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The Wharton interview is distinctive among the\u00a0M7 interview landscape<\/b><\/a>\u00a0for its Team Based Discussion, and this year continues with Covid Protocols and preparing to collaborate with your unknown teammates in a virtual format over Zoom.<\/p>\n This approach means briefing yourself on what\u2019s expected for your virtual Team Based Discussion (TBD) and setting yourself up for success. This dynamic, relational experience is about much more than delivering a strong pitch \u2013 Wharton\u2019s admission committee wants to observe how you approach a challenge, present yourself, cohesively work towards solutions in a small group context and think on your feet. While you won\u2019t know how the discussion will play out until you get into the virtual interview room, you can do a lot to prepare for a successful TBD starting now.<\/p>\n Having spent a decade at the helm of Wharton\u2019s MBA admissions, as well as running my Fortuna Admissions clients through the paces to prepare each season, I\u2019ve become practiced at guiding candidates to bring their best to the table.<\/p>\n Last year, 90% of our clients who participated in our Wharton Interview Prep sessions<\/strong> were admitted. Fortuna’s series of mock sessions are underway and spaces are limited, so sign up today to secure your place<\/a><\/strong>. Your preparation can make all the difference.<\/em><\/p>\n Based on the recent experiences of our clients and insights from my Fortuna colleagues, I\u2019m offering our team\u2019s top tips for delivering your standout pitch, along with what success looks like, and how to optimize your performance on video.<\/p>\n The Wharton TBD reflects the Learning Teams model at the heart of the Wharton experience, which lauds a real-world approach that hinges on \u201cpersuasive rather than positional leadership.\u201d Think of this as your opportunity to\u00a0showcase your professional presence<\/b><\/a>\u00a0and what you would bring to your future study group at Wharton.<\/p>\n The virtual format includes five or six candidates (also the sweet spot for Wharton\u2019s Learning Teams). Your discussion will have a prompt and an end goal (see below), and the group will work collectively to propose a tangible outcome. Each team member will share their ideas\/reflections on the prompt in 1 minute or less before moving into the group discussion. After this round of brief introductions, your team has a little less than 30 minutes to generate a subject and presentation model that is ultimately shared with the admissions committee observer. Following the TBD, there will be a one-on-one interview with an admission representative, lasting 10 minutes. Be prepared to speak to why MBA\/why Wharton. The time goes\u00a0very<\/i>\u00a0quickly \u2013 in fact, that\u2019s the comment we hear most from our clients!<\/p>\n Everyone receives the same question and will be participating from remote locations on video. No one is at an advantage \u2013 it\u2019s a question that\u2019s designed to exhibit team building and is not about demonstrating specific knowledge of a subject area.<\/p>\n Last year, Wharton interview candidates are asked to create the next ARC (Alternate Reality Course) for the MBA curriculum as part of the school\u2019s newly launched Wharton Interactive<\/a> venture, which gamifies the course experience using interactive simulations and the latest pedagogical research. After some substantive context-setting, the 2021-2022 invitation specified:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a team, decide on the following:<\/i><\/p>\n In offering this prompt, Wharton was soliciting a strong and well thought out deliverable, as well as the self-awareness necessary to engage with others in a give-and-take around a virtual conference table to reach the final presentation.<\/p>\n Present your own ideas with precision and care, as well as keen situational awareness.<\/strong> After initiating the conversation, the observer takes a back seat; expect to be assessed on how well you listen to others and facilitate the group\u2019s dialogue. Here are the Fortuna team\u2019s top tips for creating your pitch:<\/p>\n When developing your one-minute pitch for the Wharton TBD, consider introducing yourself briefly in the context of why your idea is resonant with you. This way, you\u2019re not only giving your team a sense of your background but also what it is that compels you to that particular area of interest.<\/p>\n As mentioned above, have your idea fleshed out with sufficient detail so that, if it is selected by your teammates, you\u2019re poised to be the \u201cgo-to\u201d person with an additional layer of information. If your idea is chosen, you can anticipate your teammates looking to you for an additional layer of guidance, so be prepared to offer the \u201cnext level\u201d of detail in the discussion.<\/p>\n This means giving considered attention not just to what you\u2019re saying but how you\u2019re saying it \u2013 Wharton really cares how you present yourself and engage with the team. Especially on video, you\u2019ll want to bring extra awareness to your posture, gestures, eye contact and that of others; it\u2019s harder to read non-verbal cues over video, and there might be a time lag that\u2019s not present in person. Your ability to share the stage with your colleagues is incredibly important. The ease in which you can pass the conversation from one to the next can be really impactful. Look for ways to \u201ctoss the ball\u201d back to your teammates to exhibit your ability to draw out the best thinking in others and engage the entire group.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Check out\u00a0Fortuna\u2019s video strategy session on the Wharton TBD with Michel Belden and Caroline Diarte Edwards, above.