Round 1 Applications to Wharton Have Actually Increased
The Wall Street Journal may have been a bit hasty when asking “What’s Wrong With Wharton?” in a recent article. The paper had questioned the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania’s continued prominence in the business world after MBA applications to Wharton declined by more than seventeen percent in the past five years. However, Wharton Deputy Vice-Dean Maryellen Lamb just announced in an admissions blog post that the number of applications during Wharton’s Round 1 admissions cycle have increased compared to last year. She did not provide further details about how many applications Wharton received or the magnitude of the increase in applications.
Maryellen Lamb referred indirectly to the Wall Street Journal controversy in her announcement, stating “If you believe that application volume is an indicator of the relevance of an MBA program, then I’m pleased to announce that our Round One numbers are up.” The admissions office argued that quantity does not equal quality, and declining applications at Wharton were a sign that the admissions office was targeting potential students better, not a sign that the school was losing its appeal. Admissions officials at Wharton also observed that they added a group discussion component to the application process in recent years that may have intimidated individuals who are not fluent in English.
It is too early to say whether Wharton’s applications will increase for the whole year, but if the school maintains this momentum in Round 2 (deadline January 7) and Round 3 (deadline March 27), then the school’s application numbers might suggest that nothing is wrong with Wharton.
