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Wharton MBA Round 1 Mid-Release Decisions Have Been Posted!

14 Nov 2008 03:47 AM in Application Processing | Permalink

Next Steps for Wharton MBA and MBA/MA Lauder Round 1 Applicants!

Hello all Round 1 Wharton MBA and MBA/MA Lauder applicants. Here are key dates and information about the next steps in the application process.

Interview Invitations

There is no particular order in which interview invitations are released. Release dates depend upon multiple factors, including our recruiting schedule. Instructions on how to arrange an interview are provided at the time of invitation. Options include on-campus, hub or alumni locations. All interviews carry equal weight.

	Interview Invites Begin	Mid-Release*
Round 1	October 23, 2008	November 13, 2008

*all applicants will receive an invitation to interview or a deny without an interview decision by this date.

Final Decision Release Date

	Final Decision Release Date
Round 1	December 22, 2008

All decisions (interview invitations, mid and final release) will be posted online and may be checked via the apply/check status link on the home page of our website.

05 Nov 2008 02:02 PM in Application Processing | Permalink

Wharton Application to Go Live 8 August

Applicants for admission in Fall 2009 (Class of 2011): our application will be posted online on Friday, 8 August by 5:00 pm ET.  We look forward to reading your application!

As you prepare your application, be sure to check out all of our updated information on the website, including application guidance and admissions deadlines.  Moreover, as you decide whether Wharton is the right school for you, be sure to review our student profiles and information on the Wharton curriculum and student life.  Consider attending an event in over 45 countries around the world, ranging from one-on-one meet-and-greets with current students, Forte Foundation events for women and our diversity-focused and general presentations.

Finally, we will be launching an enhanced version of the "Interact With Us" component of our website in the coming weeks, with a more seamless look and improved usability.  Keep an eye out!

04 Aug 2008 07:08 PM in Application Processing | Permalink

Reapplicant Online Feedback Chats

One of the more difficult challenges we face in Wharton MBA Admissions is turning away many accomplished candidates.  As we have received more than 7,000 applications this year, we were forced to deny many fine applicants who would do well at Wharton and who would contribute to the community.

Applicants who requested feedback through the designated channels were randomly selected to receive sessions with admissions officers.  Regrettably, demand for feedback far outstrips our bandwidth to provide it; as much as we would like to provide feedback to all candidates who request this service, the appointments we offered are filled for this year.

However, admissions officers will be providing opportunities for generalized discussion about the reapplication process through online chats, on student2student (http://s2s.wharton.upenn.edu/wh-wharton), on the dates below.  While not an opportunity for individualized feedback, these one-hour chats give applicants who did not receive feedback the chance to learn how to manage the reapplication process. 

Inside tips for Reapplicants: Online Chats with Wharton MBA Admissions
*to access chats, you must log into student2student online discussion board and click on the "chat" tab*

Friday, 11 July, 2008, 10:00 a.m. ET

Wednesday, 30 July, 2008, 5:00 p.m. ET

Monday, 4 August, 2008, 5:00 p.m. ET

In addition, we have extensive information-- inccluding  on the student2student (s2) discussion board, on the blog and on our website-- about the review process and how candidates are evaluated. Of particular interest may be the section on "Preparing a Successful Application"at http://mba.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/admissions/process/prepare.php

Many candidates who utilize our online resources find them as effective in preparing a reapplication as direct feedback. In any given year, reapplicants fare well in the application process because they have taken steps to enhance their candidacy or have had more time to reflect on their reasons for an MBA and goals going forward.

Please note that whether or not you receive feedback has no bearing on your admissions decision as a reapplicant.

We hope to meet with you online or at one of our events in the fall.

07 Jul 2008 07:57 PM in Application Preparation , Application Processing , Application Strategy | Permalink

Fall 2009 Applicants: Deadlines and Essay Questions Posted

For applicants for admission in Fall 2009 (for the Wharton Class of 2011): below are the deadlines for submitting your application, as well as the essay questions that will be included in that application.

We post the essay questions now to allow you to plan your application preparation this year.  The full application, which will include questions for recommenders and other application requirements, will be available on our website in August.

