This year, Wharton cut down it’s MBA Essays to just one question. So the message is obvious - be clear, concise, compelling, and under 500 words. They know what they’re looking for and they’re not wasting any time to find it.<\/p>\n
Let’s get into it.<\/p>\n
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Essay 1: What do you hope to gain both personally and professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)<\/strong><\/p>\n A slight twist on the typical goals essay. To misquote Ferris Bueller, if you don\u2019t stop and think about it carefully, you could miss it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all about that word \u201cpersonally.\u201d Kind of a head-scratcher, and good for Wharton<\/a>. Have you ever thought about it that way? Typically, we are conditioned to define success in every way EXCEPT for how it affects us personally. Kudos to the folks here for getting y\u2019all to think this through now. They may have just done you a huge favor simply by READING this question.<\/p>\n The \u201cwhat you hope to gain professionally\u201d is a touch easier, isn\u2019t it? Maybe it comes in the form of a position, THROUGH WHICH you\u2019re achieving something cool (remember, a position by itself isn\u2019t an end\u2014it\u2019s a means to an end). It\u2019s not that you want to be the CEO of Apple just to be the CEO of Apple. It should be more like this: AS THE CEO OF APPLE, I would like to change the way people\u2026 XXX YYY and ZZZ. The professional goal here is the XXX YYY and ZZZ piece, not \u201cbeing the CEO of Apple.\u201d See the difference? Fair enough, you\u2019re all probably comfortable with that distinction by now. Let\u2019s get to that tougher piece, the personal aspect of the goal. It\u2019s a doozy.<\/p>\n What does it mean for you\u2026 personally<\/em>? Let\u2019s get inside it. What does it even mean to have a personal goal? Try this on\u2014what if at the end of the day, you were operating from inside a sensory deprivation tank, and had NO IDEA whether your efforts were succeeding or failing. {It\u2019s a strange conceit, try to go with it for a second.} Imagine it. You\u2019re slaving day in and day out, pushing, grinding, with a very clear objective in mind, and you believe you\u2019re doing what you\u2019re supposed to be doing to make it all happen, but\u2026 somehow, there are NO clues available to you to indicate whether it\u2019s actually working or not.<\/p>\n Are you sated? Is there something about the work itself that fulfills something\u2026 personal? You\u2019ll know when you\u2019ve dialed into the perfect career here when even the belief\/hope that you\u2019re succeeding fills you with some kind of internal satisfaction. Otherwise, you may be pinning your prospects of \u201chappiness\u201d on purely external forces which is\u2026 dangerous. And Wharton is wise to wanna look into this and catch it early.<\/p>\n So then, what gets you internally fulfilled? What is it that you wanna be doing\u2014regardless of the outcome\u2014that will deliver a sense of \u201cachievement\u201d? Identifying that is gonna be a huge battle won.<\/p>\n After that, shaping this sucker shouldn\u2019t be too hard. Maybe it can go something like this:<\/p>\n There are a few ways this essay can take shape. This is just one example to get you going if you\u2019re stuck.<\/p>\n SIGN UP FOR A FREE CONSULTATION \u279d <\/p><\/div>\n <\/a><\/div>\n <\/br>\n<\/div>\n Optional: Please use the space below to highlight any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to know about your candidacy. (400 words)<\/strong> Reapplicant Essay: And for all you reapplicants out there… let’s show the adcom a better version of yourself<\/a><\/em> this time around, eh?<\/p>\n\n
Ready to Start your MBA?<\/pre>\n
Wharton MBA Essay - Optional<\/h5>\n
\nHere’s everything you need to know about writing the Optional Essay<\/a><\/em>… the right way.<\/p>\n
\nAll reapplicants to Wharton are required to complete the Optional Essay. Explain how you have reflected on the previous decision about your application, and discuss any updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, extracurricular\/volunteer engagements). You may also use this section to address any extenuating circumstances. (250 words)<\/strong><\/p>\n