[面试经验] [分享]Interview Tips 1: Wharton

Rosemaria Martinelli is the director of MBA admissions and financial aid at the laceName>WhartonlaceName> laceType>SchoollaceType> of the laceType>UniversitylaceType> of laceName>PennsylvanialaceName>, No. 5 in BusinessWeek's latest B-school rankings. Her office reviewed more than 5,600 applications in the 2004 admissions season.

Martinelli, and second-year MBA, Ruilin Zhao, a 32-year-old Chinese student who also holds a PhD and master's degree, fielded questions about admissions, financial aid, and Wharton's MBA program from a live audience during a recent online chat, here's an edited transcript of the chat:

Q: Rose, most of BusinessWeek's top-ranked, full-time MBA programs reported sharp decreases in applicants during the past admissions season. Your own office noted a 20% decline. How do you expect admissions to pan out this coming season?
Martinelli: It's difficult to predict. But I'm hopeful it will be a great year.

Q: With fewer applicants, will a greater percentage make the cut?
Martinelli: Statistically, if there are fewer applications and the same number of places in schools, folks will have a better chance of getting admitted. Yes, [this] would be a great year to be an applicant, if applications are still on the lower side. But, of course, they have to be quality applications.

Q: Is Wharton facing any challenges?
Martinelli: All schools face challenges, and Wharton is no different. One of our great opportunities and strengths can also be one of our biggest challenges: our size. Wharton comprises an undergraduate program, an MBA program, an executive MBA program, a PhD program, and extensive executive-education offerings.

In addition, we have research centers, conferences, speaker series, and more. It can be, for some, chaotic and too much to take in as an MBA. So we look for students who have the focus and direction to take advantage of these opportunities. It's not a school for everyone.

Q: Is the atmosphere in class always competitive?
Zhao: It is, but in a very healthy way. People want to learn from faculty and from other students. People want to do well, but that doesn't mean we cannot collaborate.

Martinelli: Wharton's first-year core courses focus on fundamentals and can be quite quantitative in nature and academically rigorous.

Q: B-schools often talk about an applicant's fit. How does fit come across on paper?
Martinelli: It's...students who know themselves, know what they need to be successful in their life and their career, and can tell us about it. It's interesting when students apply to huge programs that are major-focused and smaller programs that are general-management-focused -- more of a shotgun approach to finding the right school. To thrive...find [an MBA program] that fits your individual learning...and networking needs.

Q: Is it advisable to apply in the first admissions round vs. the second?
Martinelli: Focus on readiness rather than trying to game the system. We receive fewer applications in Round One, so we have more time to evaluate the application, and you get a decision before the holidays. We also have the wait-list in Round One that we use actively to gauge the pool. In Round Two, the class begins to fill, and if a candidate is placed on the wait-list, the chances to being admitted from the list decline.

Q: How many interview invitations does Wharton send to first-round applicants?
Martinelli: We interview approximately 50% of applicants. It depends by round on the quality of applicants. In Round One, we have a mid-decision release date, Nov. 18, when you will either be invited for an interview or denied without an interview. Final decisions are released on Dec. 23.

Q: How important is the interview?
Martinelli: It's another point of information for Wharton evaluating the student, [and for] the student evaluating the school. It's not the tilt point that either admits or denies a candidate, but it helps us...make the best final decision. It will not completely destroy or be a slam dunk in the overall application. So many people are so afraid of it being the key event.

Q: This reader asks, "I am applying for entry in fall 2005, and I have decided to have my first child in the spring of 2005. I will be very pregnant if and when I am interviewed. Will that hurt my chances?"Martinelli: Absolutely not. Everyone applies to the program trying to juggle many different priorities. It's just that one of her priorities will be a little more visually apparent at that time. She should be ready to talk about it if someone questions her timing. Child-care facilities are available to students and staff of the laceType>UniversitylaceType> of Pennsylvania.

Q: Are women encouraged to apply to Wharton?
Martinelli: Absolutely. Wharton is one of the founding members of the Forte Foundation, a group of schools and corporations committed to increasing the number of women leaders. Wharton offers several sizable Forte Foundation Fellowships, and we participate in a great deal of activities focused on recruiting women in all sectors and industries.

Q: How do you view experience at a startup vs. experience at a big company?
Martinelli: It's all about the quality of a person's experience, their ability to contribute, and what they've learned from that experience. It's not necessarily the venue -- a large company or startup -- that counts. One thing that might be useful is [to give] is a better explanation of what that startup experience is like, what kind of company, what size, etc.

Q: A 32-year-old in our audience asks, "How older-applicant-friendly is Wharton?"
Martinelli: This year's class includes a range of students aged 19 to 41. There are lots of folks of all ages. I hate the word age. I consider quantity of experience.

Zhao:I am 32. Focus on why the MBA, why Wharton, and why now.

Q: Besides getting good grades, what are your suggestions for undergraduates who hope to enter the Wharton MBA program someday?
Martinelli: Commit yourself to your activities, and do well.

Q: Applying to Wharton right out of college is O.K.?
Martinelli: This year, for the first time, we will consider admitting students straight out of their undergraduate institutions...[in addition to] our [existing] submatriculation program at Wharton. We're looking for a distinctive set of qualities and experiences from these applicants: an outstanding undergraduate academic record and GMAT score, substantial extracurricular and leadership experience as a student, some number of months spent in internship opportunities, and an emotional maturity and an ability to articulate "why now," vs. not later.

Q: This reader says, "I just graduated from a top-10 undergrad program, and I have a job offer with a venture-capital firm. However, I would like to take a few years and join the Navy. Will military experience count against me when I apply in a few years?"
Martinelli: Military experience is not a negative -- it is a great opportunity for you to explore and develop your own interests and leadership ability. As long as you can explain your motivations...you will be fine.

