Spike
Wharton

MBA Program Office

Guide to Graduating Wharton

What You Need To Do Before You Graduate

Dates to Remember

  • March 14-28 (5 PM): Submit nominations for Student Recognition Awards
  • March 30 (Deadline extended): Order your graduation cap and gown at the Penn Bookstore
  • March 26: Attend session on "Working with Executive Search Firms"
  • April 1-4 (5 PM): Vote for Student Recognition Award Winners, Cohort and Faculty Marshals
  • April 1-May 16: Pick up Graduation Announcements to send to friends and family in the MBA Program Office
  • April 7: Attend session on "Managing the Transition into Your New Job"
  • April 11: Deadline for Submitting Your Information on Marching Order
  • April 14: Attend session of Wharton career resources for alumni
  • May 12-May 17: Pick-Up Your cap and gown (regalia) at the Penn Bookstore
  • May 18: Wharton Graduation Ceremony
  • May 19: Penn Commencement Ceremony
  • May 20 (noon): Deadline for returning Rented Caps and Gowns to Penn Bookstore
  • May 23: Last day to clean out your mail folder
  • June 26 (5 PM): Last day to update the mailing address for your diploma on PennInTouch
  • July 15: Final day to access webCafé
  • October 1: Final day that your Wharton computing account will remain active

BEFORE YOU GRADUATE

Submit Nominations for Student Recognition Awards (March 14 - March 28, 5 PM)
Each year Wharton honors outstanding members of the student body with Student Recognition Awards. All students can nominate others for these awards and the student body then selects a winner from the nominees.

Action: Look for the link to the nomination system and instructions in the March 14 and March 21 weekly emails. Be sure to get your nomination in by 5 PM sharp on March 28. The system will close at that time and late submissions will not be accepted.

Order Your Cap and Gown (deadline extended to March 30)
All members of the Class of 2008 that plan to participate in this year’s Graduation Ceremony on Sunday, May 18, are required to wear regalia issued by the Penn Bookstore (price: $46.95 plus tax).

Action: Visit the Penn Bookstore, first floor academic regalia counter, from March 19-March 21, 2008, to order rental regalia. It is important that you place your order during this period to allow sufficient time for delivery before the graduation ceremony. Your regalia will be available for pick-up on the second level of the Penn Bookstore from May 12-May 17, 2008 from 9 AM-6 PM. Regalia must be returned to the Bookstore by 12 PM Tuesday, May 20, 2008.

Mail Orders: If you are unable to pick up regalia at the Penn Bookstore, you may order by downloading and completing the Regalia Order Form available on the Penn Bookstore web site.  

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Attend Session on Working with Executive Search Firms (March 26, 12-1:20 PM, JMHH 250)
At some point in your career, it may be effective for you to work with an Executive Search firm to make a change or advance your career. Come hear Phil Murphy, consultant from Spencer Stuart talk about the role executive search firms play during your career. Phil is a consultant in Spencer Stuart’s Philadelphia office and a 2006 Wharton MBA graduate

Vote for Student Recognition Award Winners (April 1- 4, 5 PM)
Recipients of Student Recognition Awards will be selected by a student body vote. Only those students nominated will be part of the final voting process.

Action: Look for the link to the Voting System to be sent in the March 28 MBA Program Office weekly email. This link will be active beginning April 1 and will accept votes until 5 PM sharp on Friday, April 4.

Vote for Graduation Cohort Marshals and Graduation Faculty Marshals (April 1-4, 5 PM)
Each year four members of the Wharton Faculty are selected by the students to escort the Graduates on to Franklin Field. This selection is made by popular vote. In addition, one member of each Cohort is selected to lead the Cohort into Franklin Field and carry the Cohort sign. A Cohort marshal should be someone who is attending the Graduation Ceremony and who, according to his/her Cohort mates best reflects the spirit of that Cohort and the Wharton School. Only members of a Cohort can vote for that Cohort’s marshal.

