A good way to determine whether the MBA path is right for you, as well as how to go about it, is to hear from students who were in your shoes as applicants not long ago. This is what Spring Admits is about, bringing you tips and insights from past Spring clients and current MBA students of various business schools and industry backgrounds. Our current interviewee is Itay Zitvar, Wharton MBA Candidate (class of 2026) and an incoming summer intern at Nvidia.
Itay, where does this blog post find you today?
I am right now in the airport, waiting for my flight to San Francisco. I’m going to be in the bay area this summer and I’m so excited by it.
Walk us through your pre-MBA background.
Before Wharton, I spent five years as an intelligence officer in Unit 8200, where I led intel gathering. After the military, I transitioned to tech – first as a data analyst at NetApp, and later as a software engineer and eventually a team lead at Hyro, an AI startup focused on improving patient experiences in healthcare through conversational AI. I’ve always been interested in the intersection between language and technology, and I’m glad to continue in that path.
What made you decide to pursue an MBA?
I reached a point in my career where I knew I wanted to make more impact on the business side of things. While I had strong technical experience and leadership skills from the military, I wanted to strengthen my business acumen and expand my network. An MBA offered the chance to step back, gain perspective, and build a more holistic toolkit. Also, I always enjoyed meeting new people and learning about life and culture, and I thought an MBA could be a great chance to do that.
Why did you choose this particular school?
I always knew Wharton was the number one school for finance and banking, and I thought that as a tech person who’s always been around other techies, Wharton could be a great way to learn about this world that was so strange to me. Beyond academics, the community here is remarkably fun, ambitious, and collaborative. Coming from Israel and having lived in China, I appreciated Wharton’s global outlook and its strong presence in both B2B and B2C tech recruiting.
What surprised you about the actual MBA experience?
I knew it’s gonna be fun, but I didn’t know how much. Now seriously, I thought it was going to be a more routine schedule of “study all day, have a beer with your buddies in the evening”. Instead, it’s the most diverse, immersive and fun experience I could expect. Not a single day is the same. On the recruiting side, I was surprised by how different the networking and communication style in America is, compared to Israel. It does take some time to pick, at least from my experience.
What makes your school unique?
Wharton doesn’t just teach you how to lead – it gives you structured, high-stakes opportunities to practice it. Whether it’s co-leading a club, making a venture for a class, or giving a talk in front of 100 people about AI, you’re encouraged to lead authentically and receive feedback in real time. I don’t know if that doesn’t exist in other schools, but I feel that at Wharton it’s really working.
What is it like living in Philadelphia?
Honestly, it’s underrated. Philly has the cultural depth of a major city without the chaos. A little bit like Haifa on the east coast. The food scene and nightlife is pretty good, and unlike in New York, the “Wharton bubble” makes you feel so immersed in the experience, that you feel at home very early on. The city is very walkable, and life is way more affordable than New York or SF, and that makes social life more relaxed and intimate.
Any misconceptions about your program you’d like to clear up?
To name a few:
– Wharton is only for bankers and consultants – No. Even though it has plenty of those, it has a good diversity of CPG folks, healthcare guys, real estate people, and even tech bros like me.
– Philadelphia is boring – As I said, it’s underrated. Great people, great sports culture and great cheesesteak.
What advice would you give to MBA applicants to your school, or in general?
Be clear about your “why” – not just for the MBA, but for yourself. What do you actually like? What motivates you? From my experience, the people making the most out of the MBA are the ones with conviction and curiosity, not just logo-sprangled résumés. Also, be intentional about what you say no to once you’re in – FOMO is real, and staying true to yourself is key.
How has your MBA influenced your career and mindset so far?
It’s helped me become more open minded to other cultures and communication styles, understanding that there’s not one true answer. Also, the recruiting process helped me become more resilient, to keep working hard and showing up after hearing many nos. I think that’s already something I’m taking with me to my future roles.
Itay Zitvar is an MBA Candidate at Wharton, Class of 2026, and an incoming Product Management intern, Agentic AI at Nvidia. Before his MBA, he served as Gen AI Engineering Team Lead at Hyro, a startup providing AI-powered communications platform for healthcare.
