Wharton Management & Tech Summer
Are you interested in the intersection between business and technology, and in learning more about the ways that data and science are driving change in the business world? Consider the Wharton School’s Management and Technology Summer Institute, which is a rigorous summer program for rising high school seniors (and a handful of rising high school juniors) in which students study the integration of technology and management principles. Admissions standards are high, as are the work expectations in the actual course. And it’s no wonder - students who complete the course successfully earn a full credit at the University of Pennsylvania!
M&TSI is an extremely rigorous, non-stop, fast-paced college course that introduces students to the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary for successfully linking technology and management concepts in just three weeks. By participating in coursework and other activities, M&TSI students will:
Learn from full-time Wharton and Penn Engineering faculty
Explore Penn’s business and engineering offerings, hearing guest lectures from prominent faculty recognized as leaders in their field
Build and present a prototype and go-to-market plan for their own high-tech venture
Recieve project feedback from Penn faculty, gaining insights from seasoned entrepreneurs and investors
Participate in activities led by industry innovators such as Google IPO simulation led by Michael Grimes, Head of Global Technology Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley
Receive a full Penn college-course credit for successful completion of program
How do I get started? Check out the Wharton Summer website for more information about the program and application process.
How do I expand this narrative arc? If you are a budding businessperson with an interest in entrepreneurship you should think about how you can broaden or deepen your narrative arc, including with one of the following:
Spend your next summer in a pure entrepreneurship program like LaunchX or Quarter Zero
If you are interested in the intersection between sustainability and entrepreneurship, consider Sustainable Summer, which includes a program at Dartmouth at which students develop commercial solutions to climate change problems.
Put your ideas into action when you launch a business in your own community.
The Knowledge Society runs year round programs in a number of cities across the country. Find out if there’s a cohort near you.
HOT TIP: This course looks very robust and challenging. If you’re looking for something to unite your strengths in technology and data science with your love for business, this course could be a dream for you. Also note that this is a Wharton-sponsored program, which means that your instructors will include Wharton professors. This is surprisingly rare in summer programs at prestigious schools, and is a mark of credibility. Keep in mind however that summer programs on their own, however prestigious, rarely give you a major boost unless they link well into your overall narrative arc. Continue the work you started once you get home!
See below for more information about summer programs in general.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SUMMER PROGRAMS: College admissions officers are very adept at identifying “resume padders”: expensive, one-off programs paid for by your parents which do not mesh with your narrative arc. Therefore, make sure any summer program or course you consider falls into one (or more) of these four buckets:
Highly selective/competitive
Totally unique + linked to your narrative arc
Evidence of adulthood (long hours, multi-year commitment or simply hard work)
A jumping off point or expansion for an authentic narrative arc.
If none of the above apply, a program could still have value to you if it allows you to test a potential interest. However, if it does not end up being a jumping off point for further interests, then you may not want to mention it in your high school resume