective courses, primarily in marketing and manage-ment. Leadership. Building leadership acumen is a core of the Wharton program. While wed be hard pressed to say that leadership is more important at Wharton than it is at other top schools, opportunities to build this skill abound at this school. Whar-ton features a dedicated Center for Leadership and International Volunteer Pro-gram, and as of 2012 every MBA student has access to an executive coach. Whats (or Whos) New at WhartonThe dean. In March 2014 Geofrey Garrett was named the Wharton Schools 13th dean;heassumedtheschoolstopspotinJuly.AformerWhartonmanagement departmentfacultymember(hespecializesinpoliticaleconomy),hepreviously served as dean of two business schools in Australia:the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales. In an interview with the Daily Pennsylvanian, DeanGarrettindicatedthathewouldleveragetheschoolsfinancial reputation. Hepointedtoglobalizationandtechnologyastwothemesofhis tenureinAustraliaaclue,perhaps,ofthedirectionWhartonwillheadunder hisleadership? Its own radio network (seriously). Wharton faculty are no strangers to media interviews, and as of 2014, they now have a dedicated outlet to air their expertise. Earlier this year, Wharton and Sirius XM launched the networks rst channel fo-cused on business and management. Many of the schools top professors, including Jeremy Siegel, Karl Ulrich, Kenneth Shropshire, Mike Useem, and Barbara Kahn, 6EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLhost programs on a wide range of business-oriented topics ranging from markets to customer service to entrepreneurship. Check out the program lineup and give it a listen while youre working on your application; you might even get the opportu-nity to call in and talk to one of your future professors! Streamlined application. Whartons right on trend with other schools in tight-ening up the required elements of the application, reducing the number of essays, and making the recommendation process less burdensome (not that your recom-menderswouldeverconsiderbeingchosenforthisgreathonoraburden!).For this year, the school only requires one essay, which is essentially unchanged from lastyear.Lastyearssecondessay(aboutcontributingtothelearningenviron-ment)ishistory.Instead,applicantsareoferedanoptionalessayoferingan opportunity to highlight any additional information. Whether this essay is truly optional is the topic of much discussion around Veritas Prep; this blog post by our marketing director explains our recommendation on when to write itand when notto.Recommenderswillalsoonlyhavetoanswertwoquestions,totalingno more than 550 words. Wharton Is a Good Fit for You IfYouareinterestedinnance.Wehaventevenmentioneditmuchsofarbe-cause we gure everybody already knows: Wharton is a nance school. The school is quick to point out that its more than that, but the core strength and the interest of the majority of its students remain in the world of nance. It sends large num-bers of graduates into investment banking, portfolio management, and corporate nance, and places a few here and there into hedge funds, private equity, and even sales and tradingareas that some schools never place anyone. If youre looking to go to Wall Street, Wharton is a natural for you to consider.You are interested in entrepreneurship. Allegations in last years Wall Street Journalarticleaside,behindnance,entrepreneurshipisthesecond-most-pop-ulareldofstudyatTheWhartonSchool.About6070graduatesstartcompa-nies coming out of Wharton every year, and this number is increasing. Schools like Stanford,MITSloan,andevenHarvardmightgiveWhartonarunforitsmoney ontheentrepreneurshipside,butitsanareathatisseeingmoreattentionwith Whartons renewed interest in innovation and social impact. Yourefromorwanttotransitionintothehealthcareindustry.Whar-ton has one of the strongest Health Care Management programs of any business school,anditdeeplyintegratesacademicandprofessionaldevelopment.Unlike othermajors,studentsmustchoosetheHealthCareManagementmajorwhen theyapplytoWharton,soifthisemphasisinterestsyou,besuretodoyourdue diligence on this program well before applying. Health Care Management majors atWhartonhavetheirowncareercounselorsandrecruitingresourcesfocused inhealthcareconsulting,biotech,pharmaceuticals,hospitals,andinsuranceand Earlier this year, Wharton and Sirius XM launched the networks rst channel focused on business and management.SCHOOLSNAPSHOT7EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLSCHOOLSNAPSHOTgovernmentagencies.TheClassof2015included68healthcarestudents,who are grouped together in their own cohort. Be aware, however, that this program is targeted toward students who are sure they want to enter the healthcare industry post-MBA, as the vast majority of participants (likely above 90%) enter the indus-try upon graduation. You have had, or want to have, internationally diverse work experiences. Whartonlovesthosemulticulturalstoriesinapplicantbackgrounds.Overseas workexperienceisdenitelynotrequiredinordertogainanoferfromWhar-ton,butitneverhurts.Justdontbetemptedtotrytooverstateyourtwo-week European vacation into a multicultural experience; oftentimes, vacation stories can come across as fairly routine, and thats not the level of cultural exposure the admissions committee values the most. Whether you make your travel a corner-stoneofyourapplicationdependsbothontherealnatureofyourexperiencesin thatcountry,and,evenmoreimportantly,anyinternationalavortoyourstated future career goals. For Wharton, it's less the international experience itself that isvaluable,butratherwhatitsaysaboutyou.