Summer at Wharton has officially begun. With the close of another academic year and the Class of 2014 transitioning to the role of alumni, the Admissions Team is preparing to hit the road again. We will be meeting with prospective students and alumni from around the globe and we are looking forward to a successful travel season ahead. Before we take off, we wanted to update you on some important changes to the 2014-15 application, set to go live in early August.
In order to further streamline the application process, we have made changes to our essays and letter of recommendation questions by shortening both of these components of the application. The goals of these changes are to provide applicants with a more concentrated and effective means of expressing their candidacy and lessening the impact on those providing recommendations.
Essays
This year we require one essay with a second being optional. For the second optional essay, we recommend that you to use your best judgment and focus your energy on highlighting new information that we are unable to ascertain from other sections of the application.
Required
What do you hope to gain both personally and professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)
Optional
Please highlight any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to know about your candidacy. (400 words)
Recommendations
Application recommenders will be required to answer two questions regarding your candidacy:
1. How do the candidate’s performance, potential, or personal qualities compare to those of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples. (300 words)
2. Please describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (250 words)
If you have questions regarding any of the above, I encourage you to reach out to our office directly at mba-admiss@wharton.upenn.edu or by phone at 215-898-6183. We look forward to meeting many of you on the road for one of our admissions events or this Fall in Philadelphia for a campus visit.
Regards,
Maryellen Reilly Lamb
Deputy Vice Dean, Admissions, Financial Aid, and Career Management