Invitations for the Wharton Team Based Discussion are out, and the 2024 prompt asks participants to design an Impact Community committed to meaningful global change. Now is the time to start preparing your pitch.
The Wharton MBA interview is distinctive among the M7 interview landscape for its virtual Team Based Discussion. This dynamic, relational experience is about much more than delivering a strong pitch. Wharton’s admission committee wants to observe how you approach a challenge, present yourself, cohesively work towards solutions in a small group context and think on your feet.
This year, the Wharton TBD prompt suggests that the school is also looking for your potential to be the “impactful, globally conscious leaders who are passionate about meaningful change” the school seeks to develop.
While you won’t know how the discussion will play out until you get into the virtual interview room, you can do a lot to prepare for a successful Wharton TBD starting now.
I spent a decade at the helm of Wharton’s MBA admissions and another decade running my Fortuna Admissions clients through their paces to prepare for these sessions. I am experienced at guiding candidates to bring their best to the table. Here, I’m offering our team’s top tips for delivering your standout pitch, along with what success looks like.
How Does Wharton’s Team Based Discussion Work?
The Wharton TBD simulates the Learning Teams model at the heart of the Wharton experience. It aims for a real-world approach that hinges on “persuasive rather than positional leadership.” Think of this as your opportunity to showcase your professional presence and what you would bring to your future study group at Wharton.
Conducted virtually via Zoom, these sessions include five or six candidates (similar to Wharton’s Learning Teams). Your discussion will have a prompt and an end goal (see below). Each team member will have up to 60 seconds to share his or her idea about how to address the assignment before moving into the group discussion.
After this round of brief introductions, your team has 25 minutes to settle on an idea and flesh out your solution to the prompt. Then, you will have five minutes to present your idea to the admissions committee members moderating and observing the session.
Everyone receives the same question and will participate via video from remote locations. No one is at an advantage; the prompt is designed to exhibit team building and is not about demonstrating specific knowledge of a subject area.
Following the TBD, you’ll exit the group discussion to a separate Zoom room for a one-on-one interview with an admission representative, lasting 10 minutes. In this portion, expect the Wharton interview questions to focus on why you are pursuing an MBA and why you want to attend Wharton.
Be aware that in the interview these 10 minutes go by very quickly; be prepared to make the most of it. Prepare by checking out Fortuna’s M7 roundup for Wharton MBA interview tips and advice and how to answer to the most common interview questions.
The 2024 Wharton TBD Prompt
This year’s prompt explains that The Wharton MBA program is dedicated to developing impactful, globally conscious leaders who are passionate about meaningful change. To advance this mission, Wharton has introduced two Impact Communities: Social Equity and Environment. In the TBD, your team is tasked with proposing a new Impact Community focused on an emerging topic of global interest.
Specifically, your team must:
- Define the emerging global issue your proposed Impact Community will address.
- Identify one or more potential partner organizations that could collaborate with the community by offering resources, support, or engagement opportunities.
- Call out resources within The Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania that could support the proposed Impact Community (e.g., academic programs, conferences, research initiatives).
- Outline the key learning outcomes the Impact Community aims to achieve for its members.
Deconstructing the Wharton TBD Prompt
“Implicit in this prompt,” notes my Fortuna colleague and former Wharton adcom Scott Brownlee, “is forward-looking, progressive thinking — not necessarily progressive in the political sense, but forward-thinking nevertheless. Candidates have to think big, both in terms of scope and concept, to create a community that does good in the world and solves real problems.”
“I love this year’s prompt,” Brownlee continues. “There is no better way to separate leaders from followers than a prompt that requires you to blaze a new, unfamiliar trail. You will need to connect with stakeholders who may have radically different backgrounds from yours, but are committed to the same impacts and outcomes.”
“What stands out to me is how this year’s prompt is focused on communities and not individuals,” he notes. “Wharton has always been a school that uses the TBD to select for EQ, social awareness, and strong speaking and listening skills. This prompt is a signal that they have really doubled down on this class-differentiating bet.
“Wharton in 2024 is not content to rely on its reputation as a ‘finance school’ with students who can crunch numbers. It wants leaders who see contemporary issues, assemble a team of equally passionate leaders around them, and make meaningful change that extends beyond a spreadsheet.”
Tackling the Wharton TBD Prompt
Your team must decide on its target global issue. The prompt leaves the definition of “change” up to you. The current Impact Communities serve as template. You can refer to these as examples as you define and shape your proposed community and the resources it will deploy.
The two biggest questions for your TBD team are where to start, and where to end. Your starting point is the issue you choose. Two of the biggest buckets you might initially brainstorm — social equity and environment — are already taken. You will need to dig a little deeper, reflect on communities and real-world issues where you can make an impact, and build pitches based on those.
The endpoint is the shape of your proposed community. “Don’t forget,” Brownlee says, “you’ll need to identify Wharton-specific resources that can be deployed to support the Impact Community you propose. You must also think through the learning outcomes you want your community members to reach through their experience.”
“Think like a professor planning a course, but also like a business development executive focused on results,” he adds.
We recommend that applicants building their Impact Community ideas start with the small, up close and personal, but also think big. For example, begin with an issue you or a member of your community has personally experienced, then begin your research into organizations tackling that problem that Wharton might partner with.
These other organizations need not be business-focused in the traditional sense. In fact, they might be more valuable partners if they possess skills, abilities and people the Wharton community doesn’t already include.