(Forexample,areyouthekindof person who not only enjoys visiting foreign countries, but is also eager to really ex-perience them beyond staying cooped up in fancy hotels and sticking to traditional tourist paths?) Youreawoman.Sorry,guys.Inthiscase,womenmayhaveaslightadvantage. While Wharton denitely does not have lower standards for its female applicants, it is actively courting high achievers. Strong women will likely be well received in theapplicationprocess.Whilewomenneedtohavethesamehighqualications as far as GPA, GMAT, and quality of work experience, Wharton has acknowledged that its female students tend to be a little younger, having fewer years of work ex-perience than the average males they admit. So, younger female candidates should nothesitatetoapply.InourexperienceatVeritasPrep,femalecandidateswho gain admission to Wharton also are successful at other great schools.Yourechangingcareers.Whartonisverywelcomingtocareerchangers.If youre in this position, be sure to highlight the relevant skills and experience that youbringwithyoufromyourpreviouslife,andshowhowyouwillapplythose strengths in the new undertaking you are interested in pursuing after Wharton.Youhaveamilitarybackground.Whartonisaverymilitary-friendlyschool: 11%oftheincomingclasscamefromthecombinedmilitary/government/non-protsector.Ifyoureapplyingasaveteran,theschoolstargetedrecruiting events and Veterans Club will be valuable resources for you. As a Yellow Ribbon School,Whartonisalsocommittedtoassistingveteransnancetheirgraduate educations.Women make up 42% of the Class of 2015.8EssentialGuide2014|15 STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESSSCHOOLSNAPSHOTWharton at a GlanceHarvard88.7%11.3%9,315Stanford6.8%93.2%7,108Wharton18.7%81.3%6,036Columbia18.1%81.9%5,765Applicants by SchoolPercent admittedBooth4,400 (est.)21%79%Stern3,66116%84%Harvard Wharton Stanford HaasAverage GPA3.70 3.60 3.73 3.61GMAT Scores500 400 300 200 600 700 800STANFORDHARVARDWHARTONAverage Score725Women42%Wharton36%StanfordHarvardSloan41%34%Nationality71Countries Represented65%U.S.35%InternationalCitizens9EssentialGuide2014|15 STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESSSCHOOLSNAPSHOTUndergrad MajorsBusinessWharton44% 25% 28% STEMOTHERHumanities/Social Science/EconomicsColumbia25% 29% 44%Booth27% 33% 36%Married/PartneredHarvard Wharton Booth30% 11% 19%From Consulting/Finance Sector Pre-MBAHarvardFinance Consulting19%31%Stanford20%27%Wharton20%36%Class SizeHarvard WhartonColumbiaKelloggBoothRossDukeSloanStanfordSternAndersonYaleTuckHaas93283774965258145543740640639236029127725210EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLAcademics at WhartonWhat Wharton Is Known ForMajors.Lotsofmajors.Whartonstudentsmayselectoneof18diferentin-depthmajorsorcreateoneoftheirown.Theideabehindmajoringisthatit provides students with the opportunity to delve deeper into specic areas of in-terest, either to cultivate an area of expertise or to assist in facilitating a future career shift. About a third of students cant pick just one major and elect to dou-ble major; 5% dont t neatly into one of the 18 boxes and pick the design your ownroute.SomeofthemostpopularmajorsincludeFinance,Marketing,and Entrepreneurial Management.Hybridclassroomenvironment.Doyouthriveonthecasemethod?Great. Youll get that. Enjoy lectures, with lots of cold calls? Great! Wharton ofers that, too. Wharton attempts to strike a balance among the pedagogical methods, using a combination of case-based learning, traditional lectures, team-based projects, simulations, and experiential learning across the curriculum. In any given class, a professor is likely to employ any combination of these approaches. Given the fac-ultys extensive involvement in key industries, a plethora of real-world examples is integrated into the classroom experience.Flexibility. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when exible would have been the last word anyone used to describe the curriculum. Unless you were grantedapreciouscoursewaiver,everyonetookthesamecoreclasses,mostly withthesamepeople.Notanymore.Anewcurriculumstructure,introducedin 2012,empowersstudentstomakemorechoices.Now,lessthanhalfofthecore curriculum is taken with your cohort of about 70 students. The obvious benet is that you can customize your path and focus on the classes you need for your sum-merinternship.Thedownsideisthatthetightrelationshipsthatusedtoform with your cohort and your learning team are a little looser. Nuts & BoltsClass registration. The online bidding system for classes has also gone the way of the xed core curriculum. (Actually, it was probably more of a simulation exer-cise for game theory, but thats a moot point now.) Wharton now uses a program in which students input their preferred schedules and a computer does the work, attemptingtogiveeverybodyasclosetoanidealscheduleaspossible.Students must use this system to get spots in ex core classes as well as electives; they are only automatically enrolled in the xed core classes.Wharton attempts to strike a balance among the pedagogical methods, using a combination of case-based learning, traditional lectures, team-based projects, simulations, and experiential learning across the curriculum.ACADEMI CS11EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLACADEMI CSSubmatriculation. (Or, Whats that college senior doing in my cohort?) Chancesare,thatpersonhassubmatriculatedintoWhartons3+2accelerated program for outstanding undergraduates. There arent a lot of these submatrics around, and you might not even be able to tell who they are, but its a unique feature of Wharton that some nd surprising. Popular Professors Whartons faculty boasts some of the biggest names in the business. It goes with-out saying that all of the professors are popular, but if you want a coveted spot in one of these professors classes, youll be in good company:Franklin Allen. Professor Allens approachable and engaging teaching style and ability to make complex corporate nance topics simpler to understand have won over Wharton students year after year. His introductory nance class, which he has taught for 25+ years, has often been referred to as a well polished diamond. Eric Bradlow. Professor Bradlow is well loved by students not just for his teach-ing prowess and ability to make dry topics such as marketing research dynamic, but also for his afable manner, teaching enthusiasm, approachability, and genu-ine interest in getting to know students. BrianBushee.ItsWharton,soitsnosurprisethataccountingispopular,and ProfessorBushee,whojoinedWhartonfromHBS,isastudentfavorite.Bushee received the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2014, and the Teaching Commitment & Innovation Award in 2014proof that tenured profes-sors can and do care about just as much about teaching as about their research.Stuart Diamond. The recipient of top student ratings every year, Professor Di-amondsNegotiationscourseisatoughoneinwhichtogainaseat.Inuenced verymuchbyhisownexperiencesversusjustnegotiationtheory,ProfessorDi-amondusesandreneshisnegotiatingmethodseverydayinhisownstrategic consulting practice, where he advises and trains Fortune 500 companies, veteran executives,andevenheadsofstate.Negotiationcoursesareamust-takebefore embarking on any negotiations with potential employers. Adam Grant. Known for the book Give and Take, Professor Grant is the youngest full professor at Wharton. He teaches courses in leadership and