One of the oldest business schools in the United States, Wharton business school takes pride in the rich heritage which it holds. Famous to having one of the finest finance curricula, the Wharton MBA program is the best choice for anyone who is looking to go to Wall Street. Ranked constantly among the top #3 business schools in the world, the Wharton MBA program is known for an exceptional network of great alumni who remain connected through the alumni network.
Some of the most notable alumni of Wharton are Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, & Mauricio Macri. As of 2019, there are more than 99,000 alumni in more than 153 countries. For the class of 2021, a total of 856 applicants were selected from 52 countries, including 47% of female candidates, 30% of International citizens, 36% of the U.S. students of color & 5% of LGBT students.
Redesigned in 2012, the course curriculum of the Wharton MBA program is one of the most unique & flexible curricula among top business schools. Along with the core courses, selecting a major and complementary electives helps you gain exposure in your other areas of interest. There are a total of 19 core courses (divided into fixed & flexible core), and nearly 200 electives to choose from the diverse curriculum of the Wharton MBA program.
The MBA starts with six required core courses that cover the traditional management disciplines and consist of subjects like the Foundation of Teamwork & Leadership, Marketing Management, Microeconomics, Statistics, & Communication. Along with the fixed core, there are flexible core courses that a candidate can choose based on his needs, backgrounds, and goals.
There are various core areas with different course choices.
Some of the core areas are Marketing, Communication, Accounting, Corporate Finance, and Legal studies & Business Ethics. Apart from the Core Courses, Wharton offers nearly 200 electives across 10-academic departments. A student can select up to four courses from the University of Pennsylvania’s 11 other schools. Wharton is also known for its international exchange programs. Reportedly, Wharton has 19 partner institutions around the world. Many students are selected each year to study at Wharton’s partner institutions. One of the most famous among them is ‘The Wharton-INSEAD Exchange Program.
Eligibility/ Applicants Requirement
Wharton holds an acceptance rate of a mere 8-9% every year. So getting into the Wharton MBA program can be considered competitive. The following are the eligibility criteria you must meet for your admission to Wharton.
- Bachelors in any discipline:
There’s no minimum cutoff for your class 12th result or graduate GPA.
You just need to hold a bachelor’s degree equivalent to U.S. college.
However, excellent academics give you an edge over others.
According to the class profile of 2021, the average GPA of the class was at 3.6.
- Work Experience:
According to the official website of Wharton, work experience is not mandatory for applying to the Wharton MBA program.
But if we see the class profile of 2021, the average work experience of the batch was 5-years.
It gives us a clear idea that the admissions committee prefers individuals with professional maturity more than fresh graduates.
- Exams:
Candidates applying for the Wharton MBA program need to take the English Proficiency Tests such as TOEFL & PTE if the candidates’ native language is not English. However, if the last institution attended by the candidate used English as the medium of instruction, this test may be waived. Along with the English Proficiency Tests, the candidate must have a valid GMAT or GRE score. Even though there’s no minimum cutoff mentioned in the official website of Wharton, the average GMAT score of the class profile of 2021 stands at 732, and the average GRE scores at 162 in Verbal & Quant each.
Course Fee
With more than 1.6 crore INR for its 21 months program, Wharton MBA is among the costliest business schools of the U.S. The estimated first-year budget for the Wharton MBA program is $111,695, including tuition fees of $80,432, room & board fees of $21,050, Health insurance, books & supplies, and additional personal costs of $10,213. The two-year full-time budget for MBA from Wharton comes at USD 222,540.
Apart from this, there are various cross country expeditions, & field trips (optional) whose expenses are separately paid for and doesn’t include in the above sum. Such expeditions & field trips are optional but recommended by the MBA advisors.
Wharton offers several fellowships based on your unique personal qualities, background, academic records, professional experience, & social involvement. Some of the most popular fellowships offered at the Wharton are:
-Joseph Wharton Fellowships (Max scholarship per student amounts to USD 57,448)
-Howard E. Mitchell fellowships (awarded to traditionally underrepresented domestic population)
-Social Impact Fellowship (awarded to students with demonstrated leadership in community & social development causes)
There are many other such fellowships available for the students. Along with this, there are various scholarships for international students, including Region-Specific scholarships that you can find here.
With more than 650 companies making offers to the Wharton graduates, an MBA from Wharton is indeed worth it. According to Wharton’s official website, 98.5% of full-time job offers were reported last year, out of which 93.5% were accepted. The yearly compensation of the batch 2019 ranged from $130,000-$165,000 with a median salary of $150,000 (a massive 1.1 Cr. INR)
The top three recruiting industries of the class of 2019 were:
Financial Service (35.8%)
Consulting (25.1%)
Technology (14.9%)
Some of the Top Wharton employers include
Bain & Company
Amazon
J.P. Morgan
Credit Suisse
Goldman Sachs
IBM
How to apply for the Wharton MBA program
Online Application
Including
-Transcripts
-Background Information
-GMAT/GRE score
-English Language Test Score
-Resume
-Two Essays
-Two Letters of Recommendation
-Application Fee of $275
Interview/Team-based Discussions
After the submission of your online application, you may get invited for the interview based on your application evaluation. Unlike other business schools, Wharton’s admissions committee emphasizes a Team-Based Discussion. The Team-Based Discussion is a 35-minute long process where applicants have an interactive session with other four-to-five fellow MBA applicants. The admissions committee checks your level of engagement, communication style, & leadership skills through these discussions.
According to one of the Wharton admission consultants, the focus of the candidate should be on innovation & global awareness. The Wharton interview is considered as one of the toughest interviews. Hence, only a thorough preparedness will help you ace the interview.
Wharton Essay Tips & Details
Wharton MBA application consists of two compulsory essay topics, one reapplicant essay, and one optional essay topic. The topics of the Essays are as follows:
Topic 1: What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA?
The word limit for this topic is 500. The candidate should focus on highlighting the professional plans post acquiring an MBA from Wharton. One should also mention the accomplishments & professional journey so far. It is critical to show a connection between your past actions with your future goals.
Topic 2: Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton Community?
There’s a 400-word limit for the above topic. The topic should include a brief about your personal, professional, and academic background. And then what meaningful contribution do you plan to make to the Wharton community. You can list your major past initiatives and how an association with a platform like Wharton will help you fulfill your planned future goals. The essays are one of the principal elements of your evaluation process, so we shall advise you not to delay it to the last moment, preferably devote a quality amount of time into it.
An MBA from the Wharton is one of the most beneficial investments one can make because the return it gives is truly exceptional. Not just in terms of money, but also in terms of an alumni network & brand.
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