Hello Class of 2017!

October 29, 2015

Thursday, November 5 is the last day to change the grading status of a Q2 elective.

Click here to view the annual academic calendar in its entirety. 

LT indicators for Q1 have been published. To view these designations:

Login to SPIKE
Select the "My Account" tab
Select "My Academic Info" from the left-side menu bar

With the opening of Spring 2016 Course Match fast approaching, we want to inform you that a tentative list of course offerings is available on the Course Match page on SPIKE.

Below is the Course Match calendar for Spring 2016 registration:

Monday, November 2

Course Match Opens - 12:00pm (noon)

Students may begin to report and modify their preferences for Spring 2016 courses

Monday, December 7 - 12:00pm (noon)

Last day for students to report and modify preferences

Course Match closes at 12:00pm (noon)

Friday, December 11

Course Schedules are released

Drop/Add "buffer period" begins

Monday, December 14 - 12:00pm (noon)

Drop/Add "buffer period" ends

"Buffer period" results will be released later that day

Monday, January 11

First day of Q3 and spring semester core courses

Wharton MBA Program operates on a Wednesday schedule

Monday only Core classes do not meet

Wednesday only Core classes meet

Wednesday, January 13

First day of Q3 and spring semester elective courses

University operates on a Monday schedule

Wednesday only classes do not meet

Monday only classes (Core and Elective) meet

All first-year students are required to take a .25CU speaking course during the spring semester. Students may choose between four courses:

• WHCP 612: Advanced Persuasion: Convincing Business Audiences
• WHCP 612: Advanced Persuasion: Crisis Communication
• WHCP 612: Advanced Persuasion: Fundamentals for Prospective Entrepreneurs
• WHCP 615: Communication Challenges for Entrepreneurs: “Pitching your Business”

In order to assign a preference for WHCP 615 in Course Match, students must receive pre-clearance. Click here and follow the instructions to request pre-clearance for WHCP615. The deadline to request pre-clearance is Tuesday, November 17. 

Click here for a full description of each course.

The default utility for all sections of WHCP612 will be set to 1. You are encouraged to increase the utility on sections you prefer. Any section manually set to 0 will be reset to 1 before Course Match runs.

The WHCP615 curriculum is designed for students who are currently active in starting a business while at Wharton. To enroll in this course, students must agree to their understanding of the prerequisites and provide a brief summary of their business idea (approx. 50 words). In order to assign a preference for WHCP 615 in Course Match, students must receive pre-clearance. Click here and follow the instructions to request pre-clearance for WHCP615. The deadline to request pre-clearance is Tuesday, November 17.

All enrollments in sections of WHCP612 & 615 will be made final on Thursday, January 14. First year students will not be able to drop or change their sections of communications after Thursday, January 14. First year students who do not have a section of communications on January 14 will be assigned to a section of WHCP612 with capacity.

Just a note to confirm that, as of October 29, you do not need to use the attendance smartphone app to check in to OIDD 611 this quarter. The faculty in that course directly monitor your presence and participation. Also, the daily emails you receive when you are absent from a fixed core class will no longer include your OIDD 611 record.

You should continue to use the app to check into your MGEC and STAT core courses.

Penn’s Advanced Registration runs from October 26th to November 6th at 5 PM.  To see the Spring 2016 course offerings at Penn, log into PennInTouch where your transcript is located. Under Registration and Planning, the Course Search option allows you to search for courses via subject code, instructor, day & time, etc. If you would like to request registration in a Penn course, please email mbaprogram@wharton.upenn.edu with the full course ID (ex. ARTH-500-001) and our office will place the request for you. Only university courses numbered 500 and above (ex. ARTH-500-001) and/or with the words “professional, business level, advanced and beyond”  will be counted towards an MBA degree. Please note that if you choose the “Add to Cart” option in PennInTouch, the request will not be processed. 

Requests placed during Advanced Registration do not guarantee you a spot in the class thought they may increase the likelihood of enrollment. The results of Advanced Registration will be released at 10:00 am on November 17th. You can check the status of your registration then by logging into Penn InTouch; if successful, the course will appear on your transcript. From then on, the Penn classes are open on a first-come, first-serve basis so requests can be directed to mbaprogram@wharton.upenn.edu at any time. Up to 4 credits of non-Wharton graduate level classes can be counted towards your 19 cu required for graduation.

Interested in applying to one of Wharton's joint-degree programs in international relations/public affairs with Harvard's Kennedy School of Government (HKS)? Come to an information session on Thursday, November 5 at 12:00 PM in JMHH F 94 to hear more about the HKS degree options available to you.

Classmates currently enrolled at HKS will be explaining why a joint-degree worked for them, the doors it can open for you, and the application processes involved.

The Spring 2016 section of the Operations Strategy Practicum Course (OIDD 680) will include a week in Germany during Spring Break 2016. Please review the syllabus (linked) if you are interested in participating in the course. Note that this course has an admission process, additional expenses and requires early financial commitment. Please do not hesitate to contact Prof. Morris Cohen in the Operations, Information and Decisions Department if you have any questions. Information regarding the registration process for this course will be released in future correspondence.

Tutor@Wharton is a platform that connects Wharton students with tutors for fixed and flexible core subject material. Tutors are usually second year students who have proven their mastery of the subject material. To find a tutor in a core subject, visit the Tutor@Wharton site and click “I am looking for a tutor.” 