negotiation. EthanMollick.ProfessorMollickteachesentrepreneurship;coursesinclude Entrepreneurship and Formation and Implementation of Entrepreneurial Ventures. Michael Roberts. Professor Robertss Corporate Valuation course is a must-take for future bankers, venture capitalists, and nance executives. JeremySiegel.Inadditiontobeingaworld-renownedandveryhigh-prole nanceexpertwhosebookStocksfortheLongRunisconsideredoneofthetop 12EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLbooksoninvesting,ProfessorSiegelisconsideredoneofthebestprofessorson theWhartonfaculty.AWhartonlegend,Dr.Siegelsmacroeconomicsclassis known for the opening market summary. Standing room only for the rst 20 min-utes or so, the unenrolled leave after the market recap. Karl Ulrich. A 20+ year veteran of the operations department, Professor Ulrichs teaching now focuses on Product Design & Development. Michael Useem. A world-renowned expert on corporate leadership and change management, Professor Useem consistently ranks among the most popular pro-fessorsatWharton.Hisextremelyinteractiveteachingapproachanddramatic storytelling abilityfeaturing examples ranging from the boardrooms of Fortune 500companiestofamousmilitarymomentstoNGOandnon-protorganiza-tionscaptivate his students. Z. John Zhang. Professor Zhang epitomizes genuine enthusiasm for his area of expertise(pricing).ItsclearthatpricingproblemskeepProfessorZhangupat night.StudentsloveProfessorZhangspassionforhissubjectandhisabilityto integrate real-world examples into very theoretical course content.Similar Academic ProgramsMIT (Sloan). Sloan has one of the most rigorous core curricula of any MBA pro-gramintheworld.Leveragingitsparentinstitutionsbrandinengineeringand thesciences,Sloansacademicsareverydata-drivenandanalyticallyfocused. Evensoftersubjectssuchascommunicationsandorganizationalbehavior have a strong analytical bent. However, like at Wharton, the number of required core courses is quite limited, providing greater exibility through the rst year. Chicago (Booth). Booths curriculum is even more exible than Whartons, with just one required course and multiple options to fulll all other requirements. Its student body is known for intellectual curiosity, and the school takes great pride in the academic rigor of its program compared to other, softer business schools. Also known as a strong nance school, the academics tend to be quite analytical in nature. NYU (Stern). Stern has just two required courses in its core curriculum, plus the option to choose ve additional courses from a menu of seven others. This mod-el has become more popular in recent years so that rst-year career-changers can tailor their core experience early in their MBA experience to properly prepare for internshipsintheirchoseneld.Someoneseekingapositioninbrandmanage-ment may want to tailor his or her experience diferently than a candidate looking to move onto a sales and trading desk.Duke (Fuqua). You dont see many comparisons between Fuqua and Wharton, Booths curriculum is even more exible than Whartons, with just one required course and multiple options to fulll all other requirements.ACADEMI CS13EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLACADEMI CSwhich tend to attract very diferent MBA candidates, but their core curricula are remarkablysimilar.Eachschoolofersstudentssignicantexibilitywhilefo-cusingontheverytraditionalMBAsubjectsofstatistics,accounting,nance, economics,marketing,andsoforth.WithWhartonsincreasedemphasison management communications, the two schools core requirements have become even more similar in recent years.14EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLEmployment & Careersat WhartonWhat Wharton Is Known ForFinance, nance, nance. Its no surprise that of the top-tier business schools, Wharton sends the most graduates into nance; 38% of the Class of 2013 went into nancial services in some capacity. The diversity of their choices might be some-whatsurprising,though:Although13%wentintobanking,Whartontiedwith Stanford for sending the most students into private equity (11%), and was a close secondplacewithventurecapital(3%).SinceWhartonsclassissignicantly larger than Stanfords youll nd several Wharton grads at most PE and VC rms.Hidden gems. The sheer number of students going into elds like risk management, insurance, and real estate isnt huge, but if youre interested in one of these special-ties, Whartons strong reputation should make the school one of your top choices. Consulting. Consulting is, after all, highly analytical, so its always been a popular choice for Wharton grads (29% for the Class of 2013). Thats actually a higher per-centage of the class than at HBS. EMPLOYMENT&CAREERSGraduates taking private equity positionsWharton & Stanford11%HBS9%Kellogg5%Yale & Booth4%Columbia & Sloan3%Graduates entering consulting positionsKellogg38%Booth34%Tuck33%Sloan32%Duke31%Columbia30%Wharton29%Graduates entering the real estate marketsAnderson5%Wharton & Columbia3%Stanford2%Kellogg, Duke, & Yale 1%15EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLEMPLOYMENT&CAREERSYou Oughta KnowEmploymentstatistics.Almost98%ofstudentsintheClassof2013seeking full-time employment had ofers at graduation. That was the highest number in a decade. Socialimpact.DespiteWhartonsemphasisonsocialimpactandtheloanfor-giveness opportunities, only 1% of the Class of 2013 took jobs in nonprot or the public sector. Nearly 5% of the Class of 2014 accepted internships in that area, so the numbers might increase in future years. Salaries. Not that all you care about is money, but surely you want to make sure your MBA investment is worthwhile. So it should make you happy to learn that the overall median salary for the Class of 2013 was $125,000, with consulting leading theway.