Calling all Wharton Applicants: (2016 Intake) Class of 2018!!

This may be too detailed of a question, but is there any strategy for choosing a day for the on-campus TBD interview? I'm thinking of scheduling two weeks from now so that I have time to prepare, but is this a situation similar to Columbia where the earlier the better?

I know, good problem to have . Thanks to this forum and its contributors for all of the help along the way!

Wharton plans to send out interview invitations today, and once again the school is using its team-based discussion format to evaluate MBA candidates, in place of a traditional business school admissions interview. Understandably, Wharton applicants get anxious about this atypical interview, because the approach creates a very different dynamic from what one usually encounters in a one-on-one meeting—and with other applicants also in the room, one cannot help but feel less in control of the content and direction of the conversation. Yet despite the uncertainty, here are a few things that interviewees can expect:

-You will need to arrive at the interview with an idea—a response to a challenge that will be presented in your interview invitation.
-Having the best idea is much less important than how you interact with others in the group and communicate your thoughts. So while you should prepare an idea ahead of time, that is only part of what you will be evaluated on.
-Your peers will have prepared their ideas as well. Chances are that ideas will be raised that you know little or nothing about. Do not worry! The admissions committee members are not measuring your topical expertise. Instead, they want to see how you add to the collective output of the team.
-After the team-based discussion, you will have a short one-on-one session with someone representing Wharton’s admissions team. More than likely, you will be asked to reflect on how the team-based discussion went for you; this will require self-awareness on your part.

To give candidates the opportunity to undergo a realistic test run before experiencing the actual event, we created our Team-Based Discussion Simulation. Via this simulation, applicants participate anonymously with three to five other MBA candidates in an online conversation, which is moderated by two of our experienced Senior Consultants familiar with Wharton’s format and approach. All participants then receive feedback on their performance, with special focus on their interpersonal skills and communication abilities. The simulation builds confidence by highlighting your role in a team, examining how you communicate your ideas to—and within—a group of (equally talented) peers, and discovering how you react when you are thrown “in the deep end” and have to swim. Our Wharton Team-Based Discussion Simulation allows you to test the experience so you will be ready for the real thing!

To learn more or sign up for a practice session, visit: https://shop.mbamission.com/products/wha ... simulation

Good luck!
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When I interviewed at Wharton, I really got the impression that the interview is a relatively smaller component of the admissions process than it is at other schools. This is not to say it is not important, it is, it just means that given the format it is hard to really help your candidacy, though you can of course really hurt your chances.

The big things they look for are ability to communicate/command of the language, and ability to not be a jerk or rude. The dean of student life told me their system rewards extroverts.

You will see when you walk into the waiting room with like 30 other applicants and then after the group component when you spent like 4 minutes one-on-one with someone that they cannot possibly attribute much of their decision making to the exercise...

Of course, I am sure people will disagree with this, but just my opinion...

Two weeks is the amount of time I recommend my clients to prepare, so you have the right idea. Earlier is not necessarily better, though if you don't have to wait until the last day, you should not wait that long.

Good luck preparing! The Wharton TBD is fun and should feel natural, but it is certainly different from the other interviews so if you need any tips, let me know. Congrats on the invite!

Best,
Scott
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No, there is no such benefit of interviewing earlier. Columbia employs a rolling admissions process and thus the need to schedule an interview earlier than later. There is no such requirement for Wharton and all interviews are evaluated equally.

Good luck.

FROM Wharton Admissions Blog: Latin America: My New “Frontier” in Business School

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Hi, are there any Wharton applicants who have received nothing today? No invite! No ding! What should I do?

No, got dinged.

Interview invite here.

got an invite here. GL to everyone!

Dinged, and assuming because of my story/goals. Makes me worry about the other schools...

Good luck to the rest of you all.

This is quite unusual. You should send the adcom an email asap to check what happened.
Hope you receive positive news tomorrow. Keep us updated.

Got an interview invite!
Lauder Portuguese-track applicant from Argentina

Dinged w/o interview.
I had talked to almost 70 alumni overall, and apart from 1-2, everyone suggested I bring in lot of value from my accomplishments, initiatives and a hands-on niche tech (not IT) background to the class.
But as their alma matter(s) didn't agree ... Wharton, HBS, MIT (Invite->reject from Stanford) ... I suppose either things are really random in admissions process or students/alumni don't understand the selection either.

Sorry to hear about your ding but there are many other variables that come into the picture other than your application, class diversity is one of the major ones. Alumni can not comment on this aspect as only the adcoms would know how many of a particular "pool" have they selected or how many more from the same pool can be accommodated in a given round of applications. You come from a very competitive and over represented pool of Indian engineers (correct me if I am wrong) and as such there will be many with 750 and above GMAT, 3.7+ GPAs, stellar recommendations and extracurriculars. So only a handful of people from this pool can be selected for any given class in the top schools. I too belong to this pool and got dinged after interview at Wharton in R1. Although I did my UG from India, I had more than enough things to differentiate my profile from the usual Indian engineer applications. But the adcom had other ideas.

The thing going for you is that your stats are great. It is only a matter of time that you will convert one of your choice schools. Your conversations with Alumni helped you in understanding the culture at Wharton, what is stands for etc. But I dont think any alumnus/na will guarantee you a seat in the class based on your interaction with them as every individual comes into a bschool with a different set of targets to achieve. Everyone does this much of work for their applications. At the end of the day you just need to play your cards correctly and hope that your luck is running wild on that particular day!

Good luck with your other applications.

This is a great answer. Class diversity plays so much more of a role than I ever expected it to

Dinged as expected.
I guess I am aging very fast. With 31+ it was anyway doubtful at Wharton. Plus Indian pool as Engr2012 mentioned.
But why does most or all of the schools in US see age so negatively, unlike European ones?
Dinged from CBS, Booth and Wharton. At least I was expecting an invite from Booth!!!
Lrts Let's see what other 3 schools have got for me besides age issue.

It just seems like 30+ is automatic rejection. I am in the same boat (33 years old). Got ding from CBS, HBS, and Wharton.


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You were right. Invited. Second time in a row. Hope I will be lucky second time. It has been a really painful 1.5 years. All the best to all here.