Following on last week’s announcement of Wharton’s essay questions for the coming admissions season, here are some thoughts on each of this year’s inquiries:
While there is only one question that is completely new when compared to last year’s set of questions, several of the questions that had become somewhat standard elements of the Wharton application have been subtly adjusted to include a new focus on learning, growth and contemplation of the way certain experiences have influenced the applicant as a person. This is a noteworthy change: the program has always been somewhat interested in hearing applicants reflect on their experiences (this is an area in which we’ve heard many reapplicants being told they fell short during feedback sessions), and it’s interesting to see the adcom articulating their interest in this a bit more explicitly than in prior years.
Essay 1: Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect an MBA from Wharton to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program? (1,000 words)
The school’s career goal essay has remained fairly constant from year to year, and the thousand word limit provides applicants with a good deal of room to work with in describing their professional progress and aspirations, and their motivation for pursuing an MBA. One thing to note is the strong emphasis on the “why now” element of the prompt, which indicates that the timing of the application with respect to one’s current job and future plans will be a very important idea to address.
Essay 2: Describe a failure or setback that you have experienced. How did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself? (500 words)
While Wharton has been asking a failure-themed question for the past few years, it was previously focused on teamwork and one of several options. This year, the program has moved this inquiry about setback and subsequent growth to the fore, displacing the previously required question about making a positive impact on a person, group or organization, an adjustment that might indicate a new interest in an applicant’s maturity (as evidenced by ability to learn from mistakes and handle disappointment) in addition to his or her achievements. The range of potential topics is also broader than previously, with the wording leaving applicants open to discussing a topic from the professional, academic or extracurricular realm.
As is always the case, it’s important to focus on the positive elements of this scenario. A sound approach to any essay that explicitly asks applicants to recount a time when things went less than well is to summarize the failure itself briefly, spending the bulk of the essay relating his or her response and lessons learned. Also along these lines, rather than commenting that he or she learned about a weakness as a result of the failure, it would be ideal for an applicant to select a situation in which something positive was discovered due to the response. This is not to say that your essay should fall into the trap of merely being a ‘veiled success’ (a failure that isn’t really a failure at all); however, it is important to demonstrate positive growth and the learning experience that can come from missing the mark.
Essays 3 & 4 (complete two of the four, 500 words each):
-Describe a personal characteristic or quality that will help the Admissions Committee to know you better.
This question has been included in Wharton’s set for several years running, and offers a great opportunity to introduce an interesting element of your candidacy that you have not had a chance to mention in your other essays. You have a chance here to set yourself apart from other applicants by commenting on what drives you or by sharing a unique hobby or interest. Of course, it would also be ideal to share a story that illustrates your leadership ability or is linked to some contribution you could make to the business school community.
-Describe an impact you’ve had on a team, group or organization. How has this experience been valuable to you or others, and what did you learn?
For the most part, this inquiry is identical to last season’s second required question, with a follow-up about what the applicant learned tacked onto the end of this year’s version. At any rate, here is the chance to introduce an impressive success story from the professional or personal realm (remember to keep an eye on establishing a balanced picture of your candidacy when selecting essay topics). This question is really driving at the results of your actions, but remember that the process is just as important. You’ll want to pick a specific instance in which you’ve made an especially significant impact, discussing the steps you took to bring about the positive results and their lasting consequences. A comment on your development as a leader as a result of this example would be a nice way to address the second part of the question here.
-What do you do best and why?
Even though this is the shortest question of the lot, it requires a good deal of consideration. While at first glance this might sound very similar to the first of these optional questions (as both touch on information of which the adcom might not be aware that is significant to an applicant and his or her candidacy), this one focuses on skill or ability rather a quality or characteristic. Though it will pay to be honest and highlight something in which you truly excel, you also don’t want to limit yourself in anyway by selecting too narrow a focus; while your ability to make a mean carrot cake might help you stand out from other candidates, it will not make you a more attractive applicant than someone with a gift for clearly explaining complicated concepts or getting others excited about a plan or project. A good approach to this question might be to think of something with broad applicability to various situations and spheres (baking, for instance, requires patience and attention to detail), ideally one that could translate to a contribution to the business school community.
The “why” element of this question seems a bit odd, as many people might attribute their greatest ability at least in part to luck or talent, two factors to which it is hard to assign a reason. Taking a cue from the focus on learning and growth found in the program’s other questions, a reasonable approach to tackling this second component of the question would probably be for the applicant to reflect on the ways he or she has actively cultivated this skill over time.
-When have your values, ethics, or morals been challenged? How has this shaped who you are today?
The most obvious reading of this prompt is as an inquiry about an ethical dilemma. Questions of this sort are designed to gauge an applicant’s ability to see two sides of a situation and appreciate the merits of both – and ultimately choose the best possible solution. First and foremost, you should make sure that the example you present represents a true dilemma. It’s not enough to simply discuss a situation where you chose to do the right thing; you need to be able to show that there was a compelling reason for you to have acted otherwise. The question lends itself to personal experiences as easily as professional ones, but it’s nice to give an example of how you view and handle ethical complexity in the workplace. For instance, there are often instances of conflicts between people and profit that work well in this context.
After setting the scene in your essay, you should explore the dilemma in depth, analyzing each of your options and explaining the potential positive and negative consequences of each. Once you’ve acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, you should lead the reader through your decision-making process, explaining the reasons behind your ultimate decision. Ideally, your strong grasp of leadership and of problem-solving will be displayed by this analysis. Finally, you should present the results of your decision. Even if there were ultimately some negative consequences, it is important to stand by the decision you made and to be proud that you stood behind your values in this situation.
Beyond the ethics framework, you might also note that the “values” element of the question could provide a great platform to discuss a challenging cross-cultural experience, a great way to showcase international work experience or extensive time spent abroad.
