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Talk to current MBA students about life in MBA programs (not for app advice/discussion)
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Ask a CURRENT Wharton Student

by Whartongal2013 » Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:21 pm
Hi all - I'm a current Wharton MBA student, and would be happy to share my experience/answer any questions you all have regarding admissions, student life, what classes to take, etc. I know how overwhelming it can be to navigate through it all, so feel free to ask me anything that's on your mind!

------------------

If you'd like a basic overview, I wrote about my experiences here: https://www.mbastudents.tk/#!wharton/cinl. It's a good first step into getting a general overview of the process through the student perspective.
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by sahilchaudhary » Sat Nov 09, 2013 2:15 am
Hi,

I am from India and currently looking for MBA is US or Australia. My current GMAT score is 540 (Q 50 V 15), so I am retaking GMAT in the last week of November with a target score of 700.
For US, Wharton is my first preference, but I have a few queries.

1. How much GMAT would I need to be able to get a seat in Wharton ?
2. If I pass out from Wharton, what are the job prospects for me as an international student (I have heard that US is usually giving visas to engineers and software programmers).
3. What salary should I expect if I pass from Wharton.

My Profile-
I did Computer Engg from top state level college (70% marks)
Working in a software MNC (2.4 years exp. till date)
I am thinking for Fall 2014, but I think round 1 is over now, so maybe I have to apply in R2 or Fall 2015.

Thanks...
Sahil Chaudhary
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by Whartongal2013 » Sun Nov 10, 2013 6:03 am
Hi Sahil,

I'm sure I probably sound like a broken record, but the GMAT is just one factor in your application. If you can get above a 700 that would help, but I also know of cases where students got in with a score of 600 or where students didn't get in with a 790. Here's a link to the latest class profile at Wharton in case you find it useful:

https://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mba/admiss ... rofile.cfm

Job prospects for international students looking to work in the US are good, but it is more challenging than if you were a US citizen. We do have a lot of international companies, primarily from Hong Kong and Singapore, who also recruit on campus, and many of the international students look at those options as well. If you tell me a little bit more about what industry you're looking for, I can give you a better sense of job prospects.

In terms of salary, the annual salary at graduation is $125,000 (not including bonuses) but it varies by industry. Wharton publishes a pretty detailed career statistics report where you can see the breakdown by industry. Here's the link for that information:

https://mbacareers.wharton.upenn.edu/sta ... l-time.cfm

For any general application questions or just student life questions, I've written some information here:

https://www.mbastudents.tk/#!wharton/cinl

I hope that helps, and I'm looking forward to seeing you on Wharton's campus!

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by sahilchaudhary » Wed Nov 13, 2013 12:40 am
Hi,

Thanks for the prompt reply.
I am currently working in IT industry (Consulting) and I am looking forward to do MBA in Finance.
I am a average student, would I be able to get a job after doing MBA from US?
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by Whartongal2013 » Wed Nov 13, 2013 9:58 pm
Hi Sahil,

To be perfectly honest, it's pretty difficult to switch careers post-MBA regardless of what you hear, particularly for the finance industry. It's not to say you can't do it, but it will take quite a bit of effort. Having said that, the ways I've seen people make this switch is by:

(1) concentrating on finance courses and focusing on attaining a high GPA. Finance is the one of the few industries that DOES place a big importance on academics
(2) networking like crazy. Meeting with alumni, attending conferences, participating in case competitions, etc. Anything and everything to gain exposure to finance professionals in the hope you'll connect with one that will fight for you when it comes to hiring

One other point to consider is your particular visa situation. Visas are difficult to get and companies are more hesitant to hire international students than they were in the past. If you're open to working in Hong Kong or Singapore, this is less of a concern as many international students do take finance roles in those markets.

Hope that helps!
_______________________________________________________

Cheers,

Krishna
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by sahilchaudhary » Wed Nov 13, 2013 11:07 pm
Whartongal2013 wrote:Hi Sahil,

To be perfectly honest, it's pretty difficult to switch careers post-MBA regardless of what you hear, particularly for the finance industry. It's not to say you can't do it, but it will take quite a bit of effort. Having said that, the ways I've seen people make this switch is by:

(1) concentrating on finance courses and focusing on attaining a high GPA. Finance is the one of the few industries that DOES place a big importance on academics
(2) networking like crazy. Meeting with alumni, attending conferences, participating in case competitions, etc. Anything and everything to gain exposure to finance professionals in the hope you'll connect with one that will fight for you when it comes to hiring

One other point to consider is your particular visa situation. Visas are difficult to get and companies are more hesitant to hire international students than they were in the past. If you're open to working in Hong Kong or Singapore, this is less of a concern as many international students do take finance roles in those markets.

Hope that helps!
_______________________________________________________

Cheers,

Krishna
mbastudents.tk
Thanks for the reply.
If I am doing MBA in Finance it is due to few reasons and the most important of them is to switch my career from IT to Finance.
Moreover, if I am graduating from US I would prefer to work in US, otherwise I could do my MBA from Singapore, which costs much less than in US, and work in Singapore.
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by Nadia222 » Sat Jan 25, 2014 4:58 am
Hi Whartongal,

I will be applying this Fall, and I receive numerous emails to attend diversity programs held at the school. Since I live very close to Philly, I will be making several trips to the school. My mentors at my current job are Wharton Alums. I wanted to know if attending these diversity events give prospective applicants a leg up? Also, since Wharton is the top program for a finance career, I wanted to know if you know of anyone studying for the CFA during the program? Surprisingly Wharton is not a CFA partner school. Also how is it living in Philly? I have been to the area a couple times but U do not know what it is like to actually reside there. Sorry for all the questions.
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