Wharton EMBA Applicant - Volunteer Experience?

Question

The Wharton EMBA official website states that they look for people who are a leader in their community.

What sort of experience should I package in my application?

Currently:
-Mentor at a tech organization.
-Founder of a local non-profit with a limited scope of activities.

Anything else? Should I organize a food drive?

PersonalMBACoach · Answer

The best way to present an application is to think of the story you are trying to tell overall. Because of this, it is very individualized and there isn't one ideal set of activities that shows your leadership and interest in the community. Applicants best show this by doing things that relate to themselves, their interests and goals. That said, since I don't have that info about you, the activities you have done sound like they could certainly be impressive enough. Founding a non-profit shows a lot of initiative, of course it depends what it is for, how long you have done it, and what you do with it. Think quality over quantity here. I would not recommend organizing a food drive just for application purposes. You would be much better off spending the effort to do a bit more with your non-profit that you started so that sounds more impressive. Laundry lists don't typically win here.

Good luck! Wharton has a fantastic EMBA program and everyone I have worked with has had a great time there!

crimea · Answer

I'm a first-year student at Wharton's EMBA program. Scott's comment on quality over quantity is spot on: I think it will be a big fail to treat the application as satisfying a set of checkboxes. Look inside of you (ask your friends!) and find what drives you. Why did you mentor that tech firm? Why did you start a non-profit? What's the big picture? How are you going to carry that through your lifetime? Is it something you do to just get into school? I bet it's not. So tell your story!! I'm sure it's a really good one. Good luck!

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Don't try and game the AdComm here, I would not suggest just picking up some volunteer experiences just for the sake of the application especially as an EMBA applicant. Founding a non-profit is certainly impressive and these examples are more about the depth of involvement than the amount. So dive deep into your leadership and other interpersonal experiences in the few examples you have. This will go much further with Wharton!

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Wharton EMBA Applicant - Volunteer Experience?

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