Wharton Fall 2009 Admission: Application Deadlines

• Round 1: Thursday, 9 October, 2008
• Round 2: Thursday, 8 January, 2009
• Round 3: Thursday, 5 March, 2009

Wharton Fall 2009 Admission: Application Essay Questions

First-Time Applicant Questions

1. Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect an MBA from Wharton to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program? (1,000 words)

2. Describe a setback or a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself? (500 words)

3. Where in your background would we find evidence of your leadership capacity and/or potential? (500 words)

4. Please respond to one (1) of the following questions:

a. Describe an experience you have had innovating or initiating, your lessons learned, the results and impact of your efforts. (500 words)

b. Is there anything about your background or experience that you feel you have not had the opportunity to share with the Admissions Committee in your application?  If yes, please explain. (500 words)

OPTIONAL: If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, TOEFL waiver request, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application). (250 words, maximum)

Reapplicant Questions (for candidates who have applied for admission for Fall 2008 or 2007 only)

1. Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect an MBA from Wharton to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program? How has your candidacy improved since the last time you applied? (1,000 words)

2. Describe an experience you have had innovating or initiating, your lessons learned, the results and impact of your efforts. (500 words)

3. Please respond to one (1) of the following questions:

a. Where in your background would we find evidence of your leadership capacity and/or potential? (500 words)

b. Is there anything about your background or experience that you feel you have not had the opportunity to share with the Admissions Committee in your application? If yes, please explain. (500 words)

OPTIONAL: If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, TOEFL waiver request, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application). (250 words, maximum)

01 Jul 2008 02:14 PM in Application Preparation , Application Processing | Permalink

Waitlisted Candidates: Comfort and Guidance

For candidates on our summer waitlist:

First of all, thank you for your continued interest in Wharton, and for your patience for remaining on the waitlist.  While your waitlist status should serve as an affirmation of the strength of your candidacy, we certainly can appreciate how trying it can be to simply wait.  We hear from many waitlisted candidates who wonder if there is anything they can do to improve their chances of being admitted. 

In fact, there is not—our policy is that candidates should refrain from sending additional materials, recommendations and updates.  While changes to your personal situation (a promotion, professional recognition, etc.) are indeed further examples of your accomplishment, we recognize that applications are, in fact, a ‘snapshot in time’ and that many candidates are likely to experience personal and professional growth since submission.  Consequently, while we applaud your accomplishment, we ask that you abstain from providing updates (we already have ascertained your potential!)

On that note: instead of being stressed over your inability to take action, please consider the positive aspects of Wharton’s policy.  At Wharton, there is no need to:

• Spend countless hours developing creative ways to keep in touch and “win us over.” You express your interest simply by remaining on the waitlist.
• Expend additional time and resources submitting additional recommendations and other materials. These are unlikely to change your eventual decision, which is made across multiple criteria; or
• Fear that those who lobby lavishly and loudest will receive preference. All waitlist candidates are given equal consideration – equity and fairness rule the day.

So what are Wharton’s waitlist policies again? 

• Please let us know if you would like to be removed from the Summer Waitlist by sending an email by June 1, 2008 to mba.admissions@wharton.upenn.edu, including the words "Summer Waitlist Remove" on the subject line. We fully understand if you are unable to do so due to other commitments.

• The Summer Waitlist has no numerical ranking system. It is not possible to predict the availability of admission because we do not know if any matriculating students will withdraw their currently reserved place in the class.

• All Summer Waitlist candidates will be considered on an ongoing basis for a spot in the class, with decisions to admit or deny off the list released every other Thursday, beginning June 12th and ending July 24th, 2008.

• Any candidate still on the Waitlist after the final release of admissions on July 24th will receive an email stating that the admissions cycle has ended and that they are no longer under consideration for the Class of 2010. This same information will be reflected in their online status.

• In the spirit of fairness and equity, we will not accept additional materials for inclusion in your application. In this same spirit, we do not offer another interview.

• There is no point person in the office for the waitlist. All waitlist decisions are handled by the Admissions Committee.

• Feedback to candidates is not offered to candidates while they are on the waitlist.

• There is no rank order to the waitlist.

• The chances of being admitted off the waitlist are hard to predict.  Historically, the admit rate has varied from year to year and has very little correlation with the number of candidates placed on the waitlist.

Thank you in advance for honoring these guidelines.

21 May 2008 04:59 PM in Application Processing , Application Strategy | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking Ahead: Applying for Admission in Fall 2009

As we approach the end of this year's admissions season, we know that many candidates are beginning to think about applying to Wharton for admission in Fall 2009.  We very much appreciate your interest in the School, and we look forward to sharing with you our curriculum, community and culture.