Action: Look for the link to the Voting System to be sent in the March 28 MBA Program Office weekly email. This link will be active beginning April 1 and will accept votes until 5 PM sharp on Friday, April 4.

Attend Session on Managing the Transition into Your New Job (Offered twice!) April 7, 12-1:20 PM and 3:45-4:45 PM, Room TBD
As you plan to join a new professional team, there are questions you should be asking and preparations to be done to ensure a successful start. Guest speaker George Bradt, Managing Director of PrimeGenesis, Wharton graduate (WG’85), and EVP of the Wharton Club of NY will discuss how to manage the transition process with specific steps to maximize your successful entry.

Attend Session on Wharton Career Resources for Alumni ( April 14, 4:30-6PM, JMHH 240)
Class of 2008! Congratulations on entering the last stage of your time at Wharton! Very soon you will make the momentous transition from student to alumni. And the world you entered two years ago will just get bigger as you join over 80,000 colleagues around the globe. Come and learn…

  • what alumni career resources are available to you now and after graduation
  • how to join your local Wharton Alumni Club and stay connected
  • how to be an active Wharton representative at your new company (be a Wharton captain!)
  • how to recruit at Wharton (you might find yourself on the other side of the table next year!)

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Mandatory Interviews for Students Receiving Financial Aid
 If you are a student receiving any loans (including federal and/ or private loans) through the Wharton School, you are required to complete an online exit interview with Student Financial Services (SFS). Th is exit interview is mandatory and must be completed in order for you to receive your diploma and any future transcripts. SFS will send you a letter in mid-February regarding the requirements for the online interview.

Action: Follow instructions on the letter from SFS. Contact SFS immediately if you did not receive a letter from them.

Complete Your Graduation Information on Marching Order
 The MarchingOrder.com is the database system used by Wharton to collect information we need from you before you Graduate. This link will become active when you return from Spring Break. You need to log on to Marching Order whether or not you plan to attend the gradation ceremony. For those attending the ceremony, we will ask you important information regarding number of guests, as well as the address to which you would like us to send the photo we take of you that day. You will also be able to order a copy of the Graduation DVD on this site.

Action: Log on to MarchingOrder.com and complete the required fields by April 11. Log on using your Wharton email address.

Final deadline to input the address to which you would like your diploma mailed into Penn InTouch (June 26, 5 PM)
The University will mail your diploma to the  Temporary Address you have listed in Penn In Touch as of June 27, 2008.  If your temporary address in Penn In Touch has an expiration date prior to June 27, 2008, then the University will send your diploma to the Permanent Address you have listed in Penn in Touch. 

Action: Log in to PennInTouch and make sure these fields are updated.

Diplomas will be placed in the U.S. Postal Service at some point between July 1 and September 30, 2008.  Please note that diplomas, unlike most regularly sized mail, are often not forwarded by the U.S. Postal Service.  Therefore do not keep your Philadelphia address and assume the diploma will be forwarded with your other mail.

We realize that many of you will be travelling at this time or may not have signed a lease yet in your new city.  There are others who will be living in areas with unreliable mail delivery.   In those cases, sending it to a relative or trusted friend may be the easiest way to ensure that you receive your diploma.  We recommend that whenever possible you use a U.S. based address. 

You will receive an email from the MBA Program Office during the week of May 12 th that will list the address to which your diploma will be sent if you do not make any changes on Penn In Touch going forward.   That will be your last reminder to input the correct information.  Failure to follow these instructions can result in fines for replacing your diploma ($25) as well as mailing the replacement ($5 minimum for U.S. addresses and $25 minimum for international addresses).   In addition, it could add at least another month of processing time until the diploma is delivered.

NOTE:   If you are an August graduate (including students that are on the INSEAD exchange in May), you will receive a separate email outlining instructions for updating your address. Your diploma will be mailed in October.

