{"id":1320,"date":"2009-11-06T01:08:44","date_gmt":"2009-11-06T09:08:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=1320"},"modified":"2012-09-13T11:23:56","modified_gmt":"2012-09-13T18:23:56","slug":"2010-wharton-emba-essay-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2010-wharton-emba-essay-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"2010 Wharton EMBA Essay Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a title=\"https:\/\/www.wharton.upenn.edu\/mbaexecutive\/admissions\/process\/requirements.cfm#a3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wharton.upenn.edu\/mbaexecutive\/admissions\/process\/requirements.cfm#a3\" target=\"_blank\">Wharton 2010 EMBA Application Essay Questions<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: blue\">The Wharton EMBA adcom shows a very clear focus in its set of essay questions (in black font).\u00a0 It wants to understand your goals and how executive business studies support them (essay 1), it wants to get a glimpse of you as a person and a professional (essay 2), and it wants to make sure that once you commit to taking one of their precious slots, you\u2019ll stay for the duration (essay 3).\u00a0\u00a0 This trio of essays comprises a clear, well-rounded picture for the adcom with no excess meandering about \u2013 they want straightforward substance. My comments are in blue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"color: black\">Essay 1<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black\">Answer\u00a0<strong>all<\/strong> of the following questions (no word limit):\u00a0 What is your career objective and what do you see as the next steps needed to achieve it?\u00a0 How will the Wharton MBA Program for Executives contribute to your attainment of these objectives?\u00a0 Why is this the right time for you to undertake this program?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: blue\">First a warning: don\u2019t clap in glee or sigh in relief to see \u201cno word limit\u201d!\u00a0 That phrase simply means you have to impose your own discipline, and failure to do so will doom your essay.\u00a0 With that point in mind, I suggest keeping this essay to between 750 and 1000 words \u2013 long enough to address all the points but short enough to require focus, concision, and astute selection of content.\u00a0 Also, resist the temptation to review your career progress, which seems to be a reflexive response but is not asked for. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: blue\">This goals question requires both the broad picture \u2013 \u201cyour career objective,\u201d and specifics \u2013 \u201cthe next steps.\u201d\u00a0 You may want to start with where you are as a context, and discuss how the MBA learning will enable you to achieve your immediate goals in your current role.\u00a0\u00a0 Doing so will enable you to effectively answer the question \u201cwhy is this the right time. \u201c\u00a0 In describing your goals at any given point, short- or long-term, be sure to clarify why you are taking that step or pursuing that role.\u00a0\u00a0 In discussing how the specific program will benefit you, be specific: about what skills and knowledge you need, and about how the program meets those needs.\u00a0 Also refer to the structure and special features of the program, noting how you will benefit from them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Essay 2<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black\">Answer\u00a0<strong>one<\/strong> of the following three questions (500 word limit): <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: black\">Describe the most significant way, either in or out of your job, that you have demonstrated leadership.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: black\">In one of your Wharton MBA courses, you are given a case assignment to be completed in a study group comprised of six students. What is the most significant strength you would bring to the group process?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: black\">As 'The Ethicist' in the\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">New York Sunday Times Magazine<\/span> often demonstrates, many ethical dilemmas are fairly complex with gray areas making the decision path a challenging one. Give an example of one such dilemma and how you handled it.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: blue\">In selecting the question, keep in mind a few factors:\u00a0 You want to write about something that is fresh and not redundant of other parts of the application; that lets the adcom get to know you as a person; and that shows an aspect of you that is memorable, distinctive, and relevant.\u00a0 No one of these three options is inherently \u201cbetter\u201d than the others.\u00a0\u00a0 Pitfalls to avoid: The first and third questions are straightforward; if you choose one of them, after you complete your story add a short paragraph or even just a sentence or two with some summarizing, reflective point.\u00a0 On the other hand, with the middle question, don\u2019t be lured to just \u201ctalk\u201d in abstract descriptive terms about your \u201csignificant strength\u201d \u2013 rather, ground the discussion in actual experiences and examples.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Essay 3<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black\">While many factors (i.e. your academic background, the part of the semester you\u2019re in) can influence the amount of time dedicated to the program, students have estimated that it\u2019s approximately 20 hours\/week. Given your already demanding job and the desire to remain committed to important family and personal obligations, how do you plan to handle this additional demand on you? (500 word limit)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: blue\">A straightforward question that deserves a straightforward answer. Discuss the accommodations you will make at work, such as delegating more, adjusting travel schedules, etc.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to go overboard and tell them every single thing you can think of \u2013 focus on the most significant two or three things.\u00a0 Also discuss how you will meet your personal responsibilities \u2013 even acknowledging that you\u2019ll have less time at the playground with your toddler or mentioning the support of your significant other will give them confidence that you\u2019re facing this issue squarely.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve already had experience successfully balancing grad school and working full time, by all means mention it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Essay 4<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: black\">(Optional) Is there anything else you would like to add that would help us in evaluating your candidacy? (No word limit)<\/span><span style=\"color: blue\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: blue\">This question\u2019s wording indicates that you can use it not just to explain a problem (low GMAT, employment gap) but also to present new material that you think will enhance your application.\u00a0 However, along with the warning about the \u201cno word limit\u201d for essay #1, I add another warning: if you are making the adcom read more than is required, there better be a darn good reason, not just that something is nice to know. First, succinctly explain any points that need explaining.\u00a0 Then, if there is something you feel is important that you haven\u2019t had a chance to discuss elsewhere, write about it, noting why it\u2019s important for the adcom to know.\u00a0 Examples might be details of significant community service or a particularly illuminating work experience. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: blue\"><a title=\"https:\/\/www.wharton.upenn.edu\/mbaexecutive\/admissions\/apply\/apply.cfm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wharton.upenn.edu\/mbaexecutive\/admissions\/apply\/apply.cfm\" target=\"_blank\">Deadline for class entering May 2010<\/a>: February 1, 2010<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/aboutus\/editors.aspx?editorid=3\">Cindy Tokumitsu<\/a>, co-author of T<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/Ecommerce\/mba\/EMBAEssay.aspx\"><em>he EMBA Edge<\/em><\/a><em>,\u00a0and author of the free, email mini-course,<\/em><a title=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/embaadmissionscourse.aspx\" href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/embaadmissionscourse.aspx\" target=\"_blank\"><em> \"Ace the EMBA.\"<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wharton 2010 EMBA Application Essay Questions The Wharton EMBA adcom shows a very clear focus in its set of essay questions (in black font).\u00a0 It wants to understand your goals&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,3,4,6,939,243],"tags":[279,60,39,36],"class_list":["post-1320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-b-school-life","category-career-reviews","category-current-events","category-accepted","category-blog","tag-2010-mba-application-tips","tag-emba","tag-mba-admissions","tag-wharton","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1320"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1322,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320\/revisions\/1322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}