Everything You Need To Know About The Wharton College

Founded in 1881 by the American industrialist Joseph Wharton, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School is the first business school in the world and with a legacy of more than a century, the school has established a worldwide reputation that is at par excellence. It has produced some of the world’s greatest minds from Elon Musk, the Founder of SpaceX and Mauricio Macri, the former president of Argentina to Alex Gorsky, the CEO of Johnson and Johnson and Sundar Pichai, the present CEO of Google and many more. Wharton College has ranked at the top among all other colleges in the QS Global MBA Rankings throughout the years. Located in Philadelphia, Wharton is evidently the biggest innovation hub of the world with great minds creating great things. Despite having a sterling prominence for finance, it is equally famed for programs in entrepreneurship and technology. If you are inspired by the notable business tycoons and want to explore the international world of Business, Wharton is definitely the place you should get into. This blog brings a comprehensive guide on Wharton College, from the programs offered to research opportunities and admission process.

Why Choose Wharton?

Amongst the most sought-after business schools in the world, the Wharton School has made its prestigious name for its meticulously-designed programs and unique learning environment which nurtures and prepares students to excel in the global business world! Here are the top reasons why you should choose Wharton college for your undergraduate degree, MBA or doctoral course:

Wharton is not just a business school. The Wharton MBA is rooted in fostering future business leaders by facilitating the transformation with endless ideas, association with 99,000 Alumni and a growing network of international organisations and collaborations. The starting salary of MBA graduates from Wharton has been found to be somewhere between from $122,000 to $150,000. 

Wharton college also offers its MBA and PhD students to explore learning environments across its six scintillating campuses situated in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Beijing as well as INSEAD-Wharton campuses in France, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

Another unique aspect of this coveted business school is that it has taken a step forward in understanding the undergraduates’ interests and creating relevant specialisations and course modules for their interest. The faculty in the finance department themselves design the most suitable classes as per the interests of the undergraduates and where they will preferably work after graduation. This helps students in finance explore their diverse interests and find the ones they are most passionate about.

As evident it has been, Wharton is the best place for actualising your business ideas into successful ventures! The school encourages budding entrepreneurs by giving out awards like ‘President’s Engagement Prize’ for students to think about the possible concepts and pursue startup ideas.

Wharton also offers varied dual degree programs and departmental minors in subjects like Arts and Sciences, Communication, Education, Engineering, Design, and Nursing.

The school has also launched a unique Wharton Veterans Club for service members and veterans who want to pursue an MBA degree.

Wharton launched its own online Business analysis site called ‘Knowledge with Action’ with options to access topics related to analysis and articles under current Business trends. It has a global edition of sites in different languages like Spanish, Chinese and Portuguese.

Academic Programs

Wharton College offers students an extensive range of programs at undergraduate and doctoral level along with its exclusively coveted MBA programs. Doctoral programs and Executive programs are particularly formulated for working professionals. Moreover, more than 9000 executives enrol for its executive program annually. Take a look at the following list of undergraduate, MBA and doctoral programs offered by Wharton School of Business:

Undergraduate Programs	MBA Programs	Doctoral Programs
Wharton Undergraduate Program (BS in Economics) Huntsman Program in International Studies(BS/BA) Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology (BS/BSE or BS/BAS) Nursing and Healthcare management	MBA Program for Executives (MBA) The Lauder program (MBA/MA)  Francis J. & WM. Polk Carey JD/MBA Program (JD/MBA) Wharton/School of advanced international studies Wharton/Engineering (MBA/Seas)	Accounting Applied Economics Ethics and Legal Studies Finance Health Care Management and Economics Management  Marketing Operations, Information Management and Decision Process Statistics

Admission Procedure

Now that you are familiar with the programs on offer, here is a general overview of the admission process for the MBA programs at Wharton College:

• Application Checklist
  • Background Information (Contact Information, DOB, Academic Degrees, Professional Experience, Family Information, Prior conviction Information) 

Application Fee for the MBA program is $275.
Essay

1. What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)
2. Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

Optional essay: Describe yourself/certain events in your life in detail with information not mentioned anywhere else on your resume.

• Academic Transcripts: Transcripts of all academic degrees received at the bachelorette/undergraduate level and beyond.
• Letter of Recommendation (For MBA)
  Two Letters of Recommendation (LORs) are required and the recommenders should be current/former supervisors and well-acquainted with the applicant’s performance in a work setting.

• GMAT and GRE scores should be not older than 5 years.
• TOEFL or PTE Academic test is required for all non-native English speakers. The test dates shouldn’t be older than 2 years. (Applicants who have had their primary language of instruction as English during high school are considered as proficient in English)
• Resume:
  • Highlight Functional Job skills, Experience, Leadership and Management skills.
  • Scan the important parts of the documents clearly and it shouldn’t exceed 10 MB.

For Wharton MBA, an interview is also conducted. Once selected, you will be invited to be part of the Wharton MBA Team Based Discussion (TBD). This essential discussion helps the applicant to express themselves freely. Make sure you’re candid, open and confident with your conversation. Open your horizons on your passion and freely let them out. It usually goes on for 35 minutes where you can interact with 4-5 (randomly assigned) MBA applicants in a team. You will be given a situation and a purpose for you to collectively solve. Prepare on your personal skills and strengths and stay calm. 

Now, let’s take a look at the general eligibility requirements for undergraduate courses at Wharton College:

Documents Required:
High school marksheets and transcripts
Secondary school reports
Two Letter of Recommendation: one written by a teacher and the other by a counselor
Penn-specific admission essay
ACT/SAT exam scores
Mid-year report and grades.

Application Fee: $60

Note: The aforementioned are only general requirements and students are advised to check the official website of the Wharton school to know about the actual course requirements and criteria of their chosen program

Research Opportunities

Research is an integral part of every discipline and is the best way to explore the unidentified aspects and areas of study in a subject. Therefore, It is essential for us to learn the tools of theory and research skills and apply them in the practical world to bring about a positive change. Research at Wharton is acknowledged and cited by professionals and students globally. It has more than 20 research centres focusing on unique specialisations like:

• Behavioural Economics
• Entrepreneurship And Innovation
• Finance
• Risk Management 
• Social Impact
• Ethics 
• Family Business 
• Leadership

Hence, we hope that this blog helped you explore the key facts and features of the globally famed Wharton College! Want to apply for the renowned Wharton MBA? Get in touch with our Leverage Edu experts and we will help you throughout the application process from drafting winning SOP and LORs to ensuring that every aspect of your candidature is perfect. Sign up for a free session with us today!