UPenn / Wharton MBA News

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Published: March 11, 2019

Wharton Tops the U.S. News 2020 MBA Ranking And More

As reported here this morning, the Wharton School has claimed the number one spot—for the first time on its own—of the U.S. News and World Report 2020 rankings of full-time MBA programs. Before we get to other noteworthy shifts and positions, here’s a quick rundown of this year’s top 10, in order of their 2020 rank (2019 rank in parentheses): Read more

Published: March 11, 2019

Podcast Episode 32: Key Takeaways from the U.S. News 2020 MBA Ranking

The 2020 rankings of full-time MBA programs are out from U.S. News & World Report, and our admissions experts, Graham Richmond and Alex Brown, have once again been kind enough to help make sense of them. Before they dig into the rankings, here’s a quick rundown of this year’s top 10, in order of their 2020 rank (2019 rank in parentheses): 1 University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (3) 2 Stanford Graduate School of Business (4) 3 Harvard Read more

Published: March 7, 2019

Wharton MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / Off-Campus Hub

There were two parts to my interview with Wharton: The team-based discussion and the 10 minute interview afterwards. Wharton Interview Questions The interview was 10 minutes long with only 3 questions with a member of the Adcom Why Wharton? Why MBA? Do you have any questions for us? She seemed to be asking the same questions to everyone. Wharton Team-Based Discussion We all arrived 15 minutes before our TBD so were able to get familiar with each other which was helpful. The TBD itself was fairly smooth and collaborative – the time flies by thought, so my advice would be Read more

Published: March 6, 2019

U.S. and China Trade Agreement: Wharton Podcast Talks About What’s Going On

The U.S. and China trade war has been a concern for a while. It’s been costing the economy and businesses millions in imports and exports. When, in February, the U.S. decided to postpone plans to implement a stiff import tariff indefinitely, many people thought a resolution was on the horizon. Unfortunately, trade negotiations between the two countries go beyond tariffs. Other sticking points include U.S. concerns over the protection of intellectual property rights and cultural disconnect between the rights of businesses in both countries. According to experts at the Wharton School and Fordham University, there’s a long way to go before a trade agreement can be reached. Read more

Published: March 5, 2019

Wharton MBA Interview Questions & Report: R1/ TBD & Separate HCM Interview / On-campus

Wharton’s on-campus interview day was a great opportunity to preview classes and meet other applicants as well as current students. I did my TBD in the morning because I had my HCM one-on-one interview later that afternoon. Wharton Team-Based Discussion For the TBD there were a small group of 6 of us in total with two 2nd-year students observing in the back. My group worked well together, no one dominated the conversation or was noticeably too quiet. We stayed within time constraints and presented our proposed plan in response to the given prompt at the end of the meeting. During Read more

Published: February 28, 2019

Wharton MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-year student / On-Campus

The Wharton Team-Based Discussion The dreaded TBD! For those coming in blind, Wharton uses a team-based discussion (TBD) to evaluate you. They give you a prompt with your interview invite (something pretty generic that anyone could do, with no right answer) then you go into interview day with 5 other people, present your idea, then the 6 of you discuss and have to come up with a proposal/presentation. You have 5 minutes to present. You have a total of 35 minutes for the TBD. Two (in my case) 2nd yr students will be watching the entire time. After, you have Read more

Published: February 27, 2019

And the Award Goes to…Wharton Talks About the Financial Benefit of Winning an Oscar

Nearly 30 million people tuned into the 91st Academy Awards ceremony this past Sunday, rooting for Roma, listening for Lady Gaga, or just joyfully discovering Olivia Colman. Fanfare and speeches aside, there’s no doubt that winning an Academy Award is a great honor. Whether it’s a film, actor, director, or those working behind the camera, an Oscar is validation for a lot of hard work. But what is the actual benefit of winning an Oscar beyond a gold statue? Is there any financial award? That’s what a recent Knowledge@Wharton podcast set out to discover. The podcast, which interviewed Wharton’s Jehoshua Eliashberg and S. Abraham Ravid, talks about the benefits of being nominated and winning an Oscar. Read more