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Make Sure That Your University Bills are Paid
Before you graduate, be sure that all of your bills with the University are settled. Note that students who owe more than $1000 on the date of graduation will not receive their diploma nor will they be able to receive any future transcripts until the balance is paid.

Action: Make sure that your balance is correct by logging on to the Penn Portal.

Report your Post-Wharton Plans to MBA Career Management
This information is vital to MBA Career Management and the entire Wharton community. It is the source for many online resources including career, salary and timing trends as well as the student directory and peer network.  It also notifies MBA Career Management which students are still seeking a job so we can provide individualized assistance and collects the data required to complete our Annual CareerReport and media requests.

Action: To report your plans to MBA Career Management go to CareerPath.  Enter information in all of the fields so that we have comprehensive data.  Please note: All individual data is kept confidential.  Data is only reported in aggregate by industry, function or location.
For those students continuing the search for a full-time position, take advantage of advising appointments, opportunities on the MBA Job Board, and research & networking tools on the MBA Career Management website.

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Transition from Wharton's Computing Services
As a member of the Class of 2008, you will have access to computing services for a short time after you graduate. On October 1, 2008, you Wharton account and all data in it will be permanently deleted from Wharton's servers (access to webCafé will terminate July 15, 2008). Before you current Wharton account closes, please make sure you do the following:

Forward Your Lifelong Email. Your Wharton Lifelong E-Mail address is a forwarding address you received when you matriculated at Wharton. While you are a student your Lifelong email address is automatically forwarded to your Wharton Student account. You can configure this address to forward to the email address you will be using once you graduate. This will ensure that you receive updates and information about Wharton.

Action: Before your Wharton e-mail account closes, please set your forwarding to your new e-mail account. You can change the forwarding address for your Lifelong email address by clicking on the My Account@Wharton link from the SPIKE webpage. Please keep in mind that any new email sent to your existing Wharton account will be forwarded as well until the account is closed. Once you graduate, you can change your e-mail forwarding at any time by going to Wharton Alumni Online Community and selecting Lifelong E-Mail.

Consider Enrolling in the Wharton Live Pilot Program. Later this Spring Wharton Computing will be piloting a new account service offering. Graduating students may elect to sign up for a Wharton Live account, hosted by Microsoft, which will allow you to retain a Wharton email address and account space on Microsoft’s Windows Live platform after you graduate.

Action: The Wharton Live Pilot Program will be available soon. Information on this new option, which is separate from your current Wharton account, will be announced on SPIKE. If you are interested in participating please watch for the posting and directions on signing up.

Save or Forward Files You Want to Keep. Once your Wharton Account is closed, any emails or files that remain will be permanently deleted.

Action: If you want to keep any email messages for future reference, either save them to local folders on your personal computer or forward them to your new account once you've set the forwarding address for your lifelong e-mail.

Unsubscribe and Change Ownership of Mailing Lists

Before you leave, please unsubscribe from any mailing lists you're currently on, and change the ownership of any lists of which you're the owner. Until your Wharton account closes, you can use SPIKE to see which mailing lists you're currently on and to unsubscribe yourself. See the Mailing List section of My Account

Action:To Unsubscribe from email lists, see the Mailing List section in SPIKE. To change the ownership of mailing lists for which you are currently the owner, contact the Wharton Computer Consultants with the name of the mailing list and the name and e-mail address of the new list owner.

For more on these topics, see the information for Graduating Students on the Wharton Computer Consultant’s website (Computing tab in SPIKE).

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Staying Connected after Graduation - Register in WhartonConnect Database and Sign Up for Regional Alumni Clubs
The Wharton School’s first graduating class in 1884 inaugurated an alumni community that has today grown to encompass over 82,000+ people living and working in 140 countries.  As you prepare for graduation, you move one step closer to joining the global alumni network, creating a lifelong connection to those who have shared the Wharton experience. From your first day on campus, you have built a relationship with this school.  We know you will continue to value the personal friendships and professional connections you have fostered here at Wharton and that you take with you no matter what your next step may be.