Top Tips for the Wharton Virtual TBD
Present your own ideas with precision and keen situational awareness.
In your initial one-minute introduction, be prepared to present your ideas for the solution to the assignment. After that, pay close attention to others and adapt to the dynamics. Expect to be assessed on how well you listen to others and facilitate the group’s dialogue. Here are the Fortuna team’s top tips for contributing to the output of this TBD.
Tip 1: Draw on Your Experiences
There are myriad topics where business knowledge could help solve global issues. The trick is to settle on just one, very quickly. Wharton’s new Team Based Discussion asks you to focus on creating a community. Think back to your own experience. What communities have been most rewarding for you to participate in? What elements made that experience worthwhile? What encouraged you to learn and motivated you to drive change?
When pitching your ideas for your community, briefly share these experiences aas examples of elements you might include. Examples are persuasive!
Tip 2: Design for Desired Outcomes
Stay laser-focused on the change your community seeks to achieve. What do you want members of your community to think, feel, believe, do and change. Your answers will influence the partners you pick, the Wharton resources you draw in and the learning opportunities you build in. Think hard about how you can motivate participants to work for real change.
Tip 3: Think Globally
Your community may be acting locally and drawing on local resources, but it’s important to think beyond campus and address global issues. You want to demonstrate that you can think big and tackle major real-world issues.
Honing your Team-Based Discussion Style
We’ve covered some of the areas you’ll want to think about for the substance of the TBD assignment, but what about your participation? How do you handle a group discussion over video and make sure you present your best self and your winning ideas? We provide some winning strategies in this video.
Check out Fortuna’s video strategy session on the Wharton TBD with Michel Belden and Caroline Diarte Edwards, above.
Prepare to shine on video
Flawless internet connectivity is a must, so be sure to test your connection in advance. Like preparations for any virtual MBA interview, make sure the space behind your camera is clear and uncluttered, that your lighting is positioned on your face, and that your sound quality is excellent.
Eye contact is very important. While it is tempting to look at yourself on your screen, be mindful to engage the interviewer by looking up at the camera instead. Use a wireless headset (such as AirPods) which will likely pick up your voice more clearly than your computer microphone.
As Wharton suggests, enter the waiting room 10 minutes early. You may have the opportunity to chat and connect with other participants before go time. Zoom will also give you the benefit of seeing everyone’s names; you may wish to jot them down along with the basics of their plan. If you end up being the “note-taker” for your group throughout the sessions, don’t forget to verbally contribute just as much, if not more, than you are taking the time to annotate the proceedings. Prepare thoughtful questions for your one-on-one
Prepare thoughtful questions for your one-on-one
After completing your TBD, the facilitator will announce the order of one-on-one interviews and then move all group members to the waiting room. The facilitator will invite participants back into the meeting one by one for your Wharton MBA interview. You will have about 10 minutes to address the interview questions.
Be prepared with your answer to “Why Wharton;” this is almost always asked. This is also your opportunity to highlight specific aspects of your candidacy you want to convey and to ask thoughtful questions that demonstrate your knowledge of the program. Once you have completed the one-on-one interview, you can leave the Zoom meeting.
Wharton TBD: What Success Looks Like
Anxious TBD participants often ask me, “How much does it matter if my idea is chosen?” While it can have advantages if the team runs with your idea, it’s far more important to showcase your collaborative leadership. Demonstrating your ability to help facilitate a discussion among people who have never met, collectively work toward a greater end goal and advance an idea in a compelling way within a limited timeframe will make a big impression.
Reflect on the following tactics as you prepare for the Wharton virtual TBD and move through your own “pitch” experience:
- After each team member has introduced themselves and offered a quick pitch, how might you help facilitate discussion to arrive at a consensus?
- How can you support your teammates and collaborate — even if you have to abandon your own idea — versus solely promoting your own ideas?
- What leadership behaviors will draw out your other team members? How are you able to enhance the discussion by encouraging others to voice their opinions?
How might you reflect on the discussion while helping advance the deliverables to support the group’s final presentation to the adcom in the room?
Finally, remember that Wharton’s virtual Team-Based Discussion is an opportunity to bring your unique candidacy to life from a place of authenticity.
This means embracing your own style, whether you’re a quiet consensus-builder, extroverted idea person, or on-the-spot synthesizer. (Check out this illuminating related article by Fortuna’s Michael Malone and Brittany Maschal on the 7 Typical Types in a Wharton TBD and how to respond.) Wharton isn’t looking to fill its cohort with one kind of personality type, so don’t try to be someone you’re not. Self and situational awareness can be expressed across the continuum of passionate thinkers and doers, so stay curious and enjoy yourself.
Let’s Get You In.
Your preparation for the TBD can make all the difference, and Fortuna can help. In past years, 90% of Fortuna clients who participated in our Wharton Interview Prep sessions were admitted. We have a series of mock sessions with former Wharton Admissions gatekeepers scheduled between Oct. 27 and Nov. 3. Spaces are limited, so sign up today to secure your place.
More tips and advice on applying to Wharton
- Wharton MBA Application: Tips from a Former Admissions Director
- What is Wharton Looking For? Key Criteria & Qualities of the Ideal Candidate (video)
- Personal MBA Experience: Insider Advice on the Wharton Business School (video)
Fortuna Admissions Director Judith Silverman Hodara is former acting director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School. For a candid assessment of your chances of admission success at a top MBA program, sign up for a free consultation.