Interesting and Significant Changes in Wharton Essays...

Hey all,

So, here are the new Wharton essay questions for the upcoming year. Very interesting stuff. I am going to take a few days to digest and comment, but I like them a lot.

2009-2010 Questions – First-Time Applicants

Essay 1 – (750-1000 words)

As a leader in global business, Wharton is committed to sustaining “a truly global presence through its engagement in the world”. What goals are you committed to and why? How do you envision the Wharton MBA contributing to the attainment of those goals?

Essay 2 – (750-1000 words)

Tell us about a time when you had to adapt by accepting/understanding the perspective of people different from yourself.

Essay 3 – (500 words)

Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself?

Essay 4 – (500 words) Choose one of the following:

a. Give us a specific example of a time when you solved a complex problem.

b. Tell us about something significant that you have done to improve yourself, in either your professional and/or personal endeavors.

Essay 5 (Optional) – (250 words)
If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application).

Post-MBA Chill Time

So, the great part about having an MBA from Wharton is that you always have a long list of couches to crash on in NYC :)

I spent the last few days meeting with friends, cris-crossing all over my new home, and generally catching up. It was a crazy few weeks packing the whole apartment, putting everything into storage, shipping things out west, and saying goodbye over and over again. Oddly, it reminded me of Pre-Term, where we would say hi to new people daily for a month, in reverse.

I am having a great time building my list of activities for the next 7 months. The more I think about it, having a long vacation is just awesome. I am going to be working on my business, alumni panels, travel, friends, reunion planning, non-profit training, and I have a BOX of books that I am going to read.

I have also started a new presence as an online adviser for people applying to MBA. If you would like to ask questions, please email me at:
acfconsultingservices@gmail.com

Last week, the people from HBS came up with a great idea of an MBA Oath. It is a rough and non-binding set of behavioral standards for MBA graduates. There is some debate about its ... usefulness, but I think that it is a vital step to vocalize the 'right way' to be a professional manager. There will always be bad apples, but I think this will serve well as a conversation point in the future.

You can find information here.

Off to a wedding in Seattle this weekend. Tis the season...