Does Wharton make efforts to introduce gender diversity in incoming classes? What is it really like for women who have young children? Have any single moms ever entered the program? Is the experience what other women have expected?

Being the first in your company to pursue an executive MBA and request full sponsorship may be daunting, but it’s important to be confident. “You wouldn’t be a viable candidate at Wharton if you didn’t have some real skills and benefits to offer,” says EMBA student and Fellow Kristin Burke, who, in her mid-twenties, chartered a path for sponsorship at her company.

Despite the current economic climate, the time is "ripe" to pursue an executive MBA degree, according to an article in CFO.com about a recent survey by the Executive MBA Council. The survey showed that 2007 applications to EMBA programs were up by 25% from 2005. Michael Desiderio, executive director of the Executive MBA Council, explained in the article: "When economic times are tough, people want to get the best skills they can get."

On Tues., January 15, 2008, there will be an open Q&A session with members of the Executive MBA Admissions Committee.  This online chat will run from 12noon-1pm EST (9am-10am PST). 

Yes, it's back-to-back-to-back classes every session, but that's where the routine ends! Each weekend, there's a new roster of in-class and extracurricular activities. The class managers spread the word about these activities via a communiqué that students find in their mail folders. The communiqué also gives a heads up on and highlights any upcoming issues.

Condensing EMBA programs does not serve the long-term interests of either students or companies who sponsor participants, says Howie Kaufold, Wharton EMBA program director and professor of finance. Kaufold was recently quoted in the article, "A Faster Way to an MBA," which looks at a number of newly condensed executive MBA programs and cites Wharton's EMBA program as a stalwart against this trend.

As the deadline for Wharton's Executive MBA program approaches, we'd like to turn your attention to a few resources that you may find helpful and, hopefully, interesting.

One of the most important steps to completing your application is meeting with a member of the Admissions Committee for an evaluative interview. Wharton's MBA Exec program encourages all applicants to schedule an interview before submitting an online app. If you call far enough in advance, you can get a slot on a class day and spend time with students. By the end of a day of interviewing and class visits, you should have a very good idea if this is the right EMBA program for you.

You are never too old or too young to pursue your MBA. Whether you are 27 or 47, it is up to you to decide when the time is right for you. With that in mind, the Wharton EMBA program introduced the “Fellows” status to welcome early career candidates with fewer than the average 10 years of professional experience. High energy, fast-track career performance and recent academic accomplishments are qualities that compensate for briefer professional tenure and enable these candidates to contribute.