<\/em><\/p>\n Turn off your email, WhatsApp, or other notifications and DEFINITELY silence your cell phone \u2013 anything that might chirp or ding (note that tablets, cell phones, and use of internet browsers are not allowed during the Zoom). Flawless internet connectivity should go without saying, so be sure to test your connection in advance. Like preparations for any\u00a0virtual MBA interview<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(see my related article), make sure the space behind your camera is clear and uncluttered, that your lighting is positioned on your face, and that your sound quality is excellent. As mentioned above, eye contact is very important \u2013 while it is tempting to look at yourself on your screen, be mindful to engage the interviewer by looking up at the camera instead. To that end, consider a lavalier mic instead of a headset so you don\u2019t have wires extending from your head.<\/p>\n As Wharton suggests, enter the waiting room 10 minutes early<\/strong> \u2013 you may have the opportunity to chat and connect with other participants before go time. Zoom will also give you the benefit of seeing everyone\u2019s names; you may wish to jot them down along with the basics of their plan. If you end up being the \u201cnote-taker\u201d for your group throughout the sessions, don\u2019t forget to verbally contribute just as much, if not more, than you are taking the time to annotate the proceedings.<\/p>\n After the completion of your TBD, the facilitator will announce the order of one-on-one interviews and then move all group members to the waiting room. The facilitator will invite one person back into the meeting at a time, and each of you will have about 10 minutes. Be prepared to speak to \u2018Why Wharton\u2019 (this is almost always asked). This is also your opportunity to highlight specific aspects of your candidacy you want to convey, and to ask thoughtful questions that demonstrate your knowledge of the program. Once you have completed the one-on-one interview, you can leave the Zoom meeting.<\/p>\n I get this anxious question a lot: How much does it matter if my idea is chosen?<\/strong> While running with your idea can have its advantages, it\u2019s far more important to showcase your collaborative leadership: the ability to help facilitate a discussion among people who have never met toward a greater end goal and advance an idea in a compelling way within a limited timeframe.<\/p>\n Reflect on the following tactics as you prepare for the Wharton virtual TBD and move through your own \u201cpitch\u201d experience:<\/p>\n Finally, remember that Wharton\u2019s VTBD is an opportunity to bring your unique candidacy to life from a place of authenticity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This means embracing your own style, whether you\u2019re a quiet consensus-builder, extroverted idea person, or on-the-spot synthesizer. (Check out this illuminating related article by Fortuna\u2019s Michael Malone and Brittany Maschal on the 7 Typical Types in a Wharton TBD<\/b><\/a> and how to respond.) Wharton isn\u2019t looking to fill its cohort with one kind of personality type, so don\u2019t try to be someone you\u2019re not. Self and situational awareness can be expressed across the continuum of passionate thinkers and doers, so stay curious and enjoy yourself.<\/p>\n Last year, 90% of our clients who participated in our Wharton Interview Prep sessions<\/strong> were admitted. Fortuna’s series of mock sessions with a former Wharton Admissions gatekeeper begin Oct. 28 and spaces are limited, so sign up today to secure your place<\/a><\/strong>. Your preparation can make all the difference.<\/p>\n Our free consultations are consistently rated as the best in the industry. To learn more about Fortuna and assess your chances of admission to a top business school, request a free consultation<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Updated October, 2022<\/em><\/p>\n Fortuna\u00a0Admissions Director Judith Silverman Hodara<\/a> is former acting director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School. For a candid assessment of your chances of admission<\/i>\u00a0success at a top MBA program, sign up for\u00a0a free consultation<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Advice for the Wharton 2022-2023 TBD Prompt + 5 Tips for Your Pitch<\/a> first appeared on Fortuna<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wharton interview invites are out on October 25th. It’s not too soon to start preparing. The Wharton interview is distinctive among the\u00a0M7 interview landscape\u00a0for its Team Based Discussion, and this…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1831,775,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-fortuna-admissions","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56247","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\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56247\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nWhat is Wharton Looking For?<\/h2>\n
Tackling the 2022-2023 TBD Prompt<\/h2>\n
NOTE: We won’t know the question for 2022-2023 until interviews drop on Oct. 25, but here’s some context on the previous question:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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5 Top Tips for the Wharton Virtual TBD<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Tip 1: Put your self-intro into a relevant context.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tip 2: Have a deeper level of info at the ready.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tip 3: Notice content and process.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tip 4: Create the conditions to shine on video.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tip 5: Prepare thoughtful questions for your one-on-one<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Wharton TBD: What Success Looks\u00a0Like\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Let\u2019s Get You In.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nMore tips and advice on applying to Wharton<\/h3>\n
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