In this article, I’m getting personal. I’ll share a bit about my Wharton MBA experience and one essential tip if you plan to apply.
Resources
+ MBA Program Stats here.
+ MBA Program Deadlines here.
The two years I spent at Wharton were some of the best years. I got to do things I wouldn’t have otherwise done. Some of my favorites were:
+ Playing hockey, which really meant falling every 15 seconds. On my first day at the rink, a friend carried me and placed me on the ice because I had no idea how to get on 🙈.
+ Helping to plan the annual Penn Charity Fashion Show at the iconic Barnes Museum, attended by about 400 guests and featuring clothing from brands like Micahel Kors and Theory. I also got to walk in the show, closing it out with a segment of 3D-designed pieces by Penn’s Design School students. It was incredible.
+ Traveling almost every month with classmates who quickly became friends.
Wharton changed the trajectory of my career. I worked in consulting before, and for my summer internship, I worked at Evercore in investment banking mergers and acquisitions. I was blessed to receive a return offer but turned it down as, at the time, I was interested in going into fashion.
I graduated into the pandemic in 2020, but through the strength and support of the Wharton network, I received four different opportunities in the fashion space. I took three of them: independent consulting for the CEO of Sean John, working with Christen Press for her company Re—inc, and being interim Vice President of operations and finance at Stone and Strand.
Even after pivoting from fashion into tech, working at Peloton, and now running an admissions consulting business, the Wharton community has been such a blessing.
Your network truly opens doors for you. If you’re applying to business school and hoping to join the Wharton network, this is the one essential tip for applying.
1 Key Tip For Applying To The Wharton MBA Program
Wharton is a highly collaborative culture that values persuasive over positional leadership. It is a student-led campus, so every MBA candidate needs to bring something to the table. The admissions committee wants to know you professionally and personally, and that is reflected in the essay questions, which are in the variation of (1) how Wharton will support your future professional goals and (2) how you will make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community.
You’ll notice that both essay questions are intimately connected to Wharton. To answer them properly, you need to really know the school. The Wharton application is not one where you can be generic (not that you should be if you’re serious about any school).
Get to know the school. And Wharton makes it easy — attend virtual coffee chats and in-person events. Wharton hosts a number of them across the US and internationally. Mine your network and see if you know someone or know someone who knows someone who went to or is currently at Wharton. Connect with them. If you can visit the campus, do that. Or take a virtual tour of it. There’s one available on the Wharton Admissions website.
On a deeper level, this is aligning your spirit with the school, flooding your mind with what it would be like to be a student there. It will help you write better essays, and it will also orient you toward taking the actions needed to make your admissions a reality.
That’s the cheat code.
I hope this article has been helpful! You can watch the YouTube video to learn more about my Wharton experience and enjoy a clip of me playing hockey with a cape on and a balloon in my helmet 😂.
And please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.
For further support, you can:
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Cheering you on,
Aniekeme
