How to Approach the Wharton Team Based Discussion

Drew Hoff

11 minutes ago

5 min read

By Drew Hoff, Hoff Admissions

The Wharton Team Based Discussion can sound more intimidating than it needs to. You’re preparing for an interview, but part of your performance depends on a group of people you haven’t met.

My advice is still pretty simple: be cool, be yourself, speak up, and handle your business.

Prepare your proposal and know the assignment. Then give yourself enough room to listen and respond to the people in front of you. You don’t need a rehearsed strategy for every possible turn in the conversation.

Understand what this year’s prompt asks you to accomplish

This year, your team will design a four-day spring-break trek for about 40 MBA students. The trek is open to students across career interests, with MBA Career Management and Wharton Alumni Relations partnering on the pilot.

The goal is to give students a valuable shared experience while building employer relationships and strengthening connections with the local alumni community.

Your team needs to decide on four things:

A destination city and why it works for students with different career goals.
Company visits or meetings with business leaders that serve those interests and create new recruiting relationships.
An alumni experience that offers meaningful engagement and builds lasting ties.
Measures of success and follow-up that help those relationships continue into next year.

Travel logistics and costs are outside your scope. Spend your discussion time on the decisions Wharton has actually asked you to make.

Build a proposal around the purpose of the trek

Choose a city you can make a credible case for. Research its economic growth, its mix of industries, and its Wharton alumni presence.

The prompt doesn’t require an international destination. Wherever you propose, explain why the city offers an opportunity for Wharton to expand its reach. Don’t assume that naming a major business hub answers that question.

Be careful with the company list, too. Four technology companies may offer different products while still producing a fairly narrow trek. Think about both industries and functions. A healthcare organization, for example, could interest students pursuing finance, strategy, operations, or technology roles.

For each proposed meeting, explain what students would gain and why the employer would want to participate. Local alumni could help identify organizations interested in building a recruiting relationship with Wharton.

Research what you can about existing connections. Avoid presenting a familiar Wharton recruiter as a new relationship without checking.

Give people something concrete in your one-minute pitch

I would propose a city and briefly explain the trek you have in mind.

Selection criteria are useful during the group discussion. In your opening pitch, a specific recommendation gives your teammates something to consider and build on.

Aim to establish the destination, why it fits, and a few details that show how your idea addresses the assignment. You don’t need to recite a complete four-day itinerary.

Here’s an illustrative example using Orlando:

“I’d propose Orlando to explore how companies create experiences that keep people coming back. We’d seek a Disney World session on guest flow, pricing, and service operations, visit EA Orlando to discuss game development and digital business models, and meet AdventHealth leaders to examine patient experience and healthcare innovation. That gives students interested in finance, technology, marketing, and operations different ways into the discussion. The local Penn and Wharton alumni club could co-host a dinner comparing lessons across these businesses, followed by time exploring a park together. We’d prioritize new recruiting connections and measure employer follow-ups, alumni mentoring matches, and student relevance, with a virtual reunion after 60 days.”

Use that for structure and develop your own proposal. Proposed visits would need to be confirmed, along with which employers represent new opportunities for Wharton.

Write out your pitch and practice it aloud with a timer. If it runs long, cut something. Have clean, brief notes available if your interview instructions permit them, but know your idea well enough to explain it without reading.

Listen and contribute to the actual conversation

Wharton describes the TBD as a way to observe how you communicate, make decisions, and work with others. There is no prescribed role you need to play.

That should take some pressure off. You don’t need to enter determined to become the facilitator, timekeeper, or person whose idea gets selected.

Let people finish. Listen to their proposals instead of spending the whole time preparing your next impressive comment. If someone offers a stronger idea, help develop it. If the group chooses yours, give others room to improve it.

One past client made a useful observation after his TBD: some candidates were so focused on appearing friendly and inclusive that they barely contributed to the substance. They kept complimenting ideas and passing the conversation around, almost like game show hosts.

Be friendly, absolutely. But say something useful.

You might connect two proposals, identify a gap, or help the group evaluate a tradeoff:

“We have a strong set of finance visits. Could we add a healthcare or energy meeting so the trek offers more to students with other interests?”

Or:

“The alumni dinner sounds good. What would give alumni a reason to stay involved after we leave?”

Those comments help the group develop its plan. They also show that you’re paying attention.

Give alumni engagement and follow-up real thought

A networking reception is a starting point. Explain how people will interact and what makes the experience worthwhile for alumni as well as students.

You could propose small-group discussions around business challenges, alumni-led conversations across industries, or an event where students share perspectives from their own professional backgrounds. Make room for relationships that offer value in both directions.

The same applies to measuring success. Attendance and satisfaction surveys can tell you something, but this prompt also asks whether the trek creates relationships worth continuing.

Consider a few practical measures:

Whether students across career interests found relevant opportunities.
Whether employers want a follow-up recruiting conversation, resume book, or campus event.
Whether alumni want to mentor students or help organize the next trek.

Then identify who follows up and when. For example, student organizers could work with Career Management and Alumni Relations to coordinate introductions, review progress after 60 or 90 days, and prepare a handover for next year’s team.

Those are suggested approaches, not additional Wharton requirements.

Help the group finish the assignment

Keep the four required decisions in mind as the conversation develops.

If the team spends most of its time debating cities, suggest a way to choose one and move forward. If everyone is discussing company visits, bring attention to alumni engagement or follow-up.

Keep the proposed activities realistic for 40 students over four days. Include room for classmates to spend time together and explore the city. That shared experience is part of the assignment, too.

As time runs down, help the group check that its recommendation fits together and covers every required component. Follow the timing and presentation instructions provided for your session.

Remember the individual interview

Wharton’s published format includes an individual conversation after the group exercise, with an opportunity to reflect on your performance.

Be ready to explain what you contributed, a challenge the team faced, and something you would approach differently. Use specific examples and take responsibility for your own behavior.

Also prepare to discuss your career goals, why you hold them, and why Wharton fits what you want to accomplish. Don’t become so focused on the group exercise that you forget to prepare for that conversation.

Before interview day, test your technology, check your setup, and review the instructions about timing and notes. Join early enough to be ready when the session begins.

You’ve worked with other people before. Bring that experience with you, prepare a thoughtful proposal, and give yourself a chance to enjoy meeting potential classmates.

If you’d like help preparing for your Wharton interview, email me at drewhoff@gmail.com or request a free consultation.