Hi Christina,
Thanks for your inquiry. The cost of the program is all-inclusive. We do not separate out the room and board from tuition and books. There is a residential requirement for all students in the program to stay "on campus" during the program dates. This is a somewhat unique aspect of the Wharton EMBA program, and it really fosters a total immersion experience. It allows the students to tune out the distractions of daily life in order to truly engage in the program as well as focus on the rigorous academics. This time commitment also allows our students to form lifelong friendships on a personal and professional level. Our students confirm our view that they learn nearly as much from each other as they do during formal class hours. Much of this interaction takes place on Friday evenings when the study groups get together to master course material. In addition, many course review sessions, guest lectures, socializing and special events for families and partners also happen on Friday evenings.
As far as the number of applicants: The EMBA program has a smaller number of applicants than the full-time program. There is a self-selection process that occurs, as fewer people are willing to take on the challenge of working full time in a demanding job that typically consumes 60-80 hours a week while completing an "undiluted" MBA program that requires 20-30 hours of additional study per week. So the applicant pool remains quite competitive. In general, we accept approximately 20% of our applicants. Additionally, we have seen a 10% uptick in applications this past year and we expect that number to rise in the future as the economy continues to improve.
Next year's application deadlines for the SF program are as follows: Round 1- December 3, 2012 with decisions posted by January 18, 2013. Round 2- February 6, 2013, with decisions posted by March 22, 2013. There was a meeting held yesterday (May 9, 2012) to determine these dates, so they are not quite posted to the website yet. We do not do rolling admissions.
In regards to your experience level: We have two levels of candidate qualifications. The "Traditional" EMBA applicant is at least 30 years old, with at least 8 years experince and 5 years of management experience. We also have the "Fellows" applicant status for high-achieving, high-potential applicants who are younger with less experience. For more information on these applicant qualifications and requirements, see our website at http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mbaexecutive/admissions/candidate-qualifications.cfm. It is important to note that once admitted, there is no distinction made between the "Traditional" and "Fellows" students.
For program fit, you are ultimately the best person who can answer that question for yourself. We are happy to help you determine which program would best fit your needs. A lot of it would depend on your post-MBA goals. Generally, EMBA students are not looking to make a huge career shift into a different industry. The full-time program might be better structured for that type of goal, as it offers the opportunity to do a summer internship to build experience and credibility in a new field. EMBA students are generally on an accelerated career path and do not want to lose momentum by pausing 2 years for a full-time MBA. For a detailed description of the differences between the two programs, see our comparison chart at: http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mbaexecutive/admissions/compare-wharton-programs.cfm.
I would encourage you to sign up for a MyWhartonEMBA account so that we may notify you of events that may be of interest to you. (https://upennemba.askadmissions.net/emtinterestpage.aspx?ip=requestform). We welcome our applicants to attend any of the numerous information sessions that we host in the fall, as well as lecture series, networking events, webcasts, admissions chats, etc. Feel free to contact our offices (http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/mbaexecutive/contact-us.cfm) if you have any questions regarding the program or the application process. We invite all applicants to schedule an interview and class visit starting in September prior to submitting their application.
We look forward to assisting you in any way possible.
Best regards,
Laura Nash
Admissions Counselor
Wharton MBA Program for Executives