(Justremembertobeabitcarefulwhenlookingatoverallmediansala-ry numbers because they can be skewed by high salaries in particular industries. Schoolsthatsendfewerstudentstothoseindustriescanbeatadisadvantage.) Butwaitthatsnotall!Bonuseswerealsocommon,with63%receivingsigning bonuses (averaging $25,000) and 17% ofered guaranteed year-end bonuses (at an average of $31,500). Geographicdiversity.Althoughmorethanathirdoftheclassstayedinthe Northeastfortheirfull-timejobs(notsurprisinggiventheconcentrationof-nance jobs in New York City), a full 20% went west. Just more than 20% accepted positionsoutsidetheUnitedStates,inlocationsasdiverseasBucharest,Lagos, and Lima.Nuts & BoltsCareer development resources. Similar to all the top business schools, Whar-ton ofers a number of resources to its students to assist them in their job search process.Studentsareencouragedtotakeadvantageoftheseresourcesfromthe moment they step onto campus and as alumni. However, the career management processislargelyinthehandsofthestudents,sotheymusttaketheinitiativeif Class of 2013 who remained in the region after graduation38%Wharton59%Stanford33%Booth,Kellogg, & Ross16EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLtheywanttobenetfromWhartonscareermanagementresources.Thesheer size of the student body in relation to the relatively small career management staf can make individual career counseling a challenge. Student resources. In addition to ofcial career management resources, Whar-tonstudentsthemselvesarearesource,comingtogethertohelpandcoachone anotherinpreparationforinterviews,etc.,aspartofprofessionalclubsorasin-formal groups of students interested in similar career paths. Your fellow students willalsotendtobeverygenerousinsharinginformationaboutindustriesand companies,soifyouseesomeonefromyourtargetindustryoremployer,reach out. Buy him cofee. Take her to lunch. Gradenon-disclosure.Since1994,Whartonhasobservedagradenon-disclo-sure policy to separate grades from the recruiting process. Honors, including Di-rectors List, may be disclosed. Although the policy is now voluntary, most students abide by it and, although recruiters may push the envelope, theyre accustomed to the policy by now and typically respect it.Lifelonglearning.ThroughKnowledgeforLife,graduatesbeginningwiththe Class of 2010 are eligible to take on Executive Education open enrollment course every seven years. Wharton Global Forums bring together alumni from around the world with faculty and staf. Similar Programs for Professional OpportunitiesColumbia.Onlytwotop-tierschoolssendmoregraduatesintonancethan Wharton;Columbiaisone.Infact,bythenumbers,ColumbiaandWhartonare remarkably similar, sending equivalent numbers into consulting, consumer prod-ucts, and technology. NYU(Stern).Columbiasdowntownrivalsendsthemoststudentsintonance (42%) of any of the top-tier schools. Although its consulting numbers are lower than Columbias, technology numbers are comparable, although overall NYUs range of industry placements is somewhat narrower than either Columbia or Wharton. Chicago(Booth).Notsurprisingly,Boothisanotherschoolthatsendsalarge number of graduates into nance (34% of the Class of 2013). Booth sends slightly more grads into consulting, but numbers going into technology, consumer goods, and even healthcare are right in line with Wharton. EMPLOYMENT&CAREERS17EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLCULTURE&CAMPUSLI FECulture & Campus Lifeat WhartonHeritage. As the worlds rst collegiate business school (founded in 1881), Whar-ton is considered the birthplace of modern business education. Wharton has for generations been one of the most prestigious MBA programs in the world, consis-tently appearing at or very near the top of most rankings. The Wharton School is Penns prized program and is positioned at the forefront of the research and busi-nesscommunities.ManyconsiderWhartontobethebestofthesixIvyLeague graduate business programs, and it is a continual leader among its peers. Wharton wasoneoftherstbusinessschoolstochangeitscurriculuminresponsetothe economic crisis, an efort that it continues to this day. Learning EnvironmentLocation. Situated in an urban setting, Wharton includes several buildings on the PenncampusjustwestofdowntownPhiladelphia.Asthecampushasexpanded west,itsneighborhoodhasundergonesomethingofatransformationinthelast 15 years, a trend not totally afectionately termed Penntrication. The Wharton School is mostly housed in its own state-of-the-art building, Huntsman Hall, es-sentially isolating the students from the rest of the university. School administra-tionisinSteinbergHallandVanceHall,whiletheLauderProgramisprimarily based,appropriatelyenough,inLauder-FisherHall.Whartonstudentshaveac-cess to all the main Penn facilities such Van Pelt Library (and Lippincott Library, the business library housed there) and the David Pottruck Fitness Center.Building.The2002openingofWhartonsHuntsmanHallkickedofabuilding boom at business schools across the country that is still going strong today. Hunts-man was designed to exibly support the specic needs of an innovative curricu-lum and changing student body. Wharton undertook the development project the way any smart business would: by conducting research and holding focus groups ofitsconstituents(facultyandstudents)toincorporatepracticalneedsintothe core of the design. At the time of its opening, Huntsman Hall was by far the most advancedandinnovativebusinessschoolfacilityintheworld.Huntsmanisstill new enough that its technology infrastructure is still relevant; however, technol-ogysupportforstudentsisamovingtargetthatbusinessschoolsoftenstruggle to keep up with. Whartons peers have, of course, studied Huntsman in the quiet quest of top schools to one-up each other, and you will nd as good or better fea-tures in the new buildings on other campuses, such as those opened at the Univer-sity of Chicago in 2004, Stanford in 2011, and Yale in 2013.Many consider Wharton to be the best of the six Ivy League graduate business programs, and it is a continual leader among its peers. 18EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLInteractions. Although you might nd some undergraduates in your classes, out-side of academics youll nd very little interaction between the graduate and un-dergraduate communities at Wharton, or even among grad students in other Penn programsotherthanLauderandtheoccasionaljoint-degreestudent.Ofcourse, there are exceptions, including volunteer and extracurricular eforts, such as the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which combine MBA and undergrad teams,opportunitiestotakeclassesoutsideofWharton(Pennallowsuptofour electivestobetakeninothergraduateschools),andtheoccasionalinter-school social activity. The reality is that if you want to meet anyone outside of Wharton, youll have to take the initiative. Culture.Liketheotherlargeschools(HBSandColumbia),Whartonsculture tendstowardthemoreformal;youwontndthetight-knitcommunityofTuck or Darden (partly because Penns campus is not residential; see below for more on this).Youalsowontndalotofsharks,andyoumightevenhearsomestudents call the culture collaborative. Although Wharton students enjoy a good party as much as the next MBA student, the partying doesnt tend to reach the frat-house levelthatmightsometimesbeassociatedwithschoolslikeNYUorKellogg.And