Wharton MBA Essay Analysis 2025-26
我的母校 Wharton 華頓商學院今年的 essay 題目出爐了！今年題目有了一些改變，學校也在官網上做了一些說明，就是希望申請者能仔細思考如何善用在 Wharton 的兩年，為未來的職涯目標努力。今年申請時程沒有很大的變動，R1 是9月3日截止申請，R2 是2026年1月6日，R1和 HBS 一樣，是九月最先發截止日的學校。
Essay
Essays are a requirement for all applicants. The Admissions Committee wants to get to know you on both a professional and personal level. We encourage you to be introspective, candid, succinct, and most importantly… be yourself!
Essay 1: Two Short-Form Questions
(新題目）
- What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 words)
- What are your career goals for the first three to five years after completing your MBA, and how will those build towards your long-term professional goals? (150 words)
Tips from the Admissions Committee：
- First short answer: Be specific and direct. What job do you want right after Wharton? Think title, function, industry, etc. Don’t worry about explaining why here, this is about clarity.
- Second short answer: We’re looking to understand what you hope to achieve in the medium and long term. You might have a clear vision for your career, or you may be exploring different paths with a general sense of the impact you want to make. Either way is fine. This question isn’t about precision, it’s about context. Giving us insight into your aspirations helps us better understand your motivations. Successful responses will show both focus and self-awareness. We simply want to know where you currently see yourself headed.
（舊題目）
Essay 1:How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)
第一題是職涯 (career goals) 的問題，有分為短期、中期、長期三個部分。
我相信很多校友都會說，當初寫 essay 的職涯規劃和後來發展不同，但是不代表你就不應該好好思考職涯規劃，加上完全不寫 career goal 其實很難回答到為什麼想念MBA（第二題），而這道題目和去年不一樣的是，著重了三到五年的職涯規劃/目標，可能是現在產業變化比以前更快，學校希望申請者思考長期目標，但不是被自己的目標侷限。
值得一提的是，學校的提醒裡面，特別說到 “it’s not about precision, it’s about context”，我們的確常常建議學生，在 career goal essays 點出想去的公司名，甚至是想做的職稱 (job position)，包含職能 (function)，尤其是短期職涯目標，也就是一畢業想做的工作；這裡，學校也是建議點出特定的短期目標，而中期、長期，則視你有沒有特定目標來決定，如果申請者沒有很特定的公司名稱，但是他知道自己中長期想用 AI 解決問題，那可以去形容想解決的問題，而不一定要寫到公司名稱，畢竟 AI 變化快速，大家無法預測五年十年後是哪樣的公司在領先地位；反之，如果有特定的規劃，例如中長期想去一個 NBA 球隊做經理人，帶動如何的運動風潮、改變經紀的商業模式等等，那還是可以提到想去的球隊名/公司名、職稱。(推薦閱讀：與Adcom有約》Leadership is a team sport！Wharton在找願意為社群付出的學生！）
雖然今年的第一題沒有 why Wharton 的成分，但身為校友的我，還是想特別提出學校最近的變革：Wharton 在2024年5月宣布，將成為第一個與 OpenAI 合作的 MBA，提供 ChatGPT 企業版的使用權給學生，並設立新基金支持 AI 相關的研究和課程創新。此外，Wharton 還將全力投入 AI 與 data analytics 的研究與教學，不管是在金融、行銷還是醫療課程，有多達65種課程會融入 AI 成份。每一年我都會跟學生分享，Wharton 不只是金融強校，還是第一個在舊金山設校區的頂尖東岸商學院，相當注重科技創新、創業的發展。
Essay 2:
Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (350 words)
Tips from the Admissions Committee：
This essay is your opportunity to reflect on what you’ll contribute to Wharton, not just how you’ll get involved, but the unique value you’ll add to the community. We recommend approaching this essay by focusing on the impact of your presence at Wharton, grounded in the experiences, values, or perspectives that shape who you are. Rather than focusing on what you’ll do, focus on how you’ll show up and why that matters.