Q: Does taking courses, such as a high-level statistics course, before applying to an MBA program increase your chances of getting in?
Martinelli: If a student has very little quantitative experience, taking courses is very good. It's also indicative of the seriousness with which that student is applying. It's a positive as long as they know why they are taking the courses.

Q: Do professional certifications, such as CPA or CFA, increase the competitiveness of an applicant?
Martinelli: It may signal focus. It's great information to have if someone does have those certifications.

Q: This reader works in info tech, but wants to major in finance as an MBA student: "Any recommendations for candidates making a switch like this?"
Martinelli: Most students are career-switchers. Build a good case for yourself as to why this change makes sense. Credibly explain the change, how you discovered that this is where you want to go professionally, and what you have done to move in that direction already. How did you become passionately interested in finance? Move in the direction of your interest before applying to B-school -- take a course, join a club, find a new job in the field, etc.

Q: Wharton's GMAT average was 716 this year, with 80% of the class scoring between 640 and 760. How important is the GMAT score vs. the other parts of an application?
A: It's just one factor...and is just one predictor of how well you may do in the first year. We look to your experience, undergraduate record, recommendations, essays, etc., for the real content of your application.

Q: Does an applicant who has a master's from the University of California need to retake the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)?
Martinelli: If a student earned a degree from an institution where English is the language of instruction, they are not required to submit a TOEFL score.

Q: May current Wharton students provide the admissions staff with information on candidates?
Martinelli: Sure. [But] they don't bear heavily in the decision-making process.

Q: Would it be more impressive for "top guys" in an organization to write an applicant's recommendations?
Martinelli: The relationship is more important than the title. It's important that this person know you well and can speak to your strengths, developmental needs, and your impact in the organization. Examples of your performance are very helpful.

Q: What's the selectivity percentage for international students and for students from South Asia in particular?
Martinelli: It's difficult to provide selectivity percentages by country and region without it being completely skewed and misunderstood. Decisions are not made based on a person's citizenship. If you are evaluating some of our international candidates, there may be other factors that might make the MBA application process more difficult and the primary factor would be language ability -- both spoken, written, and read -- because it's difficult to study abroad. We're not trying to avoid the question, it's just more complex.

Q: Are local Philadelphians at a disadvantage in applying?
Martinelli: Those applying from Philadelphia would be considered a minority in our applicant pool -- we'd love to see more. Location is really not a distinguishing factor.

Q: If reapplicants don't have much career progression to show over a year, how else can they differentiate themselves from their original applications?
Martinelli: Perhaps in the first application, you weren't as clear about the hows and whys [of getting an MBA] as you are now.... That, coupled with additional experience, will help you craft a much stronger reapplication. Most people get caught listing accomplishments and events, and miss the whole element of what lessons [were] learned, motivations, and how those events have shaped them as professionals. It's like writing a business case as to why you want to invest a great deal of money in yourself.

Q: Is there a particular slant away from applicants who want to use an MBA to work in government, rather than the private sector?
Martinelli: Not at all. My team has a particular fondness for the growing social sector and a desire for those who wish to have an immediate impact in the nonprofit and public-sector areas. Those students' salaries may be less than that of those going into the private sector. We created a loan-forgiveness program for students who pursue nonprofit and public-sector work upon graduation.

Zhao: Last summer, we started the Summer Public Interest Fund (SPIF) to encourage and support first-year students who wish to pursue summer internships in areas that serve the public good.

Q: What are the things that would red-flag an essay?
Martinelli: Not following instructions -- too long, too short, not answering questions -- are common problems we see.

Q: What format should be used for a résumé submitted with an application?
Martinelli: Candidates provide us [with a résumé] at the interview. Design the résumé to be simple for the interviewer to view.

Q: What kind of focus does Wharton place on the health-care industry? Are health-care-specific classes offered?
Zhao:I'm a health-care [major]. In my class, we have people from the medical-supplier industry, from hospitals, and from insurance companies. It is one of the best health-care programs, and there are many health-care-specific classes.

Q: How big is Wharton's entrepreneurship program?
Martinelli: It's students' second-largest interest behind finance. It comprises a variety of resources for students, including research centers, a major business-plan competition, a variety of conferences, and the opportunity to work with other small businesses. Our faculty love to advise our students in their [business] planning.

Q: What are placement stats for the graduating class of 2004?
Martinelli: The current career guide has just been posted on our Web site.

Q: Ruilin, do your classmates feel confident about recruiting?
Zhao: Coming back from our summer internships, most of us are very optimistic. A significant amount of students already have offers for permanent jobs. It's just a matter of whether they want to keep looking, or if they should settle [for a job] early.

Q: Has job recruiting among international students shown any signs of improvement?
Martinelli: The recruiting outlook internationally is very, very good.

Q: Do international applicants stand a chance getting a loan that would cover the course costs? How about loan applicants from developing nations?
Martinelli: Wharton still has a loan program for international students that guarantees them the funds to finance their education according to the student budget over the two years. That will continue to exist for the foreseeable future.

For those from developing nations, this is an area where I have continuing concerns, because the cost of repaying sizable loans -- should that student return to their home country -- is very, very difficult. We continue to explore options that are a mix of scholarships, grants, loans, and external fellowships to help these students finance their education.

Q: What need-based/merit-based scholarship and fellowships are offered by Wharton?
Martinelli: Wharton provides largely merit-based fellowships, given to about 15% of the entering class based on their application and the criterion of each scholarship. Wharton also awards some need-based scholarships, based on an individual's circumstance as presented in their financial-aid application.

The MBA is more of a financing problem rather than a true need problem for the vast majority of applicants. Most students will graduate with great jobs and will be able to repay their loans in a timely fashion.