with such a large class, you can always nd friends with similar interests. Community.Withaclassof800people,itcouldbeeasytofeelanonymous,or maybe even a little bit lost in the crowd. To foster a sense of community, Wharton uses a cohort system for the rst year. Cohorts of about 70 students stay together for core classes; cohorts are combined to make clusters of 210 students. Studyspace.StudyroomsatHuntsmancanbetoughtocomebygiventhefo-cusonteam-basedworkatWharton,andundergraduateandgraduatestudents usuallyscrambletobookthemduringprimestudyhours.Whenroomsarefully booked, students can be found in clusters all over the building. Because most stu-dents live of-campus, the new Center City study space at 2401 Walnut Street has been extremely popular for team meetings and other events. The large main forum in Huntsman serves as a gathering and meeting place for students. However, grad-uatestudentstendtocongregateinthegraduate-designatedCafonthesecond oor or in one of the building entrances on Locust Walk or Walnut Street.Residence. Although not a commuter school in a traditional sense, the vast ma-jority of Wharton students do not live on the Penn campus. Instead, most make the quick trip across the Schuylkill River (typically by foot, bike, trolley, or city bus) to apartments in Center City. Rittenhouse Square is a popular neighborhood, but you can nd Wharton students in Society Hill, Queen Village, or the Art Museum area. A few even live in the suburbs and commute in by train (SEPTA has a train station justafewblocksfromcampus)orcar.Thisgeographicdispersioncanmakeor-ganizing team meetings a challenge, but every group nds its own way around it. Most socializing takes place in Center CityPhiladelphia is justiably very proud of its dining sceneor in nearby neighborhoods like Manayunk. Like the other large schools (HBS and Columbia), Whartons culture tends toward the more formal; you wont nd the tight-knit community of Tuck or Darden.CULTURE&CAMPUSLI FE19EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLCULTURE&CAMPUSLI FEFamilies. Its not uncommon to see children running around on campus, and the schoolmakeseveryopportunitytointegratefamiliesintosocialactivitiesand evenlearningopportunities.WhartonKidshavetheirownclub,asdoWharton Partners. Similar Programs CulturallyHarvard.ThelargestMBAprogram,at932students,Harvardtendstohavea much more formal culture than other top-tier business schools such as Stanford, Kellogg,andNYUStern.TheGeorgianarchitectureoncampuslendsitselftoan air of formality, and this extends into the classroom as well. Classes begin and end precisely on time, so every student must be in his or her seat, ready to dive into the days case. Because class participation accounts for up to half of a students nal grade, most of the emphasis is placed on speaking up and adding value to class discussions. Although you wont nd Wharton to be quite this formal, class partic-ipation is emphasized (and often graded), and youll experience your fair share of cold calls during your two years on campus.Columbia.LocatedintheMorningsideHeightsneighborhoodinManhattan, ColumbiacultureisunmistakablyNewYork.Anotherlargeprogram,at1,500 MBAs, Columbia tends to foster a culture of students who are not afraid to speak up,questionauthority,orseekchangeiftheyseeareasforimprovementaround them.Onceknownforitsextremelysharp-elbowedandwin-at-all-costculture (not uncommon on Wall Street), the school has focused on developing a more col-laborative community over the past few years. Its downtown rival, NYU Stern, is still seen as more collegial, but Columbia simply isnt the same cutthroat commu-nity it may have been ve or 10 years ago. Nevertheless, it maintains a profession-al, networking-oriented culture similar to Whartons. Chicago(Booth).ThemostdistinguishingfactorofChicagoBoothscultureis intellectual curiosity. Professors are not afraid to ask students to pull out calcula-tors and do some calculus in class, and students are encouraged to question every-thing, even their professors and one another. So you tend to get more intellectual sparring and debating in the Booth classroom than at its rival to the north, Kellogg, where Booth students assume every class begins and ends with an inspiring ren-dition of Kumbaya (hand-holding required). Columbia, once known for its extremely sharp-elbowed and win-at-all-cost culture (not uncommon on Wall Street), has focused on developing a more collaborative community over the past few years.20EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLAdmissions at WhartonWhat Wharton Is Looking ForBecause of its sheer size, Wharton has room for applicants from very diverse back-grounds. Whartons admissions website is pretty transparent when it comes to se-lection criteria: TheAdmissionsCommitteelooksforindividualswhoexhibitprofessional maturity. In other words, we evaluate work experience not in terms of years, but the depth and breadth of an individual's position, his or her contributions to the workenvironment,andlevelofresponsibilityandprogression.Whartonlooks fordiversityintheprofessionalbackgroundsofitsadmittedstudentsjustasit does in all other parts of our applicants proles. No one industry is favored over another,andexperienceinaFortune500companydoesnothavehighervalue than experience in a small business or public institution.As with all the top-tier schools, theres no magic formula for admission to Whar-ton; rather, they say that a successful application combines substance, presenta-tion, and good timing. It should tell your own story and make each element of your application as strong as possible. What does this mean for you? Dont write what you think they want to hear, because 99% of the time that isnt actually what they want to hear. Applicants are evaluated based on the following criteria: Academic prole. Weve established by this point that Wharton is a quant/ana-lyticalschool,sotheyllcombthroughyourtranscripts,GMATscores,andwork experiencetomakesureyoucanhandletherigorouscoursework.Courseslike calculusandstatisticsareespeciallyvaluable.Iftheseskillswontbereadilyap-parentfromyourbackground,youshouldtakestepstoremedythat(extraquant coursework, GMAT tutoring, etc.) prior to applying. Like many top business schools, Wharton will now accept the GRE in addition to the GMAT.. In theory, the two tests should be equivalent in the admissions com-mittees eyes; however, if your quant skills are lacking elsewhere, your admissions chances may be hurt if you submit a GRE score. Essay. Well discuss