Published: February 24, 2019

Podcast Episode 30: Admissions Q&A with Wharton Lauder’s Kara Keenan Sweeney

Do you have your sights set on a career in international business? Do you want to polish your language skills and spend your MBA experience immersed in other cultures? Wharton offers a joint-degree program—the MBA with an MA in International Studies—with Penn’s Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies that puts the MBA experience on a global scale, as the program concentrations focus on a region of the world—or the world itself. Wharton Lauder Director of Admissions Marketing and Communications, Kara Keenan Sweeney Clear Admit’s Graham Richmond sat down with the Director of Admissions Read more

Published: January 28, 2019

Financial Times 2019 MBA Rankings: 5 Key Takeaways

The Financial Times released their 2019 Global MBA rankings this week and all seems right at the top. Stanford GSB once again claimed first place, followed by Harvard Business School in second (up from fifth last year). INSEAD maintained its position as the leading international school, landing in third overall. Wharton and CEIBS rounded out the top five. Clear Admit’s resident admissions expert and author of “Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions,” Alex Brown, commented: “The top three U.S. schools are in the right order—Stanford and HBS lead things off, with Wharton just behind. This is reflective of how we see applicant preferences play out in the marketplace. It's also worth noting that the FT is the only major ranking that lists these three programs as the tops in the U.S., with HBS and Stanford ahead of Wharton.” Here are more key takeaways from the latest FT Global MBA rankings: Read more

Published: January 23, 2019

Wharton Talks Brexit Options Moving Forward

When British Prime Minister Theresa May submitted her Brexit plan to the House of Commons, it was summarily shut down hard with a vote of 432-202 against—the most robust rejection in history. A day later, the government barely survived a no-confidence motion (325 votes against, 306 for). There’s another Brexit vote coming up on January 29th, and May refuses to consider the idea of a second referendum. So, what happens next? Wharton talks Brexit. Read more

Published: January 21, 2019

Wharton MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Off-campus

A Wharton MBA interview report was submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant off-campus. Interviewed at the off-campus hub. Had a networking reception before my actual interview. The group discussion was engaging and collaborative. There was a person in my group who was extremely pushy and people viewed him negatively – I would recommend trying to not do that. We started by each one of us sharing our points of view. We then engaged in a group discussion talking about the merits of each idea. We then summarized our plan. It went very smoothly and we were conscious Read more

Published: January 9, 2019

Wharton MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Off-Campus Hub

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 Read more

Published: January 7, 2019

MBA DecisionWire Spotlight: Chicago Booth, MIT / Sloan or Wharton for Media Goals

In this MBA DecisionWire Spotlight, which highlights MBA candidates’ choices as shared in Clear Admit’s DecisionWire, we take a closer look at a candidate accepted to U. Chicago Booth, MIT Sloan, and UPenn / Wharton and weighing where to go for a career in media. The candidate laid out their request for help: A community member narrowed the list: Read more

Published: January 5, 2019

Wharton MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Off-Campus Hub

A Wharton MBA interview report was submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant on-campus who took part in their Team Based Discussion. I arrived at the interview around 15 minutes early. Was able to meet with fellow interviewees who were part of my Team Based Discussion (TBD) group — I interviewed in a hub city so, at least for my time slot, everyone in the lobby at the time was in my group. The TBD itself went by quickly: we settled into different roles, such as note-taker, timekeeper etc. Overall it felt like a great flow and very Read more

Published: January 3, 2019

Fridays from the Frontline: Notes and Lessons Learnt from the Wharton Exchange

INSEAD student Tommy Mehl MBA ‘19, a native of Buenos Aires and self-described “cryptocurrencies” nerd, took part in the Wharton Exchange and had much to say about his P4 experience with Clear Admit’s West Philadelphia neighbor. The following post has been republished in its entirety from its original source, the INSEAD MBA Experience Blog. Read more

Published: December 18, 2018

Professors Talk About the Holiday Toy Battle Sans Toys “R” Us

What’s a Christmas without Toys "R" Us? How are all those parents and kids going to find their perfect toy? While this year might mark the first Christmas season without Toys "R" Us, there’s no need to panic. Many stores and outlets have already rushed to fill in the gap left by the toy store’s bankruptcy filing. Amazon sent out holiday toy catalogs to millions of customers, and Walmart and Target also have plenty of toys to fill in the gap for families. Most surprising, Toys "R" Us itself isn’t entirely out of the running, yet. In October, the brand decided not to liquidate all of its assets and instead has partnered with Kroger to create pop-up stores inside the supermarket called, “Geoffrey’s Toy Box.” To figure out what all this means, Wharton School marketing professor Barbara Kahn got together with Mark A. Cohen, the director of retail studies at Columbia Business School, to talk about Christmas without Toys "R" Us. Read more

Published: December 17, 2018

Wharton Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-year student / On-campus

A Wharton interview report with questions was submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant on-campus. I arrived at my interview about 15 minutes early. The lobby was filled with interviewees. People recommended arriving early to bond with your TBD group, but for me, it was impossible to know who my TBD teammates were. I guess if you are interviewing at a hub city the situation might be a bit different. I also don’t think it matters too much as people were all very nice to each other. Team Based Discussion (TBD) Our TBD went very quickly and smoothly. Read more

Published: December 12, 2018

Wharton Talks Marketing Lessons Learned from Payless Publicity Stunt

What would you do and what would you think if you paid hundreds of dollars for shoes that sell for less than $20? That’s the dilemma that faced a select group of social media influencers who were invited to a private launch party for Italian shoe designer Bruno Palessi. What they found out later was that the hundreds of dollars they thought they spent on fancy footwear was just a ruse by Payless ShoeSource. It was all part of a marketing ploy by Payless to highlight their new shoes and inexpensive designs. The question that’s on everyone’s minds now is, “Did the stunt work?” According to Wharton marketing professor Barbara Kahn and Lehigh University assistant marketing professor Ludovica Cesareo, it was an elaborate ploy that paid off big time. In the most recent Knowledge@Wharton radio show podcast on Sirius XM, the professors discussed what marketers could learn from the success of Payless. Read more

Published: December 3, 2018

Wharton Hosts First-Ever Live Event for Renowned Podcast, The Pitch

What happens when the “best business podcast on startup life,” according to Fortune, decides to host its first-ever live show on the road? You get a live pitch competition to remember! Hosted at the Wharton School, Gimlet Media’s renowned podcast The Pitch featured three Philadelphia startups facing off in front of an audience and two prominent investors. The more than 300 students and guests spilled over from the auditorium to an auxiliary room on the University of Pennsylvania campus to watch the pitch competition and cheer for the winning team. The full-length episode demonstrated what goes into VC funding with a first-hand look at investor pitching, and it was a huge success. Eliot Ingram, the co-founder and CEO of Clear Admit, was lucky enough to attend the live pitch event and had a wonderful time. As a first-hand witness, he was able to give us unique insight into his experience and how it all worked. Read on for his perspective and more details about the event. Read more

Published: November 20, 2018

Professors at Wharton and University of San Francisco Discuss Amazon’s HQ2 Decision

Did Amazon make the right decision for its new HQ2 locations in Long Island City, New York and Arlington, Virginia? That’s what Wharton professor Susan Wachter and University of San Francisco professor William Riggs discussed in the latest Wharton podcast. They took a look at the impact of Amazon’s decision and what the chosen cities will have to do to prepare and survive. Read more

Published: November 19, 2018

MBA ApplyWire Spotlight: Enough Work Experience?

