Wharton Directed Reading Program

Who should apply?

The WDRP is meant to encourage undergraduates to explore a topic in a business-related field that they might not encounter in a classroom setting. Participating in the WDRP doesn’t require perfect grades or extensive coursework – rather, it requires interest, a serious time commitment, and enough background to read business research independently.  Undergraduates of any year are welcome to apply!

Undergraduate participants will receive a certificate of completion, which you can include in your resume. Please note, participation in the WDRP does not provide academic credit and will not appear on your transcript. 

WDRP mentors are graduate students in the Wharton Doctoral programs. We typically prioritize applications from mentors who are beyond their first year of graduate school at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

More information about applications is available here. As we are committed to promoting diversity in business fields, we especially encourage minorities to apply.

What is expected of mentees and mentors?

Once a mentor and mentee are paired, they choose a focussed topic for the semester-long reading project. The goal of the project is to cover material that may not appear in a standard undergraduate course. Projects can aim for a specific landmark (like a theorem or application) or be based around a book or article(s).

There are no restrictions on choice of topics, and pairs will be assigned based on the interests of both undergraduate and graduate students. However, undergraduates who are interested in proof based mathematics may have better luck with the Penn Math DRP.

WDRP mentees should expect to do 4 hours per week of WDRP-related work and (in addition) attend a 1-hour meeting with their mentor to discuss the project. During these meetings, the mentee might explain something at the board, like some of the material they read or exercises they’ve worked out, and the mentor can help answer questions about things that were confusing.

Additionally, at the end of the semester, mentees give a final presentation (~10 minutes). The presentation is not meant to cover everything from the project and should instead focus on specific a specific theorem, example, or application. Mentors should help their mentee prepare this final presentation by watching a practice presentation and giving feedback on content, board-work, presentation skills, etc. Keep in mind that these presentations are very short and should be aimed at a general mathematical audience of mostly undergraduates.

Students should communicate with their mentor or the WDRP committee if they are unable to meet these expectations. Failure to do so could prevent the student from participating in the WDRP in future semesters. Similarly, mentors should contact the WDRP committee if something goes wrong, for instance if the student does not show up to meetings, is not putting in enough work, or doesn’t want to continue the project.