A Wharton MBA interview report was submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant off-campus.
Description / location of visit and/or interview atmosphere:
Interviewed at the Wharton SF Campus, which is a surprisingly large floor of a building filled with office rooms, classrooms, and a large cafeteria space. Reception was very friendly and offered coffee / tea / juice, and possibly breakfast pastries. Others I would interview with were already there and we were kind of allowed to just wherever we wanted throughout the space. This was a good opportunity to lightly chat about the upcoming interview to calm nerves and strategize about the team approach. While we were milling around, an MBA walked by and told us not to worry too much since the interview largely didn’t matter.
Type of interview:
Wharton Team-Based Discussion with three other candidates, followed by 10-15 minutes of individual questions. There was only one adcom observer / interviewer.
Interview Questions:
* What did you think of the TBD?
* Why Wharton?
* What would you bring to campus?
* Do you have any questions for me?
Commentary
Interview was very informal, interviewer seemed pretty mindful of time but not particularly engaged with us as candidates. The overall TBD went about as expected, everyone in our group was pleasant and engaged, and nobody seemed too pushy, bossy, or quiet. As we sat waiting for individual interviews after the TBD, we were chatting and all thought things went pretty well, or about as well as we’d thought they could go. This led me to believe that the TBD and interview were really more of a screening tool, and not much of an end-all, be-all.
I received an offer of admission. The school very much seems to be focusing on teamwork and trying to shed its reputation for unpleasantly selfish Type-A folks.
Preparing for your UPenn 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
