UPDATE: This article was originally posted on July 10, 2018. It has been updated with new information and tips below.
In 1881, Joseph Wharton started the world’s first collegiate business school. In the more than 100 years since, Wharton has maintained its position as one of the world’s top destinations for talented business professionals.
With numerous opportunities (many of them overseas) to develop your leadership skills and build relationships with fellow students, Wharton offers a highly challenging yet highly collaborative approach to business education.
However, with increasing competition to join this innovative, collaboratively-minded university, it’s more difficult than ever to successfully apply to Wharton.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Wharton admissions essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up our best tips and links to Wharton MBA sample essays to ensure you give your Haas application your best shot.
1. Who is Wharton looking for?
(Photo courtesy of @whartonschool on Instagram)
“Our mission is to develop leaders who act with a deeper understanding of themselves, their organizations, and their communities, and contribute positively to the growth of each.” Wharton Admissions
As one of the most consistently top-ranked business schools, Wharton has become almost synonymous with elite business education. With a strong focus on innovation and their unique Lauder dual-degree program in international studies and Health Care Major, it’s no surprise that Wharton is at the top of many applicants’ lists of dream schools.
Each year, Wharton selects just under 900 students from 77 countries to take part in its two-year program. Though there is no one “perfect” type of Wharton student, the university does favor high test scores. The median GMAT for the Class of 2024 was 733 (slightly down from 740 for last year’s class) and the average GRE score was 162 Quant, 162 Verbal.
Though often called a “finance factory,” Wharton builds a diverse class each year by looking beyond traditional investment banking professionals to fill its class. In fact, the number of Wharton post-MBA graduates breaking into industries like tech has only increased over the past few years. With the launch of Tangen Hall last year, that number is only likely to continue growing.
Beyond the numbers, Wharton tends to value students who demonstrate a collaborative personality, leadership potential, global mindset, and an ability to think outside the box and innovate.
If this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll first have to prove you’ve got what it takes by successfully answering Wharton’s admissions essay questions.
2. How should I answer Wharton essay questions?
Writing any admission essay is a tough task, especially when trying to convey you have the right mix of characteristics Wharton is looking for.
According to Wharton, here is what they want to see in your admissions essays:
“The Admissions Committee wants to get to know you on both a professional and personal level. We encourage you to be introspective, candid and succinct. Most importantly, we suggest you be yourself.”
More specifically, if applying to Wharton, you’ll need to answer the following questions.
Keep reading for a more in-depth look at how to turn this task into a standout essay!
2.1. Essay 1
Essay 1: How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)
For many years, Wharton has maintained this rather traditional goals essay. This year is no different, though there have been very slight changes to the question’s wording. Rather than a more open-ended question, this year, you’re asked to specifically consider your past experience, short- and long-term goals, and how Wharton can help you achieve those goals. In short, everything we believe makes an outstanding goals essay!
First, you might want to review the tips the Wharton admissions committee gives on how to approach the essays.
Then, we suggest diving to your planning for Essay 1. Like most goals essays, we suggest you start your essay with a bit of context before revealing what you intend to do in your future career and how Wharton’s MBA can help you reach your professional goals.
This essay tends to work best when you focus on one or several stories that demonstrate your professional excellence, collaborative mindset, and commitment to your own leadership development.
In the Why Wharton section of your essay, identify two or three pillars you intend to work on during your MBA. Connect these in a meaningful way to Wharton, showing how this offering will bring you closer to your goals. This will require reflection and research into how the Wharton curriculum and program functions. You may want to use this type of structure:
PILLAR/Area for Improvement 1:
Wharton Offering:
How this impacts my goals:
PILLAR/Area for Improvement 2:
Wharton Offering:
How this impacts my goals:
PILLAR/Area for Improvement 3:
Wharton Offering:
How this impacts my goals:
COMMUNITY/PERSONAL REASONS (list any relevant points here):
*If you have also spoken with alumni or have visited the school and learned information about the program that is relevant to your growth targets, you should also add this as well.
However, try to avoid general statements about people you know who attended Wharton or about a campus visit. Only add this information plus your analysis of why what you learned is relevant to your goals if it enhances your argument.
We then suggest ending with a stellar conclusion sentence that ties your essay together and reinforces your thesis.
Need more guidance?
Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of Wharton MBA essays that worked to get our clients admitted to help you plan out a winning Wharton essay. Our library also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, detailed essay brainstorms, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join!
2.2. Essay 2
Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)
For this essay, we highly suggest that you focus on multiple examples. In our experience over the years, 3 ways you plan to contribute tends to work best, though we have seen essays with 2 examples and 4 examples work in very special circumstances.
There are many different ways you can contribute to the Wharton community, so many different stories and “lessons” you can apply at Wharton are valid here.
For example, if you have worked extensively as part of an international team, highlighting a specific experience where diversity was the key to “winning the day” and showing how you would promote diversity while at Wharton could work very well.
Or, you might have a specific ability that has proven valuable in analyzing business challenges, might be an outstanding communicator, etc. There really are endless opportunities for this essay.
When telling your stories, make sure to use the STAR method to ensure you clearly demonstrate what happened, your role in the events, and what you learned. Then, link this lesson to specific resources and opportunities at Wharton, showing how you will improve the overall community.
To create an amazing essay, stay focused, do your research on Wharton, and choose your examples wisely. Showing you’re a leader and team player who fully understands the Wharton experience and who is prepared to contribute to the Wharton community is the key to success.
2.3. Reapplicant Essay
Required Essay for All Reapplicants: Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected [on] and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 words)
We have written two extensive posts on how to approach reapplying to business school and on how to handle the reapplicant essay. Make sure to check them out!
2.4. Optional Essay
Optional Essay: Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider.
As with nearly all elite business schools, Wharton does not want to see a summary of your profile or a restatement of why you want to attend Wharton.
However, if you have extenuating circumstances that merit additional explanation (a good overview of what kind of circumstances quality can be found here), make sure to explain them clearly and directly.
Looking for Wharton MBA essay examples? Check out our real sample essays that got our clients admitted here.
3. Get into the Wharton MBA
One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA essays is that candidates fail to tell compelling stories. This is important because if your stories are not compelling, they will not be persuasive. At the same time, they must be backed by strong examples that establish a track record of success and prove to the admissions committees why you belong at their school.
Striking this balance between content and creativity can be tough, however, as succeeding means not only choosing the right stories but ensuring they are told in an optimal manner.
This is why our iterative developmental feedback process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting helps you mold your message through the application of our storytelling expertise until it reflects exactly what makes your profile stand out and show fit with your target program.
Not only can you take advantage of our iterative feedback process through multiple edits – you can also benefit from it after a single review! If your budget is tight, our editors will be happy to help polish your text as much as possible and leave “bonus comments” so you can keep working on it on your own!
No matter how long we work with you, we will always ensure your essays shine. Sign up to work with our team of storytelling experts and get accepted.
4. Wharton Deadlines
The deadlines below apply to the 2023-2024 application cycle. You can start your online application here.
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