Getting to Know Wharton

There are a variety of ways to get to know Wharton, including through our website, at our events around the world and by visiting campus.  Our events include general and diversity-targeted receptions, MBA fairs, student and alumni coffee chats, meet-and-greets, and online chats, to name a few.  Over the summer, we will begin to post details about events at which Wharton MBA Admissions staff, alumni or current students will be present this fall and winter.  Our event calendar is continuously updated, so please check back periodically to find out when Wharton will be in your city. 

For those applicants interested in visiting Wharton, we host visitors every day that the office is open and offer an information session given by an admissions officer.  In the fall, once classes are back in session, we allow applicants to experience Wharton further by attending a class, having lunch with current students and taking a campus tour.

Fall 2009 Application

Our application will be available online for Fall 2009 applications by late summer.  However, we will post our application deadlines, as well as this year's essay questions, right here on our blog before the application goes live (generally, by mid-summer). 

For those applicants eager to learn more about the MBA degree now, or to start preparing for the application process, we encourage you to check out the information about making the MBA decision and preparing a successful application on our website.  You may also be interested in visiting our student2student discussion board, on which current Wharton students, alumni and admissions officers answer questions from applicants (as well as dispel myths!) about Wharton and the admissions process.

Again, thank you for your interest in Wharton, and we look forward to reading your application.

15 May 2008 04:53 PM in Application Preparation , Application Processing , Application Strategy , Events | Permalink | Comments (2)

Round 3 Decisions Released

Admissions decisions for Round 3 Wharton MBA applicants who were interviewed have now been released... A day early, again!

You may check your decision status by logging on to your online application. Whether you were admitted, waitlisted or denied, please read your decision letter carefully, as there is important information included in each letter.

Congrats to our new admits! For those of you who were denied, we truly regret that there is simply not enough room in the class for all the highly qualified applicants in our pool.  We greatly appreciate your interest in Wharton.

Again, many thanks to all applicants this year.  We have enjoyed reading your applications and meeting many of you, and appreciate your interest in Wharton.

14 May 2008 01:40 PM in Application Processing | Permalink | Comments (0)

Round 3 Application Status Update

For all Round 3 Wharton MBA Program Applicants:

All Round 3 mid-release decisions have now been posted (i.e., all applicants for this round have either received an invitation to interview or a deny without interview decision).  All those who applied to the Wharton MBA Program in Round 3 may check their online status using the logon and password they used to create their application.

For those who are invited to interview, the last day to complete an interview is Thursday, 24 April, 2008.

The final release date for decisions for all interviewed candidates in Thursday, 15 May, 2008. At that time, interviewees will receive one of three decisions: admit, deny, or waitlist. Individuals who were waitlisted in Round 2 will receive one of three decisions on this same date: waitlist admit, waitlist continue, or waitlist deny.

MBA Admissions & Financial Aid Team

10 Apr 2008 04:33 PM in Application Processing | Permalink | Comments (5)

Guidelines for Waitlisted Candidates

For those candidates currently on the waitlist: we have heard from a few of you, looking for guidance or information.  We have already emailed all waitlisted candidates the information below, but wanted to post our guidance on the blog, as well. 

While we can appreciate how challenging it can be to be waitlisted, please keep in mind that being waitlisted should serve as an affirmation of your accomplishment and achievement in a competitive applicant pool!  We thank you for your interest, and ask that you please adhere to our waitlist policies.

• For those candidates on the waitlist, we will retain your name on the waitlist for consideration at the end of the next round unless you request your application be withdrawn. If you would like to withdraw, please e-mail mba.admissions at wharton.upenn.edu, using the subject header: "Waitlist Remove."

• All waitlist candidates will be reconsidered for admission in Round 3, and will be notified of the Admissions Committee decision by 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) of the Round 3 decision date, May 15, 2008. Decisions include “admit waitlist,” “waitlist continue,” and “deny waitlist.”

• In the spirit of fairness and equity, we will not accept additional materials for inclusion in your application. In this same spirit, we do not offer another interview.

• There is no point person in the office for the waitlist. All waitlist decisions are handled by the Admissions Committee.

• Feedback to candidates is not offered to candidates while they are on the waitlist.

• There is no rank order to the waitlist.

• The chances of being admitted off the waitlist are difficult to predict since much depends on the strength of the pool in subsequent rounds. Historically, the admit rate has varied from year to year, and has very little correlation with the number of candidates placed on the waitlist.

Thank you in advance for honoring these guidelines. We sincerely appreciate your interest in the

Wharton

School

.

04 Apr 2008 04:57 PM in Application Processing | Permalink | Comments (1)