this more below, along with Recommendations. Preparing to ApplyReadingthisEssentialGuideisagreatrststepinyourpreparation.Hopefully, thisinsidersglimpsehasbeenhelpfulinunderstandingthemostimportantas-ADMI SSI ONSDEADLINES All deadlines are 5PM Eastern time on the date indicated. ROUND 1 Application Deadline October 1, 2014 Decision Release Date December 16, 2014 ROUND 2 Application Deadline January 5, 2015 Decision Release Date March 25, 2015 ROUND 3 Application Deadline March 25, 2015 Decision Release Date May 5, 201521EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLADMI SSI ONSpectsoftheschool.However,nothingcanreplacegainingrsthandknowledge and experience yourself.Reach out to current students. Even if you dont have any personal connections to Wharton, you can reach out to current students and get their insight and advice. On the schools Clubs page, youll nd a list of all campus clubs. Find a few clubs that t your personal and professional interests and reach out to the ofcers. Remember: These are very busy MBA students so you dont want to intrude too much on their time, but you could ask for a 10- to 15-minute conversation or elicit some advice via e-mail. Come prepared with specic questions (preferably those that arent already answeredonline).Ifyoureplanningtovisitcampus,perhapsyoumightevenar-range a cofee chat or lunch, if they are available. Remember that ofcers of major clubs like the nance or management consulting Clubs have plenty of responsibil-ities. You might provide a quick background introduction and ask if theres another memberoftheirclub,evenonewithasimilarbackground,whomightbeableto ofer some insights and advice about his or her Wharton experience.Visit campus. The schools website can only tell you so much; by far, a personal visit is the best possible research in the application process. If you have the means, wehighlyrecommendyouvisittheWhartonSchoolcampus(alongthecampus-es of your other top choices) to understand the signicant diferences in culture, teaching style, student body, recruiting opportunities, facilities, and so forth. You may be surprised at just how diferent each school can be and how the reality can difer from the perception. We encourage you to take advantage of the campus vis-it program, including a class visit, campus tour, information session, and student lunch, as available. Because informal and impromptu encounters can be the most informative, dont be afraid to approach students in less-formal settings, such as the legendary Thursday afternoon MBA pub. (Just make sure not to stand between the pizza delivery guy and the hungry crowd.) Otherevents.WeknowthatmanyapplicantswillnotbeabletotraveltoPhil-adelphiatovisitcampus,butyoushouldtakeadvantageofotherworldwidead-missionsevents,suchasinformationsessions,webinars,andspecic-audience events.Infact,theseof-campuseventscanofergreatopportunitiesforquality timewithadmissionsofcersandevenotherapplicants,whocanbeagreatre-sourceandsupportthroughtheadmissionsprocess.Gettoknowtheschooland its culture as well as you can, because your familiarity can shine through your ap-plication and essay to help you stand out.You Oughta KnowWhen should I apply? Wharton uses a standard three-round system for applica-tions. This means that you may submit your application in any of its three rounds LOOKING FORHELP WITH YOURWHARTON ESSAYS?Veritas Prep has the mostWharton consultants with insider admissions knowledge.Click below learn more about our Admissions Consulting and Essay Evaluation services.1-800-925-7737info@veritasprep.comLEARN MORE22EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLforconsideration.However,90%ormoreoftheclasswillbelledwiththerst two rounds of applicants, so we do not encourage you to wait until the nal round without compelling circumstances. In fact, although many schools maintain that it doesnt matter when you apply, Wharton gives pretty explicit advice on its web-site: We strongly encourage you to apply in Round 1 or 2. The rst two rounds have no signicant diference in the level of rigor; the third round is more competitive, aswewillhavealreadyselectedagoodportionoftheclass.Theschooldoesadd thatthereisroomforthestrongestapplicantsinRound3,butyourmissionis clear: Get your application in by January 5!If you are a traditional candidate from the management consulting or nance in-dustry,weencourageyoutoapplyintherstround(assumingyouhaveastrong GMATscore),asyoullbecompetingagainstmanycandidateswithverysimilar proles. In a later round, its possible that the school may see you as a viable candi-date but may have already admitted several other applicants with similar proles, so it might pass on you to bring greater professional diversity to the class. (Plus, the school knows youve been planning on an MBA since the day you graduated from undergrad, so theres no reason to delay!) Please note that even though the top schools encourage you to apply in the earliest round possible, this does not mean that you should apply with a rushed application oramediocreGMATscore.Theresnosenseinapplyingearlyifyourejustgoing to be denied. A GMAT score thats above the schools average will do more for your candidacy than applying in the rst round.Navigatingdeadlines.Whartonsdeadlinesarevirtuallyunchangedfromlast year. The R1 deadline for Wharton is October 1, 2014on par with many of the oth-er top-tier schools. R2 follows on January 5, 2015 (there goes your holiday break!), withR3onMarch25,2015.(Notethatbecauseoftheirearlystart,Lauderappli-cantsmustapplyinR1orR2.)Applicationsmustbereceivedby5:00p.m.ETon the deadline, so no procrastinating! Get that app safely submitted before you leave forworkinthemorning.Decisionsarereleasedapproximatelysevenweeksafter the deadline.The EssaysWharton requires one essay this year (down from two last year) and ofers two op-tional essays.Essay#1(Required):Whatdoyouhopetogainbothpersonallyandpro-fessionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)Yup, this is the only required essay in Whartons application this year. It has been reworded a bit, but this is really the same Why an MBA? Why Wharton? that the ADMI SSI ONSIf you are a traditional candidate from the management consulting or nance industry, we encourage you to apply in the rst round (assuming you have a strong GMAT score), as youll be competing against many candidates with very similar proles. 23EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLADMI SSI ONSschool has asked for years, so our advice mostly remains the same. Note the word personallyinthequestion.Whartonisntonlyinterestedinwhatsix-gurejob you hope to land after earning your MBA, but also wants to know how you plan on growing as a person from the experience. You denitely still need to nail the pro-fessional partyou need to discuss clear, realistic career objectives herebut the admissions committee also wants to see maturity and introspection. How do you see yourself growing during your two years at Wharton? How do you hope the de-gree and the experience will impact your life 10 years from now? This sort of depth will make the diference between a great response and a merely good one.Essay #2 (Optional): Please use the space below to highlight any addition-alinformationthatyouwouldliketheAdmissionsCommitteetoknow about your candidacy. (400 words)We normally tell applicants to only use the optional essay if you need to explain a low undergraduate GPA or other potential blemish in your background, and Whar-tonsownwebsitecallsthisessaytrulyoptional.Noneedtoharponaminor weakness and sound like youre making excuses when you dont need to. However, as schools like Wharton have been cutting down on essays, the role of the optional essayhasevolvedabit.Noneedtomonopolizetheadmissionscommitteestime, but since Whartons application now gives you far less space in which you can de-scribeyourinterestsandinjectsomemorepersonalityintoyourapplication,this essay provides the perfect place to do that. Have a passion or something else that goes beyond the resume and will help Wharton admissions ofcers get to know you better? This essay gives you room to discuss it and make your application that much more memorable.Optional Essay: First-time applicants can use this essay if you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware (e.g.,unexplainedgapsinworkexperience,choiceofrecommenders, inconsistentorquestionableacademicperformance,signicantweak-nesses in your application). (250 words)Our original advice still holds. If you have a blemish that you need address, this is the place to do it. You dont want to leave a glaring weakness unaddressed. Howev-er, if you dont have too much explaining to do, dont be afraid to reveal something personal and memorable about yourself here. Re-applicants should focus on those areas that have changed (and hopefully improved!) since their last application.RecommendationsEach applicant must submit two recommendations. The two questions theyll need to respond to are: How do the candidate's performance, potential, or personal qualities compare 24EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLtothoseofotherwell-qualiedindividualsinsimilarroles?Pleaseprovide specic examples. (300 words)Pleasedescribethemostimportantpieceofconstructivefeedbackyouhave giventheapplicant.Pleasedetailthecircumstancesandtheapplicantsre-sponse. (250 words)Selecting your recommenders. Wharton explicitly says the recommendations shouldcomefromsupervisors,andmostschoolsstronglypreferthatonerecom-menderbeyourcurrentdirectsupervisor.Whartonalsostressesthatitismore importanttondrecommenderswhoknowyouwellandcananswertheessay questions with depth and detail. As stated directly on its website, Select the two people who really know you and your work, and whom you believe can best address the questions asked, not the two most important people you know. If your recom-mender is a Wharton graduate, great! He or she knows what the school is looking for. However, the school states, Please don't seek out alumni who aren't truly qual-ied to write about you. The message is clear: Pick someone who knows your work, yourleadershipabilities,andyourpersonalqualities.Dontasksomeonebecause of name, status, or connections to Wharton. Should I draft it myself? Many applicants to business school are asked by their superiors to draft the recommendation themselves and the recommender will ap-prove it. We strongly recommend that you do not write the recommendation your-self for several reasons. First, your writing style and choice of phrasing are unique, and admissions ofcers will notice if the recommendations are similar to each oth-erandyouressay.Iftheynoticetoomanysimilarities,yourapplicationcouldbe denied outright. Second, you may tend to be too humble or generic. Your supervisor might use language such as one of the top analysts Ive seen in my entire career that you wouldnt dare include if writing on their behalf. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the admissions ofcer is looking for a third-party perspective on your candidacy,sowritingarecommendationyourselfisanunethicalbreachoftrust with the school you are looking to join.Preparing your recommenders. Instead of writing the recommendation your-self, you should sit down and have candid conversations with your recommenders about the reasons you want to go to business school and why youve selected your targetschools,yourprofessionalgoals,andyourexperiencetogether.Askthemif they would have the time to write a strong recommendation on your behalf. (This also gives them a nice out by telling you that they are too busy rather than saying theydontfeelcomfortablegivingyouapositiverecommendation.)Bringacopy ofyourresumeandabulletedlistofprojectsthatyouveworkedontogetherand accomplishmentstheyhaveseenyouachieve.Letthemknowthatadmissions committeesprefertoseespecic,detailedexamplesinrecommendations.Then, let them know that youll serve as a project manager to follow up and ensure that they are able to submit your recommendation ahead of the deadline.ADMI SSI ONSCONTACT INFORMATION Ofce of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania Vance Hall, Suite 111 3733 Spruce St. Philadelphia, PA 19104-6340 PHONE:215-898-6183 FAX:215-898-0120 E-MAIL: mba-admiss @wharton.upenn.edu25EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLADMI SSI ONSThe InterviewThedreadedteam-baseddiscussion.AtWharton,interviewsareconducted by invitation only and are a required component of the application. Theyll again be using the innovative, somewhat controversial, and not universally loved team-based discussion model rst launched in the 201213 application year. Instead of anin-depth,one-on-oneinterviewwithanadmissionsofcer,student,oralum-ni interviewer, groups of ve to six candidates will engage in a discussion togeth-er.On-campusdiscussionswilltypicallybeconductedbyAdmissionsFellows,a group of second-year MBA students. Who is invited? Roughly speaking, approximately 40% of all Wharton applicants will be invited for a team-based discussion and about half of those will be ofered admission. The team-based