2003 GRADUATE COMMENTS
High caliber students, tightly-knit student body, world-class professors, helpful program staff, rigorous curriculum, modern facility, and the Wharton brand name are just some reasons that make the WEMBA program the obvious choice for me. --Sales
What I didn't fully appreciate about Wharton until I attended is the depth of leadership steeped into each level of the curriculum. The school certainly has a finance slant to it, but it's the ethical, business, and thought leadership that you see each class day, from the professors, the content, and your classmates, that makes it so remarkable. --Marketing
I went to Wharton because I felt it was the best program in the U.S., and most likely the world as well. After going there, I still feel the same way. Research & Development
Wharton's program provided me with enough of the fundamentals and theory for me to be confident in whatever business endeavors I take on in the future. The actual content and concepts covered in business school aren't terribly difficult to grasp; I think the main value that's derived from a Master's level business education is the ability to create new extensions of traditional frameworks to solve unique business problems. --Strategy
Wharton provides an unmatched combination of a demanding curriculum and top quality faculty and students. --Marketing
It's a highly regarded program. I think what you learn in any of these programs is probably very similar, so perception of the program among potential employers is important. --Finance
[Faculty strengths/weaknesses?] Finance instructors were top notch, marketing and management instructors were good. --Accounting
[Faculty strengths/weaknesses?] They are leaders in their industry, and had the ability to not only provide depth in their areas but also to effectively convey this to a broad base of students. They were very demanding in terms of workload, which made it significantly more challenging for those working full time. They weren't at all willing to wait for all of the students to catch up and expected the students to come prepared. --Marketing
The strength of the instructors lies in their focus on making sure that discussions, cases, and problem sets were all tailored to effectively communicate the materials for students to digest. The weakness that I found was the large overlap in cases and companies used as models for specific types of business problems from professor to professor or class to class. I suspect this problem is common across all business schools -- there's a herd-like mentality or an economy of effort when everyone cites the same companies as examples of "excellence". --Strategy
I thought there was a good balance between full-time faculty and adjunct professors, who often had more business experience. In addition, bringing in faculty from other schools, such as Harvard, Columbia and Johns Hopkins, added to the diversity of perspectives and teaching styles. --Finance
The instructors were truly leaders in their respective fields. Frequently, I would read or see them quoted in the business press. --Strategy, Marketing, Operations
[Faculty strengths/weaknesses?] Some of them were too theoretical in their approach to teaching. They forget that they are teaching people with a lot more experience than the regular full-time MBA class, and so (for example) in a class where we had several derivative traders, the professor was unable to pull them into the discussions or to use their knowledge base effectively. --Finance
[Improvements?] During the first year, having smaller sections could facilitate more interaction with the professors. With 50 or 100 students in a class, it's sometimes difficult to ask your questions in real time. --Marketing
[Improvements?] More time for discussion, controlled by the professor. It always seemed that we ran out of time! --Operations
[Improvements?] Get more cutting-edge technologies in the class, which has been done with Jon M Hunstman Hall. Wharton has designed and even patented some of the innovations that are now available in each classroom of this building. Very neat! --Sales
[Improvements?] 1. More guest speakers with real-world experience. 2. More up-to-date handouts and other materials. 3. More emphasis on the real world rather than theory. --Finance
The MBA was clearly a sacrifice. Wharton is quite rigorous. Although I wouldn't change anything, the experience was at times daunting. --Operations
The school was unbelievably cooperative in providing all of the necessary materials for classes, including books and school supplies. Better food in the dining room would have improved my daily life, but I don't think it's possible to please everyone when it comes to food. --Accounting
[Improvements?] Traveling into the program the night before classes began was necessary for many of us. It would have been helpful to include, even for an additional fee, hotel arrangements, and logistical support to the group of students that had to come in for extra days due to the long commutes. --Finance
It's extremely demanding. Lightening up the first year and/or extending the program for six months would have been very beneficial. From a teamwork perspective, lengthening the program would allow a bit more time for the teams to spend working together. --Marketing
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