When you say "interview on campus," does that mean someone interview with a student rather than a member of the Admissions staff?
Typically, on-campus interviews are with second-year students – we have a group of graduate students who are trained in interviewing and evaluation techniques. Our students are wonderful interviewers because they're enthusiastic about the school and want to admit the best applicants who will ultimately become part of the alumni network and reflect well on them. The advantage of interviewing with a current student is that he or she can share his or her personal experience of the program.
What do you advise a wait-listed applicant to do?
We advise waitlisted applicants to follow the instructions we provide. In the name of fairness and equity, we ask waitlisted candidates to simply wait and refrain from submitting additional information or otherwise demonstrating their commitment to Wharton. In the past, when we allowed submission of additional information, it really didn't alter the eventual admissions outcome. We also felt it provided an unfair advantage to waitlist folks over individuals applying for the first time in a subsequent round as a waitlisted candidate could keep submitting additional material and essentially create the equivalent of a whole new application.
So we ask people to wait. We do not keep people on the waitlist any longer than necessary. We understand it's a stressful situation in which to be. People are admitted off the wait list, but there's only so much room in the class. Regrettably, we always have more qualified applicants that we would love to have in the program than for whom we have seats.
Wharton certainly has a reputation for its excellence in finance. Would you like to address some of Wharton's strengths in other functional areas?
Wharton was originally known as a finance school. Over time, Wharton has expanded its course offerings and majors to cover broad areas of management. We now have 18 different majors, all with some pretty amazing, world-renowned faculty.
Several of our more popular majors include real estate, marketing, and entrepreneurial management. You'll find that some programs, like healthcare, are purposely restricted in numbers (to approximately 50 or 60 students a year), yet are considered top programs. Health Care is no exception. We're fortunate to be affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, which has a wonderful medical school and research center in biotechnology. Philadelphia is a very good area for the pharmaceutical industry and the latest areas of healthcare.
One real asset of the school is the degree of intellectual freedom that faculty have. You'll find research crossing traditional academic disciplines. For example, we have a professor, Susan Wachter, who holds a joint appointment with both the Real Estate department and Penn's School of Design. It makes for a very stimulating environment where you see a lot of cross-functional applications.
How was the recruiting season last year?
It went very well. We find students going into a wider variety of industries than they did in the past. More than 2,000 companies engaged with students through on-campus recruiting visits, our online job board, and student treks to various locations around the world (including the Silicon Valley in the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America). Each student had a greater number of job offers from which to choose than in recent years. Within three months of graduation, about 99
per cent of graduates had taken job offers. The economy has gained momentum over the past few years.
Do you have any programs targeted to specific population groups, such as women or minorities?
We try very hard to get as many people from around the world, and with as many different backgrounds as possible, into the pipeline. Women traditionally have been difficult for most MBA programs to attract, unlike law or medicine, where you see women applying in increasing numbers.
The Wharton Women in Business (WWIB) club at the school has one of the largest memberships of any business women's organization. WWIB is very active in recruiting potential candidates and serves as a network for current students and alumni. Members of WWIB participate in women's receptions held by our office.
Wharton also participates in a number of organizations dedicated to recruiting women for MBA programs and business. For instance, we're part of the Forté Foundation.
In addition to programs targeting women, the MBA Admissions Office hosts receptions for underrepresented groups like African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans. We work closely with a leadership training program for underrepresented groups, known as Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). We have a prospective student day called "Explore Wharton: Diversity in Action" on campus, where we invite both underrepresented groups and women to come to campus, learn about the degree, learn about the application process and become more familiar with what our school has to offer.
We also participate in the 10-School Diversity Alliance.
So we're very aggressive in this area, as are a lot of top schools. At the end of the day, we really want a broad representation of the best candidates in our program.
Is there anything else you want to highlight about the Wharton MBA?
One final thing: when candidates look at our school or any other MBA program it's a good idea to keep in mind that class profiles can be misleading.
What's more important than the average GMAT, GPA, years of work experience, etc. is the distribution around these averages. These vary from program to program.
What really drives the Wharton MBA application process is not these numbers or averages, but the less tangible aspects of one's candidacy. Approximately 75 to 80
per cent of people who apply are admissible, so candidates can really stand out through elements like essays, letters of recommendation, and the interview process.
Many prospective students and others would be pleasantly surprised to find there are a lot of Wharton MBAs who do not fit the "average." So don't be discouraged by class profiles. Do not automatically disqualify yourself, but offer us reasons to admit you. We are, after all, open to persuasion.
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