SFS has placed registration and transcript holds on all accounts over $1000. Please go to Student Financial Services located in Room 100 in the Franklin Building to take care of this matter.

SFS has placed immunization holds on all students who have not shown proof of immunization.  If you have not taken care of this matter, there are three ways to contact Student Health:

• ASAP at 215-746-3535 and press option 5!  
• Visit the SHS at 3535 Market Street 
• Email them

All holds must be removed by November 2 or you will not have Course Match access.

Join Eric Bradlow, Vice Dean of the Wharton Doctoral Programs, along with Wharton faculty who have earned both MBA and PhD degrees and current Wharton PhD students who have earned MBA degrees.

• Learn about a career as an academic
• Discover a career that offers flexibility & creativity 
• Find out why teaching in the classroom is so  rewarding

When: Thursday, November 12, 5:00-6:00PM
Where: Room 107 Steinberg-Dietrich Hall 
Snacks will be provided.

Register here! Please e-mail Maggie Saia, or call 215.898.4878 with any inquiries.

William Ackman is the CEO and Portfolio Manager of Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P., an SEC registered investment adviser founded in 2003.

Monday, November 16, 2015 at 4:45 PM, Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center

Moderated by Bobby Turner W'84

RSVP here

Are you considering Wharton’s Semester in San Francisco (SSF)?  At this info session, we will discuss the benefits of spending the first semester of your 2Y studying at Wharton’s downtown San Francisco campus on the Embarcadero.  Topics covered will include:  coursework, benefits to the job search, student life and leadership seminars.  You will hear stories from previous and current participants, as well as learn about the application process.  Speakers will include Wharton staff managing the program and current 2Ys participants who will speak virtually via Skype.  The info session is scheduled on Wednesday, November 11, at 4:30pm in F95.

Our next Authors@Wharton program will be held on November 11:

Martine Rothblatt

SiriusXM founder and United Therapeutics CEO
Virtually Human: The Promise and the Peril of Digital Immortality
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
5.30pm-7.00pm*
*Doors open: 5:20pm
JMHH 8th Floor
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Please refer to our website for the rest of the Fall lineup.

Information Session for the Executive Coaching and Feedback Program for 2017 MBA students will be held:

Monday, November 2, 2015 12:00 PM JMHH 355

Please see our website for more details.

Information Sessions for the Leadership Fellows Program will be held:

Tuesday, November 3, 2015 12:00 PM JMHH G65 

Wednesday, November 4 - 12:00 -1:15 pm (Vance B11) 

Please see our website for more details.

Leadership Venture Gear Exchange

Calling all students (especially 2nd years) who have gear they want to sell or rent! Please fill out the venture gear exchange spreadsheet with gear details, price, and contact information. 

We are soliciting applications for LawWithoutWalls (Lwow), an international program aimed at pairing business school and law school students to embrace and meet the challenges of the economic pressures, technological advances, and globalization that have dramatically reshaped the legal market. Over a 3-month period, LawWithoutWalls teams up students from over 20 elite law and business schools around the world with academic, lawyer, and entrepreneur mentors to develop business plans that tackle the main problems facing legal education and practice today.  

More information about Lwow can be found here. The application deadline is October 30, 2015. Funding may be available to cover registration, and travel costs to Madrid and Miami and students can also receive 1 CU of course credit for their participation. Wharton has sent MBA students to participate for the last three years. To be put in touch with these students, or for other questions, please contact Amy Sepinwall, Assistant Professor in Legal Studies and Business Ethics.

Please note the following as it pertains to the week of November 22:

Mon-Wed, November 23-25
Core classes do not meet

Tuesday, November 24
The University of Pennsylvania operates on a Thursday schedule
- Tuesday only elective classes do not meet
- Thursday only elective classes meet

Wednesday, November 25
The University of Pennsylvania operates on a Friday schedule
- Wednesday only elective classes do not meet
- Friday only elective classes meet

Thu-Sun, November 26- November 29
Thanksgiving Break - Classes do not meet

Take a break from recruiting and refuel with some coffee, donuts & bagels with the SLFs!  We will be setting up in the GSRs outside of the MBA cafe from 8:45 to 11:30 am on the following days: C4 on 11/9, C3 on 11/10, C2 on 11/11, C1 on 11/12.  We hope to see you there!

 Conference season is underway! Just a few friendly reminder to the organizers:

1. If your event features a speaker, please note that each speaker a group, club, department, or individual wishes to invite to a Wharton event, whether on campus or off-site, must be approved by Wharton Marketing and Communications (and in certain cases by the University) before any invitation is extended. Each speaker request must be submitted using the school-wide Speaker Request Management System, found here: https://web.wharton.upenn.edu/speaker/. Please expect at least 72 business hours for feedback on your request.  Failure to abide by this policy may result in loss of Wharton and University resources. 
2. Please reference the Media Relations guidelines and the speaker release forms posted on SPIKE.  If you plan on inviting journalists to attend sessions, it is important to get your conference speakers’ approval first.

We appreciate all your hard work in coordinating these fantastic events on behalf of the Wharton community and wish the best of luck!

-WGA Conference Chairs & Student Life

The MBA Office of Student Life would like to invite you to schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with your Cluster Student Life Advisor at some point in the coming days, weeks, or months. Our aim is to get to know you better and discuss some of your goals and how we can best support you during your time at Wharton.

If you would like to set up a meeting, please use the link below to access the Wharton Appointment Scheduler.

https://web.wharton.upenn.edu/scheduler/MBAStudentLife/