discussion will be required for admission in almost all cases.Dual-degreeorspecialtyapplicants(Lauder,healthcare,etc.)arerequired to complete a separate interview. Where should I interview? The majority of discussions will be held on campus, but admissions ofcers will be traveling to select cities globally as well. Wharton goes out of its way to remind applicants that there is no advantage to attending a discussion on campus or of campus, but they encourage applicants to visit cam-pussotheycanattendclasses,havelunchwithcurrentstudents,takeacampus tour, and attend an information session. We at Veritas Prep also encourage candi-dates to visit the campus if they have the means to do so. How does it work? The purpose of the team-based discussion is to replicate the experience of working on teams of peers, similar to those you will be working with as a student. The discussion will have a prompt, such as a real-world business sce-nario,andapurpose.Membersoftheteamwillworktogethertowardatangible outcome. The admissions committee is looking for how you think, lead, commu-nicate and interact. Discussion topics tended to center around Whartons three pillars of Innovation, Social Impact, and Global Education. Youll receive them ahead of time, but they recommendnotover-preparing.Youwanttobeready,butnotover-rehearsed. Lastyear,thepromptremainedconsistentineachroundbutevolvedsomewhat between rounds. After the group-based discussion, applicants have a brief, 10- to 15-minutediscussionwithastudentoradmissionsofcer.Thismeetingserves both as a de-brief (popular questions run along the lines of What did you think of the exercise? and How would you assess your performance?) and an opportuni-ty to ask questions about the school. Playnice.Applicantsmaybetemptedtoviewtheteam-baseddiscussionasa competition with the other members of the group. If you have a fairly aggressive After the group-based discussion, applicants have a brief, 10- to 15-minute discussion with a student or admissions ofcer. This meeting serves both as a de-brief and an opportunity to ask questions about the school. 26EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLpersonality, we caution you not to dominate the discussion. This is an evaluation notonlyofyourcritical-thinkingskills,butalsoofyourcollaborationandteam-workabilities.Onewaytoshowleadershipbutnotdominateadiscussionisto ask insightful questions that the group may want to consider and to help draw the group to consensus. That said, Wharton is looking for future leaders, so if you tend to be shy or hesitant to speak up, you may want to make an extra efort to contribute to the discussion when you have a relevant thought or idea, or to draw out others. Dont be afraid to break out of your shell! Remember: This is a bit of an awkward situation for every-one involved, so the other members of your group are going to be just as nervous as you are. Although many applicants dread this interview beforehand, afterward they report that they actually enjoyed it!

ADMI SSI ONS27EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLVERI TASPREPANDYOURWHARTONAPPLI CATI ONVeritas Prep and Your Wharton ApplicationWharton receives thousands of applications every year, so making an impression with its admissions committee is a real challenge. To guide you through this chal-lenge,VeritasPrephasdevelopedthemostqualiedanddiverseteamofadmis-sionsconsultantseverassembled.Dontjusttakeourwordforit;checkoutour teamyourself!Ifyouareinterestedinmaximizingyourchancesforadmission, our team will help you every step of the way.Your Personalized Wharton Consulting TeamMBA admissions decisions are quite subjective, and no two members of the Whar-tonadmissionsboardwillviewacandidateinexactlythesameway.Asaresult, Veritas Prep uses a unique team-based approach in our consulting to ofer multi-ple expert perspectives. In your Comprehensive School Package, youll work with a Head Consultant who has admissions experience at a top-tier MBA program to guide you through the process from start to nish. Head Consultants have eval-uatedMBAcandidatesthemselves,sotheycanprovideaninvaluableinsiders perspective to answer every question and help you avoid common application pit-falls. In addition, youll also work with a School Specialist, who has gone through the Wharton MBA program and was personally immersed in the schools culture for two years. He or she will ensure your applications are perfectly tailored based on the strengths, programs, and culture of the school. Youll have a diferent School Specialist for each school in your comprehensive package.The Ultimate Admissions CommitteeInadditiontoyourpersonalizedconsultingteam,ifyouhaveallofyourapplica-tionmaterialsreadyatleasttwoweeksbeforeWhartonsapplicationdeadline, you may submit them to the Veritas Prep Ultimate Admissions Committee. This committeeiscomprisedofformerdirectorsandassociatedirectorsofMBAAd-missionsthose who have made thousands of admissions decisions on candidates just like you. The Committee will review your application and provide nal feed-back before you submit.How it WorksFirst,welltalkwithyouaboutyourproleandunderstandexactlywhatyoure looking for in a Head Consultant. Based on your personal and professional back-ground, goals, target schools, working style, and personal preferences, well match 28EssentialGuide2014|15 THE WHARTON SCHOOLyou with the best Head Consultant for your needs. Your Head Consultant will as-sist in every step as you examine your strengths and weaknesses, map out your ide-al application strategy, select the best MBA programs for your unique background andgoals,craftyourresume,brainstormandoutlineessays,exchangeseveral essaydrafts,andcompleteyouronlineapplicationform.YourSchoolSpecialist will discuss the classes, majors, clubs, conferences, activities, and other resources availableatyourtargetschoolthataremostrelevanttoyourgoalsandinterests. YourWhartonSpecialistwillensureyourapplicationdemonstratestwiththe schoolacademically,professionally,andculturally.Inaddition,ifyoureinvited tointerview,yourWhartonSpecialistwillconductamockinterview,oftenwith the same questions youll face in your actual interview, and provide feedback for improvement. If you get waitlisted, well provide tips and advice to move into the admit column. Your success is our success!VERI TASPREPANDYOURWHARTONAPPLI CATI ONWHAT ARE YOUR CHANCES? LETS TALK.Call or e-mail us to discuss your candidacy for top MBA programs,or click below to receive a free prole evaluation.1-800-925-7737info@veritasprep.comFree Evaluation