Penn (Wharton)

At Wharton, we divide your class into four groups of about 210 students that are known as clusters. Each cluster is further divided into three cohorts of about 70 students.

• Cluster 1: Cohorts A, B, C
• Cluster 2: Cohorts D, E, F
• Cluster 3: Cohorts G, H, I
• Cluster 4: Cohorts J, K, L

Each cohort moves through the core curriculum as a unit, sharing the first year of their academic experience. Additionally, the cohorts will unite for other, non-academic purposes, including intramural sports competitions, community service activities, and other activities that foster a sense of fun and community on campus. Wharton's cohort system provides a built-in support network: students bring their individual expertise to the group, helping those with different experience and business backgrounds to meet common goals. Cluster and cohort assignments are made primarily at random while ensuring equal representation of genders, nationality, and work experience. They remain fixed throughout your MBA career.

Learning Team Experience
The learning team model, first developed by Wharton and now emulated by other schools, is central to Wharton's MBA experience. You get the chance to explore different leadership styles in a risk-free training ground that promotes both leadership and collaboration.

The learning team experience starts at the Learning Team Retreat and continues with coaching and mentoring by a Leadership Fellow, participation in the Foundations of Leadership course, and projects in core courses throughout the first year.

• Learning Team Retreat — The two-day, off-campus, team-building retreat caps the Pre-Term experience. Here, first-year learning team members meet for the first time and begin to explore the team dynamics that will shape their first year.
• Coaching and Mentoring — Each learning team is assigned a Leadership Fellow, a second-year student who mentors, facilitates quarterly feedback sessions amongst team members, and helps solve team conflicts.
• Foundations of Leadership — A capstone to the learning team experience, this core course focuses on horizontal and vertical leadership, team building and performance, and team leadership. The course examines concepts and builds skills through team projects, class discussions, problem solving, case studies, and role playing.

Wharton’s leadership programs are at the heart of MBA life. Our programs emphasize hands-on learning, from 1st year Learning Teams to experiential co-curricular leadership programs. In addition to learning leadership in the curriculum, Wharton's leadership programs offer you many other options to develop your leadership style by analyzing and building on your strengths, from challenging leadership ventures to sustained leadership learning in leadership fellows programs.

Leadership Resources:

• Learning Teams
• Learning Team Retreat
• Leadership Fellows Program
• Wharton Leadership Ventures
• Venture Fellows
• Leadership Development Workshop Series
• Leadership Development Coaching Program
• Non-Profit Board Leadership Program
• Social Enterprise Fellows Program

Wharton’s spirit is entrepreneurial at all levels – active, innovative, and risk-taking. Our depth of resources gives you the means to translate your ideas into action. Wharton, together with Penn, provides resources to develop entrepreneurial skills and start entrepreneurial ventures. Tapping into these opportunities, students develop an adaptive management style that they can bring to jobs in consulting, high-growth companies, and other worldwide industries.

Entrepreneurial Resources:

• Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs
• Wharton Business Plan Competition
• Wharton Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
• Venture Initiation Program
• Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program
• The Center for Technology Transfer (CTT)
• Wharton Entrepreneurs
• Current Research Activities