Are you a motivated student interested in gaining real-world consulting experience in ESG topics? Looking for meaningful opportunities to build your skills for your future job search?
The Wharton ESG Integration Projects (WEIP) program offers Penn and Wharton students the ability to work with companies and organizations on real-world projects that are centered around ESG topics or questions. Teams of 5-7 undergraduate and graduate students will work closely with their client throughout one academic semester, resulting in a final presentation to client and ESG Initiative senior leadership.
Teams will also be supported by ESG Initiative staff and by an independent consultant available to you during evenings and weekends.
Past projects have spanned the following topics
ESG Landscape Analysis
Financial Inclusion
Impact Measurement
Operational Due Diligence
The Details
Who is Eligible to Apply?
In order to apply, you must:
- Be an on-campus undergraduate, MBA, or graduate student
- Priority will be given to students in the Wharton School and to students who are not in their first semester
- Possess strong analytical/research, verbal/written communication, and time management skills
- Commit 6-8 hours per week for 12 weeks, consisting of independent project work, meeting with your team, meeting with your client, attending workshops, and requesting support from ESG Initiative staff
- Students who are currently participating in Wharton Impact Venture Associates (WIVA) or the Penn Medicine-Wharton Fund for Health are ineligible to participate in WEIP due to conflicting time commitments.
- Have some availability during general business hours (Mon-Fri from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. ET) to meet with your client once per week (many teams meet on Friday)
- Previous consulting experience is preferred, but not required
Each team will also have one Team Leader. Team Leaders are responsible for scheduling meetings with the team and the client, ensuring the team is on track to complete the project successfully, serving as a liaison between the team and the client or the team and the ESG Initiative, and completing weekly progress updates submitted to the ESG Initiative.
Team Leaders should be MBA students and will receive an award of $1,000 at the end of the semester, dependent upon their successful completion of Team Leader duties. MBA students interested in being a Team Leader for their project can indicate as such as part of their WEIP application.
What is the Application Timeline?
Applications for Spring 2024 opened on Monday, November 13, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. ET and closed on Monday, November 27, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Late applications will not be accepted, nor will supplemental materials sent separately from the formal application. As part of your application, you will be asked to identify your first- and second-choice projects from the available list.
You may be asked to participate in an interview or submit a work sample between November 28, 2023 and December 5, 2023. This will have a short turnaround time, so please keep an eye on your email for an invitation from us.
All applicants will receive their admissions decision by December 6, 2023. Accepted students must commit to participating in the program by December 8, 2023.
How Long is the Program?
The program will officially begin on January 22, 2024 and end on April 19, 2024. There will also be a mandatory orientation for students on January 24, 2024.
Students should expect to spend 6-8 hours per week working on their project independently, meeting with their team, and/or meeting with their client.
Questions? Contact Jillian Cener, Senior Associate Director.
DISCLAIMER:
Neither the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School, the Wharton ESG Initiative (ESG), nor any of their respective students, faculty, directors, officers, employees, representatives, affiliates, or agents (collectively, the “Penn Parties”) (i) is acting as underwriter, broker-dealer, promoter, financial advisor, or other intermediary with respect to any offering of securities by any entity with respect to any WEIP project, or (ii) has received or will receive any compensation from any person or entity as an incentive to participate in any WEIP project. In addition, the Penn Parties have not received and will not receive any compensation or other item of value in connection with any possible or future investment in any securities issued by any entity as part of any WEIP project.
Any research or diligence that occurs in connection with a WEIP project (i) was performed by the Penn Parties solely for limited educational purposes, and not for the purpose of aiding any person in making any investment decision, and (ii) may be limited and incomplete, by its very nature, as a result of limited publicly available information and other limited information voluntarily made available to the Penn Parties. No Penn Party shall have any liability whatsoever arising from any error or incompleteness of fact or opinion in, or lack of care in the preparation or publication of, any WEIP project.
The information, methodologies, data and opinions contained or reflected in any written work resulting from any WEIP project are proprietary of the author(s) of such work, are intended for non-commercial use, and may not be copied, distributed or used in any way, including via citation, unless otherwise explicitly agreed in writing. They are provided for informational purposes only and (1) do not constitute investment or financial advice; (2) cannot be interpreted as an offer, indication, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell any securities or to undertake any kind of business transactions; (3) do not represent an assessment of any entity’s economic performance, financial obligations nor of its creditworthiness; and (4) are not a substitute for a professional financial, legal, and tax advice.