The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania uses a very different interview format than most business schools do, opting for a virtual in place of a traditional admissions interview to evaluate its candidates.
In this post, we explain what you can expect in the Wharton TBD and how best to prepare for this one-of-a-kind interview.
When preparing personal statements that require significant information about career progress, many MBA applicants choose to discuss their accomplishments in chronological order. Although the simplicity of this approach makes it appealing, we encourage you to consider another way of showcasing your more recent and therefore potentially stronger accomplishments first. By taking this approach instead, you may capture your reader’s imagination more quickly and reduce the risk of being lost amid similar candidates.
In Episode 124 of The mbaMission Podcast, mbaMission Senior Consultant Harold Simansky and Founder Jeremy Shinewald discuss how the most valuable school research an MBA applicant can do is having direct conversations with individuals who know the school well—thereby uncovering information and insights that are simply not available on a program’s website. Not only does connecting with students, alumni, and admissions officers demonstrate interest, it also provides specific and compelling details that a candidate can use to strengthen their essays and interview performance. Harold and Jeremy break down how to do this kind of outreach well, addressing whom to contact, how to make a connection, what kinds of questions to ask, and how to use what you learn to strengthen your application.
Because you spend so many of your waking hours working, and the MBA is the vehicle you are choosing to use to drive your career forward, you may naturally believe that your professional experiences are all that matter to the admissions committees. Do not get us wrong: you need to have strong professional stories to share, but top-tier business schools are looking for much more than just examples of professional excellence. If you discuss only your work experiences in your application, you will present yourself as a one-dimensional character, and today’s managers need to demonstrate that they can handle a multitude of tasks, situations, and personalities—both inside and outside the workplace.
In Episode 123 of The mbaMission Podcast, mbaMission Senior Consultant Harold Simansky and Founder Jeremy Shinewald speak with Jim Caruso, chief innovation officer at Elevate and a graduate of the Michigan Ross Online MBA program. Before pursuing his MBA, Jim had already founded companies, sold a software business, and spent years leading product development. So why did he feel the need to obtain the degree? And why was an online program ultimately his preference? His experience illustrates how an online MBA program can serve a professional who wants to deepen specific capabilities without leaving the workforce.
A first-of-its-kind, on-demand MBA application experience that delivers a personalized curriculum for you and leverages interactive tools to guide you through the entire MBA application process.
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