Welcome to another edition of MBA ApplyWire Spotlight, in which we highlight a pertinent post from an MBA applicant to one of our useful admissions tools. This week, we take a look at an applicant who’s hoping to work in the consumer goods industry post-MBA. The applicant detailed their history and concerns: Then, our resident expert, Alex Brown, kicked off the conversation about work experience: Read more

Published: November 14, 2018

Wharton Begins Round 1 Interviews with Team Based Discussion Preparation Tips

Round 1 MBA applications at Wharton recently came to a close with interview invitations sent out on October 30. If you were invited this round, or you receive an invitation in a later round, you have two interviews to prepare for: the Team Based Discussion (TBD) and the one-on-one interview. Both Round 1 interviews are a way for the Wharton admissions team to get to know you better, many times in person. But while interviews are discussed regularly across MBA admissions blogs, the Wharton team still receives many questions about how to prepare for the TBD. So recently, Deputy Vice Dean Maryellen Reilly took a moment to write a blog about how to prepare for the Team Based Discussion. Here’s what she had to say. What is the Team Based Discussion? The Wharton TBD is just one element of the MBA admissions process. When combined with the written application, it should provide a clearer idea of who you are and how you fit with the Class of 2021. The goal of the TBD is to “model the highly collaborative nature of the Wharton MBA environment in order to identify characteristics” that Wharton believes contribute to student success. You can learn more about the process here. Preparing for the Team Based Discussion So, how do you prepare for this type of interview? Reilly’s best advice is “to be yourself.” She recommends that you look at the TBD as an opportunity to express who you are as an individual as well as a functioning team player. Read more

Published: November 12, 2018

Wharton Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / 2nd Year MBAs / On Campus

A UPenn / Wharton MBA interview questions and report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant. Good luck to them! Received an invite 5-6 weeks after applying/R1 deadline and provided 1-2 weeks to schedule a day/time slot for the TBD. Scheduled on campus as it was the only east coast location available. Optional programming/no registration required for: lunch with students, campus tour, class visit, MBA pub. Bustling admissions room in Philly. I arrived and did the campus tour, visited a professor I knew, and met with a 2nd year MBA for coffee at Pret at Huntsman Hall. Read more

Published: November 12, 2018

UPenn / Wharton Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-year student / Team Based Discussion

The following UPenn / Wharton MBA interview questions and report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant. Good luck to them! I arrived 15 minutes and there were already a lot of students in the waiting area for our interview slot. You check-in with your resume and the women at the front desk will give you a run down of the day e.g. class visits, lunch time (if your TBD is before lunch), campus tour etc. I chatted it up with a few people just to break the ice before starting the TBD. At the scheduled time, Read more

Published: November 8, 2018

Stanford GSB Tops Bloomberg Businessweek Ranking for First Time

The Stanford Graduate School of Business is no stranger to a top spot, but this is their first time claiming #1 on the Bloomberg Businessweek Best B-School list for U.S. programs. There are more familiar faces in the lead, with Wharton holding steady in second and Harvard Business School placing third. MIT / Sloan and Chicago Booth round out the top five, and then some greater shake-ups hit the standings, such as Berkeley / Haas jumping five spots and UVA / Darden a whopping eight positions. This can be attributed to Bloomberg Businessweek’s change in methodology—which was such a departure from last year’s approach, that they did not even include prior rankings for comparison. Before we dig into our key takeaways, here is a quick glance at this year’s top 10 (with the addition of 2017 rankings in parentheses): Read more

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UPenn / Wharton

CLASS SIZE: 866

Women: 47%

MEAN GMAT: 732

MEAN GPA: 3.7

Livewire Decisionwire Interview Reports Essay Topic Analysis MBA Admissions Deadlines View Full Profile

MBA Applywire

November 14, 2024 6:29am ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Georgetown / McDonough, UVA / Darden

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Consulting, Capital Project Development (Renewable Energy/CCS)

Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Commercial Banking, Family Business, Entrepreneurship

GMAT: 664

GPA: 2.9

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

Pakistani male, looking to get into the financial services industry short term, and long-term make a significant contribution to the family business or pursue entrepreneurship. Studied engineering from UT Austin for undergrad followed by three jobs (roughly 2 years each) and a nine month break in between job 2 and 3. Planning to take the GMAT again in 3 weeks to offset GPA. Goal score is 695. Mitigating circumstances around GPA are just illness and general family/self issues but doubt they will be very convincing.

