How to Get Into UPenn | Analyzing a Wharton Essay That Worked!

Summary

The video offers advice for responding to University of Pennsylvania supplemental essays, with separate guidance for the thank-you note, Wharton, and the College of Arts and Sciences. It emphasizes specificity, genuine personal reflection, and showing how an applicant would use Penn’s resources to make an impact.

1. Thank-You Note Essay

The prompt asks applicants to write a short thank-you note to someone they have not yet thanked. The presenter says the goal is not to produce a dramatic or sentimental story, but to show sincere reflection.

Suggested approach:

• Consider an unexpected person who influenced you, such as a school janitor or an older neighbor.
• Explain, in order of importance:
  1. What the person did for you.
  2. What you did for them in return.
  3. How the relationship helped you grow.
• Keep the focus on both the person and your own development. For example, describe how a shared activity inspired you to start a school project or take action in your community.

2. Wharton Essay

The Wharton prompt is described as a “Why us?” essay that asks applicants to apply business knowledge to a real-world issue.

Suggested approach:

• Choose a social or economic problem you genuinely care about—ideally one you have already worked on and hope to pursue further.
• Explain what distinctive skills, experience, or knowledge you bring to addressing it.
• Propose an innovative, business-oriented solution that draws on that “unfair advantage.”
• Connect your goals to two or three relevant Wharton courses or programs.

The sample essay discusses the economics behind everyday choices, then describes work with Congressman DeSaulnier analyzing the College Affordability Act. The presenter praises the essay for combining economic knowledge with practical work on a policy issue and for linking the student’s interests to Wharton’s business economics and public policy concentration and relevant courses. The final paragraph connects those resources to the student’s future aims.

3. College of Arts and Sciences Essay

For the College of Arts and Sciences prompt, the presenter highlights exploration, connection, and curiosity.

Suggested approach:

• Research Penn-specific courses, professors, programs, scholarships, and other resources.
• Show how your interests connect across fields and how you would explore those connections at Penn.
• Explain how you would use specific opportunities to develop an idea or create something useful.

An illustrative example combines psychology, computer science, and UI/UX design. It connects digital media design and courses in computer graphics and web systems to an interest in animation and consumer trust, then proposes developing startup ideas through Penn-affiliated innovation opportunities.

Overall Lessons

• Make the essay specific to Penn; generic praise of its community or courses is not enough.
• Show what you would contribute, not only what you hope to receive.
• Explain how Penn’s resources fit your interests and how you would use them to create meaningful outcomes.
• Build a clear case for why you and Penn are a strong fit for each other.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Unnamed ElevatEd presenter: Delivers the essay advice and analyzes the examples. The subtitles do not identify the presenter by name.
• Unnamed applicant/sample essay writer: The Wharton essay is quoted and discussed; the writer is not identified.
• University of Pennsylvania: The essay prompts, courses, and programs are discussed as examples of institutional resources.
• Congressman DeSaulnier: Mentioned in the sample essay as a collaborator on a policy-related project.