With our Round 1 deadline on Tuesday, Dec. 6, less than a week away, we want to make sure you have the answers to any last-minute questions you may have.
In case you missed our recent Facebook Live chat with West Coast Admissions Director Barbara Craft, you can watch all of the footage here.
Barbara fielded commonly asked questions about a wide range of topics, including Round 1 vs. Round 2 applications, admissions requirements, commuting, military benefits, and Global Business Week.
Watch the full version above or read a few highlights from the video transcript below:
Are There Benefits to Applying in Round 1 vs. Round 2?
There is no difference between applying in Round 1 and Round 2. Go for the round in which you can put forth your best application.
Some people may have been looking at this program for a while and know they want to come here. Before they go through the admissions process at another school, they want a decision from Wharton.
Other people may need more time to work on their application. If you apply in Round 1, you get a decision in mid-January. If you apply in Round 2, you get a decision in mid-March.
How Much Work Experience is Needed?
We like to see at least eight years of full-time work experience, but our first-year class in San Francisco has an average of 11 to 12 years. We have people from all different backgrounds because experience is important here – this is a collaborative environment. We want to see how your career has progressed and your levels of responsibility.
We do have a special category for people with less than eight years of experience — they are called Fellows candidates. Fellows have less than eight years of experience on paper, but they are above the curve in terms of their job responsibility and career progression. They are rock stars in their organizations and, as such, we expect organizations to fund those students.
What Are Typical Student Commutes?
About 50 percent of students in the San Francisco program commute from outside the Bay Area. Students come from a range of locations like Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Portland, Canada, and even Beijing and Peru. Most students who live west of Texas tend to come to the West Coast program, while students who live east of Texas commute to Philadelphia.
What Is Lifelong Learning?
We are passionate about protecting our brand and want to make sure students stay well tooled after graduation. We welcome Wharton EMBA alumni to audit our classes free of charge. They don’t get credit, but they don’t need it because they have a Wharton MBA.
This is a valuable option when it comes to our electives. Wharton offers the biggest selection of electives of any business school in the world, but it changes over time. The electives we offer today may not have been offered 10 years ago. This is a great chance for students to come back and take newer courses, or maybe take courses that they didn’t have time for when they were students in the program.
Can Students Take Courses on Both Coasts?
We are one program with two locations. Students stay on their designated campus during the first year for core courses. In the second year, they can pick and choose elective courses as well as where to take those courses. Students can take a course on the other coast, or spend an entire term there.