這一題跟去年一樣，只有字數規定少了50字，要申請者舉出一個不在其他申請文件上的事例，以及這件事可以證明你如何為 Wharton 貢獻。這就有趣了，第一題如果是比較實際的職涯發展與MBA的關係，這一題應該就是任何跟職涯沒有關係的 personal / achievement essay 吧！
很多學生寫 Why school essay 都是把學校名稱換掉，就可以投其他學校的申請，沒什麼其他需要更動的地方；但是學校其實都看得出來誰有做足功課，誰沒有，所以準備這一題，你真的要花一些時間研究學校：你如果覺得 Wharton 校友、以前曾是 NFL 選手的的 Justin Tuck，他在 One for the World（2014年 Wharton 畢業生創辦的組織）做的事情很有意義、很酷，或者 Cindy Liu 修的雙學位 (MBA/MSEd) 是你有興趣，也想要幫助學校發揚光大的，那麼應該舉一些你自己過去的社團領導經驗、志工服務經驗，甚至是一個個人耕耘很久的專長、興趣，來佐證自己也可以像 Justin, Cindy 這樣，為學校貢獻，盡自己的心力讓學校更好。
這一題可以算是一個 behavioral question + contribution question，所謂 behavioral question 就是問你曾經怎麼體現，你是一個有團隊精神的 team player，同時，試著想像 Wharton MBA 裡面，所有的班上討論、team project、社團、會議、job hunting，甚至是 trek 或旅遊，你可以扮演什麼角色。2025年8月6日，我和 Eric 協助學校在台北舉行 info session，這樣的活動，當然可以幫助大家寫第二題，更重要的是，可以認識校友、了解學校，是很難得的機會。（2025/8/6 Wharton Info Session 快來報名）
另外，我當然要鼓勵大家申請 Wharton，過去這五年，台灣每年平均有4-8個學生錄取 Wharton，很開心看到台灣申請者發光，也榮幸成為他們的學姊。我跟幾個校友過去幾年在台灣MBA高峰論壇的 Wharton info session 上，都有提到學校的舊金山校區、STEM 主修，都是 Wharton 除了最有名紮實的金融課程外，與別校不同的地方；但一樣的是，身為申請者的你的，essay 應該要精準地講出學校問的問題的答案，要表達 ”real you” – 意思是，希望 Adcom 看完你的 essay，對你這個人，能夠留下比履歷表的你，更有人性的印象。（同場加映：2019台灣MBA高峰論壇》Wharton讓金融能力成為血液，搭配豐富資源多元發展！）
Wharton TBD Interview
最後，跟大家分享，Wharton 獨有的面試方式 – Team-Based Discussion，5-6個申請者，在面試前會收到類似以下的問題（下列為204-25申請年度的面試題目），需要在35分鐘內討論、做簡報，我有分享過關於這個面試的文章，可以參考。也由此可知，Wharton 很重視團隊精神，希望錄取者都可以是 an individual contributor, as well as a group contributor。
題外話，我們學生在接受 TBD 模擬面試後，得到面試邀請後的錄取率超過七成，我相信是遠超過校方的平均，身為顧問的我感到高興，但身為校友的我，不禁思考著，TBD 對於優秀申請者的鑑別度，是否比傳統一對一校友面試，來得精準。
Prompt:
The Wharton MBA program is dedicated to developing impactful, globally conscious leaders who are passionate about meaningful change. To advance this mission, Wharton has introduced two Impact Communities: Social Equity and Environment. MBA students interested in one or more of these critical issues are invited to join the associated Impact Community to discover the many resources available at Wharton. These communities will consolidate resources and opportunities in research, academics, and career growth, acting as a hub for MBA students to uncover insights, attend engaging events, and connect with peers, faculty, and organizations.
The Wharton School is exploring the addition of a new Impact Community focused on an emerging topic of global interest. For today’s discussion, you and a team of fellow MBA students have been chosen to propose a new Impact Community.
As a team, address the following aspects:
- Define the emerging global issue your proposed Impact Community will address.
- Identify one or more potential partner organizations that could collaborate with the community by offering resources, support, or engagement opportunities.
- Identify resources within The Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania that could support the proposed Impact Community (e.g., academic programs, conferences, research initiatives).
- Outline the key learning outcomes the Impact Community aims to achieve for its members.
Your final presentation should clearly articulate the vision for the new Impact Community, emphasizing how it will provide a unique and impactful learning experience aligned with Wharton’s mission to prepare leaders for the world’s most pressing challenges. Consider discussing why your team selected this emerging global issue, as well as the relevance of the resources and partner organizations identified.
All applicants invited to interview with Wharton have to participate in the Wharton Team-Based Discussion (TBD). The TBD represents and mimics Wharton’s highly collaborative classroom environment, where you’ll solve problems and present ideas as part of a Learning Team or cluster of 5-6 students, which is a core part of the MBA program experience.
Application Deadline:
- Round 1: September 3, 2025
- Round 2: January 6, 2026
- Round 3: April 1, 2026
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