Post Your Information on WAVE & WhartonConnect and Keep It Current
As you accept a job and find new living space, please make sure to update your personal and professional contact information in Wharton’s online community for alumni so that your classmates and other alumni can find you.

As you accept a job and find new living space, please make sure to update your personal and professional contact information on Wharton’s online community for alumni so that your classmates and other alumni can find you.

Before March 15, 2008

Action :    Log into WAVE using your standard Wharton username and password on the main Wharton Alumni Network webpage.  Once logged in, update your contact information, set your email forwarding preferences for your lifelong email account, and begin searching the directory!   If you have any problems signing in or updating your information, contact Alumni Affairs via email or at (215) 898-8478.

After March 15, 2008

Action: Check out WhartonConnect, the school’s new online alumni community, update your contact information, set your email forwarding preferences for your lifelong email account, and begin searching the directory – more details coming soon!!

Stay Involved with Wharton Locally and On Campus
Visit the main Alumni Network page here http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/alumni/ to find out more about the benefits, resources and ways to get involved with Wharton once you join the global alumni community.  A few immediate things you can do include:

Join Your Local Wharton Alumni Club
There are Wharton alumni on 6 continents, in 140 different countries; they stay connected to Wharton by participating in the 85+ geographic and affinity alumni clubs and you can too! Many clubs offer a year’s free or reduced membership to recent grads – check with the individual clubs for more details regarding New Alumni Membership.  Additionally, by updating your record online, the regional clubs will be able to receive your information and may reach out to you with notices of events and activities.

Action: Click here  for a complete list of Alumni Clubs.  Join the club closest to your new home or in your area of professional or social interest.  If a regional or alumni club doesn’t exist for you and you want to help start one, contact Alumni Affairs via email or at (215) 898-8478.

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Get Involved and Volunteer
There are many ways to stay involved and support Wharton:

AlumniConnect – Become a Member of the MBA Admissions Alumni Corps: By taking an active role in the Admissions process you assist us in attracting and retaining the caliber of students who will continue the Wharton standard of excellence.  As a member of the MBA Admissions Alumni Corps you can:

    • Speak about your Wharton experiences as a panelist or guest speaker
    • Join us at events hosted in your area
    • Conduct alumni interviews on behalf of the Admissions Office 
    • Interact as a prospective candidates and/or admitted students contact one on one
    • Host a reception or coffee chat or information session in your area
    • Is there an outstanding candidate that you feel strongly about?  Write a personal recommendation and submit it on AlumniConnect
    • Send an email to your Wharton friends about AlumniConnect to get them connected 

Action: Sign up for AlumniConnect

CareerConnect – Recruit on campus and network with alumni: Build connections between your company and Wharton by coming back to campus to recruit. Reach out to other alumni for professional development opportunities

Action: Find out more about CareerConnect 

StudentConnect – Support current Wharton students: Your knowledge and expertise will be valuable to students in years to come.  Look for ways in which you can stay connected to student groups on campus and share your experience.

Action: Fine out more about StudentConnect

Attend Young Alumni Events and Your 5th Year Reunion!
You have spent two years forming strong personal and professional bonds with your fellow Class of 2008 members.  It may not be easy to see them regularly in the next few years, but look for annual notices from Wharton about Young Alumni events, starting in the fall.  Start planning now as well to return to campus in the spring of 2013, to rediscover the unique energy of the Wharton community and to see how everyone’s stories have unfolded. You know you want to come back for Pub Night!!

Action: Keep up with your friends and cohort through class notes over the next few years, and volunteer to help plan your reunion.

See Alumni Clubs to learn more in general about the benefits and resources you have access to as part of Wharton’s exclusive alumni network.

Participate in the 2008 Class Pledge!

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