Wharton Welcomes New Director of MBA Admissions

The Wharton School has hired Frank DeVecchis as the new Director of MBA Admissions. Before his appointment to this position, DeVecchis was an academic advisor for around 200 Wharton MBA students. DeVecchis came to Wharton in 2009 as the Associate Director of the Wharton Fund. In 2011, he became the director of the Global Immersions Program and in 2013 he briefly served as the interim director of MBA Program Academic Affairs. He most recently served as the Director of MBA Academic Operations.

DeVecchis does not plan to make any big changes in the program immediately but will take time to find what he can do to improve it over the next few years. However, he does plan to make two immediate changes to the office by hiring a data analyst and a Senior Associate Director, who will be specifically focusing on the diversity of the applicants.

DeVecchis has already been involved in the evaluation of MBA applicants in team-based discussions. Applicants are invited to have the option to attend a team-based discussion with five other applicants either on campus or in certain hub cities. Prospective students are given a prompt about a real-world business problem and must analyze it together. Applicants are evaluated on how they interact with each other to see what they would “add to the discussion” at Wharton.

DeVecchis said that he is looking for candidates that have a “built-in sense of curiosity” as well as “those who are really looking to learn and grow here, not just someone looking to check a box.” He also offers this advice to prospective students, “Be yourself, don’t model behavior that you think a school wants to see,” he said. “Make sure you are the right fit for the school as much as the school is the right fit for you. Truly be yourself and put your best foot forward.”

 

regions: Philadelphia

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