A New Direction for Wharton?
In July 2020, Wharton appointed a new Dean Erika James. So, what does this have to do with you? How can you use this information to apply for your MBA to Wharton this year? You can capitalize on any new direction by including it in your essay. Wharton's pedagogy, culture of innovation, and learning environment has survived several deans. Let's take an overview of what Wharton has been through to dive deeper.
In the past – Wharton School Dean Thomas S. Robertson (2007-2014) came up with three pillars – innovation being most important, of course. Then Wharton School Dean Geoffrey Garrett (2014-2020) came along and emphasized public/private partnerships.
Dean Geoffrey Garrett
Dean Garrett had an interview with Wall Street Journal. When they asked, “What are your priorities for the school?” Dean Garret said,
“In the coming year, we’ll do a serious review of the undergraduate program. We have a campus in San Francisco, and we’re opening a center in Beijing in March. We’ve got a new public policy initiative. And creating more learning-by-doing opportunities for our students.”
According to Wharton Magazine, Summer 2020, the Wharton school is known as “The Finance School (and So Much More)”. Wharton is always going to be strong in finance, but they want to diversify and they are diversifying.
Towards the end of Dean Garrett’s tenure he talked about the future of finance (fin-tech, alternative investments, the “Joshua J. Harris Alternative Investments Program,” “Stevens Center for Innovation and Finance,” and the “More Than Ever” campaign). Dean Garrett also called out the importance of data and analytics, and innovation and entrepreneurship.
Expect new directions for Dean Erika H. James
Dean Erika James assumed the position exactly a year ago around July 2020. While we wait to see what she has in store for us, keep in mind that a new dean will not change the school (i.e., specializations, courses, research centers, mission) much (if at all) during their first or even second year on the job. A new dean will usually announce the changes they intend to make after they come up to speed. So we’ll have to be patient and wait.
However, whatever is “new,” do not let it sway you (too much) in one direction or another. Every five, ten, or even 15 years, top MBA courses will have fairly large MBA curriculum shifts. In Wharton’s case, the curriculum hasn’t changed much since Dean Robertson was there. Just remember, the more things change, the more they stay the same. So even if you’re looking at older documents and resources, speaking to alumni who graduated a few years ago. Their knowledge should still be relevant for your research into Wharton this year.
It is also critical to keep up to date!
Follow the money, follow the resources and their allocation. If you see a new course, or a new center for XYZ, then you know the school is pretty much going into that direction. Wharton is still known as a “finance school” and will still receive plenty of applicants from “financy” people (from entrepreneurial to investment banking), but they are trying to diversify.
However, that doesn’t mean they are looking for only finance applicants – not in the least. There will be a home for you. Let’s say if you work for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or for the government in India. Go look at the curriculum and see if courses or classes that are offered at Wharton will give you what you need in order to reach your goals. If so, then you should apply. You can capitalize on any new direction by including it in your essay – where applicable. After all, they’re looking for people to fill these new seats. Just don’t force it.