November 13, 2024 11:52am ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Georgetown / McDonough, Michigan / Ross, UNC Kenan-Flagler, USC / Marshall

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Real Estate Development Analyst and Acquisitions Project Manager

Post-MBA Target Industry: Private Equity, Family Business, Entrepreneurship Companies: Other

GPA: 3.44

Years of Work Experience: 3

November 13, 2024 3:41am ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Cambridge / Judge, Columbia, Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Oxford / Saïd, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, UCLA Anderson, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Pharmaceutical

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Pharmaceutical Companies: AT Kearney , Bain , BCG , McKinsey , Other , Amgen , Astra Zeneca , Johnson & Johnson , Merck , Novartis , Pfizer , Roche

GRE: 329

GPA: 3.1

Years of Work Experience: 4

Location: Tokyo

Post MBA Location: US

November 12, 2024 5:15pm ET

Applying: Columbia, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB, UPenn / Wharton

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Investment Banking

Post-MBA Target Industry: Technology, Consumer Goods, Entrepreneurship Companies: Amazon , Google , IBM , Microsoft , 3M , Anheuser Busch InBev , LVMH , Mondelez

GPA: 3.6

Years of Work Experience: 2

Location: New York

Post MBA Location: New York

Notes:

I would like to attend a top business school to launch my career as a strong business leader. I am a senior dual major in Information Technology and Business Analytics. I'm involved in greek life at my school and also have founded and quickly grown my school's Finance Club. I will begin my career in investment banking but would like to gain admission to a deferred admission MBA track before I join the workforce.

November 12, 2024 3:30pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Dartmouth / Tuck, IESE, Northwestern / Kellogg, U. Chicago Booth, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Financial services

Post-MBA Target Industry: Private Equity, Entrepreneurship Companies: Carlyle Group , TPG , KKR

GMAT: 645

GPA: 7/10

Years of Work Experience: 4

Location: Latam

Post MBA Location: USA

Notes:

I have been working in financial services for the past 5 years. I have been promoted in my current job (private credit).

I have been active in volunteering roles throughout my life, especially from grad school and then while working (blood drives, low income kids, and people with different abilities).

I am a father (and provider of my family) which has shaped and inspired my main post MBA goal which is to focus on early childhood development. Alternative is to continue in private markets.

Concerned about low GPA (7.4/10). Not mitigating circumstances; however, I have two bachelor degrees: one in math and one in finance (both heavily quantitative), and both from the top business school in my country.

I got a 645 in my first try at the GMAT FE; will take another shot to try and raise my score to 665-675.

Eager to hear about school selection (my top choices are Yale and Kellogg).

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MBA LiveWire

November 15, 2024 12:41am ET

Interview Invite to Berkeley / Haas

Round: Round 1

Received via email on November 12, 2024

GRE: 318

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Technology

November 15, 2024 12:19am ET

Waitlisted at NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via portal November 14, 2024

GPA: 3.85

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Finance

Application Location: Southeast Asia

November 14, 2024 11:52pm ET

Waitlisted at NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via portal November 14, 2024

GRE: 331

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Healthcare

Note:

Waitlisted after interview

November 14, 2024 10:03pm ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via phone November 14, 2024

Program Type: One Year Program

Target Career: Technology

Application Location: United States

November 14, 2024 9:12pm ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via phone November 14, 2024

GPA: 3.98

GMAT: 740

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Note:

Interview - 10/15, offer via phone call - 11/14, official offer expected 11/15 on portal

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