Wharton Essays 2011

Ready to apply to Round 1?  Alright, here's some essay guidance from our Wharton alum who is one of our reviewers!

Required Question:  What are your professional objectives? (300 words)

• Keep it simple!  Very limited space here, and this is probably the most important question of the lot. 
• One way to answer this question could be to describe your background very briefly, bridge to how Wharton fits in and then move on to describe what your objectives are
• Avoid: Grandiose openings - "I believe I can change the world".  I don't doubt that you can, but you would be surprised how many people use this as their opening line.

Optional: If you were able to create a Wharton course on any topic, what would it be? (700 words) 

• Great question, and not the easiest one to answer.  But this question affords you a LOT of space (100 words more than the others) to translate your passion.  Use it if you can. 
• If you decide to use this question, explain clearly how this works with your background and your objectives. 
• Be creative!  This is your chance.  But also, be tactical.  Describe what the course would cover and how it would be delivered.

Optional: Reflect on a time when you turned down an opportunity. What was the thought process behind your decision? Would you make the same decision today? (600 words)

• Use this question only if you have actually ever been in this situation.  We've seen a number of candidates try to "fit" an experience into this answer, and it doesn't work!
• Remember to clearly explain why you chose the path that you did - why it seemed to be the "best" of options available to you at the time
• You can leverage this question to demonstrate your evolution and growth!  Especially if you chose to say that you would not make the same decision today.  Explain why. 

Optional: Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself? How did this experience help to create your definition of failure? (600 words)

• Based on experience, we find that most "high performing" candidates have a great degree of difficulty answering this question.  Take your time with it because it won't be easy. 
• The second half of this question is critical - definition of failure.  Your articulation of the experience should lead the reader to naturally believing why this defined "failure" for you in the context that you were in. 
• A lot of candidates try to bring out what they did "right" after the failure - this is okay, but you can't use 90% of this essay to talk about what you did well.  This is a failure essay!

Option: Discuss a time when you navigated a challenging experience in either a personal or professional relationship. (600 words)   

• This question presents a great opportunity to present your personal side if you haven't done so in the other essays; or even your personal side in a professional environment
• Most candidates avoid this question because they feel like there's not enough "meat" in the eventual answer they come up with - but you can articulate the challenge and why it was challenging and how it helped you in a strong and detailed manner