The following UPenn / Wharton MBA interview questions and report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them!
Went to the Wharton center in the hub city in the country I’m based for the first interview slot of 3 days. Adcom ended up being the Director of Admissions, which I did not realize until after.
Group interview: 3 others, perfectly rounding out the group at 4 people. I got there early and got to chat with them all. While there was a little big of tension, we worked together well when it came down to it (and you need to!) They had all already found each other somehow before the interview, but I was not looped in. Our ideas all could be connected, so that is the route we chose. 2 of them took more of a lead on structuring ideas and summarizing. I took a lead on time management and moving discussions forward/making decisions. Only one guy lagged, so to speak, and in the end he was the only one who was not accepted. Don’t be afraid to challenge ideas politely, as I did when I thought it was not the best path forward.
One-on-One: Literally a 10 min interview with the clock ticking. I was the last one to go and the other people gave tips as they came out. Since they were int’ls, it sounded like they were grilled a lot about their motivations and plans. I’m a US citizen, and mine was extremely easy and casual – I focused more on being likable, confident, and relatable. They already see your application and essay. Questions were similar to why MBA now and are your work experiences typical or accelerated?
It was a great chat and overall experience and I left with a very positive perception of Wharton.
I was a little nervous when I realized the adcom was literally the director of admissions – wasn’t sure if that would help or hurt since there’s more clout to his opinions. In the end, it was fine. The adcom who interviews you makes the acceptance calls and I was the latest of my batch even though I was in the earliest time zone.
Clear Admit Resources
Preparing for your Wharton MBA admissions interview? Check out Clear Admit’s other resources:
- Clear Admit The Wharton School Interview Guide: Strategic tips for approaching Wharton’s interview questions, and more.
- Interview Archive: More firsthand accounts from Wharton MBA applicants themselves
- Understanding the MBA Admissions Interview: Team-based discussion
- Podcast Episode 23: 5 Most Common MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace
