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<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nLike Columbia\u2019s new essay question<\/a>, it pushes candidates to get more personal while giving them greater latitude to do so:<\/p>\n \u201cTaking into consideration your background\u2014personal, professional, and\/or academic\u2014how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community?\u201d (400 words)<\/strong><\/p>\n I really appreciate the evolution of this question from last year\u2019s, which was: \u201cDescribe an impactful experience or accomplishment that is not reflected elsewhere in your application. How will you use what you learned through that experience to contribute to the Wharton community?\u201d<\/p>\n Both prompts seek to know how you will contribute to the Wharton community, but instead of springing from an \u2018impactful experience or accomplishment,\u2019 Wharton widens the scope of your source material to the stuff of your identity.<\/p>\n As Wharton\u2019s former head of Admissions, I can attest that your history is really important to Wharton in this question, especially how it relates to the next steps of a Wharton education. The admissions office wants to understand your \u2018origin story\u2019 and how it informs the next steps of your leadership journey: what you envision doing while a student in Philadelphia and then as an alumnus of the school as you continue to make an impact on your wider community.<\/p>\n 1. Connect the dots for the admissions committee.\u00a0<\/strong> Do you have a background in community organizing that lends itself directly to such activities at Wharton? Does your choice of academic study, or family background, or culture \u2013 influence what you have chosen to pursue professionally? In this question, Wharton is offering you a lot of leeway choosing what influence(s) to focus on. Get introspective and be discerning about what historical threads you choose to share and their significance, both for you and the future community with whom you hope to engage.<\/p>\n \u00a02.\u00a0<\/strong>Create a unifying narrative across your essays. 3. Prove you know the program as you answer the question.<\/strong> The timing of Wharton\u2019s essay release is terrific for anyone looking to get a head start now on their applications. If you\u2019re looking for more advice and a personal, candid assessment of your chances, you can sign up now for a\u00a0<\/em>free consultation<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\nHere are four top tips to crafting a great response to the Wharton essays:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n<\/strong>The specificity of the new question\u2019s wording signals that you should connect the dots for the admissions committee between where you are coming from and where you are heading. Unlike earlier iterations, there is little room for ambiguity and also a lot of room for backstory. The new essay question invites you to go deeper into clarifying how elements of your identity and background shape your awareness and why it matters going forward. Don\u2019t just reinforce a link to how your background will \u2018aid in my teamwork skills,\u2019 or how you\u2019ve developed better communication skills, but share specifics with your reader that go deeper into who you are, what makes you unique and what you stand to offer. The Admissions Committee wants specifics.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Remember to consider both of your essay responses as part of a unifying narrative. Essay one is straightforward, asking for 500 words on, \u201cWhat do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA?\u201d So if the first question is asking what you\u2019ll get out of Wharton, the second question wants to know what will Wharton will get in return. This is a big bottom line for admissions: What are the forces that shape who you are, and how do they shape the kind of leader and community member you will be? The beauty of this kind of combination question is the opportunity to share an example from your background and connect it directly to your experience at Wharton. The challenge is to do so in 400 words, which requires both considered self-awareness and profound understanding of the community you\u2019re hoping to join.<\/p>\n
\nThis means writing from a deep understanding of Wharton\u2019s values and culture. With more than 860 students in any incoming class, Wharton is without a doubt team-based, but it\u2019s also community based. It\u2019s about being part of a much larger organism than your learning team or your cohort, and also discerning how your unique experiences will shape the experiences of many of your fellow students, the program and the institution writ large.<\/p>\n