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CEA’s Guide to Wharton’s Global Youth Leadership in the Business World (LBW) Summer Program 2022 Application Essays
Priority Deadline: January 20, 2022
Final Deadline: April 7, 2022
Requirements: 1 short answer, 1 essay of 200-300 words, and 1 essay of 300-400 words
Program Dates: Jun 5 – Jun 25, 2022 / Jun 26 – Jul 16, 2022 / Jul 17 – Aug 6, 2022
Looking for the 2023 LBW Application Essay Guide?
The biggest mistake you can make when responding to this prompt is overthinking it. This is the tweet version of your elevator pitch—succinct, no frills intro that gets to the point quickly. Go with your gut and don’t be afraid to highlight something about yourself that admissions may not already know from the rest of your application. (#HumbleBrag.) If you’re really struggling, ask your friends or loved ones to weigh in.
You don’t have many words at your disposal here, so our advice is to select a leader and summarize both their leadership style and impact on you as concisely as possible. Remember that the person you choose and the examples you provide are going to say a lot about what you value and respect in others. If no one comes to mind immediately, try looking up leaders in your field or community and remember that leaders come in all forms (scientists, athletes, activists, etc.). You’ll likely come across someone whose work you’re already familiar with, and then the only thing left to do is outline their methodology, accomplishments, and influence on you in particular.
Now that you’ve addressed the kind of leader you admire, it’s time to hone in on what kind of leader you are. When choosing which two or three leadership roles to expand upon, we recommend asking yourself: Where have I spent the most time? Which leadership opportunity was most meaningful for me? Remember that informal leadership positions are just as important as formal ones and can require even more responsibility from young adults. Once you have an idea of the experiences you’d like to elaborate on, write down everything you can remember stream of consciousness style. Then, once you have everything down on the page, you’ll be able to sort through the rubble and build a cohesive story for admissions to sink their teeth into.
