Meet Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA Class Of 2023

IMPACT ACROSS THE GLOBE

Kate Bayeux performed a similar role at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In her case, she wrote the code used to calculate rate and evaluated calculation methodologies on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), which may soon replace LIBOR as the primary reference rate in the U.S. financial markets. At YouTube, Jeffrey Williams Navarro acted as the tip of the spear for building Latin America’s digital music streaming market.

‘Outside of Latin America, worldwide awareness and consumption of Latin music was also exploding. I worked on the foundational partnership deals with music rights holders that enabled us to grow the number of countries in Latin America that included YouTube’s music subscription service from a handful to 18. It was exciting, uncharted territory and incredibly rewarding—both professionally due to the strategic and operational challenges, but also personally, since I had the chance to work in a region that resonated with my upbringing.”

Geet Kalra made his impact in education. Last June, he partnered with Coursera to launch a five coursee speciialization on social business strategy and finance. And his work didn’t just happen behind the scenes, either. “I also participated in the instruction alongside inspirational names such as Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank. This program became the first by any investment fund on Coursera and has served hundreds of learners across the globe.”

“BONA FIDE CHANGE AGENTS”

Before Tuck, Francisca Carpentier worked in consulting and private equity. In one case, she helped a leading company cut its accidents by 40%, Now, as an MBA, she is facing a different sort of challenge. “I am probably among very few women arriving at their MBA experience pregnant! My husband is a fellow Tuckie, and the school was very supportive with planning how to approach this academic year. We couldn’t be more excited. Many classmates have already volunteered to babysit!”

Tuckies are naturally drawn to service. Charley Mitchell was a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, which he describes as “one of the most-deployed units in the War on Terror.” In contrast, Leticia Pfeffer’s service took the form of working in the non-profit sector. In particular, she oversaw private sector policy, partnerships and innovation for Global Citizen, whose mission is to end extreme poverty by the end of the decade. As a director, she “mobilized” over $2.5 billion dollars in financial commitments. As an MBA student, she has bought into Tuck’s “nice” reputation. However, she has found her classmates to be something more: bona fide change agents.

“They are purposeful leaders that have inspiring career and personal goals that they work hard to achieve while having fun and creating a positive impact in their community. I’m so grateful to be part of the Tuck family.”

APPLICATIONS AND GMAT SCORES UP

This year’s family consists of 294 members, with women accounting for 46% of the class. U.S. minorities accounted for a 29% share of the class, with international students (including dual citizens) making up 41% of the class. Overall, the class hails from 35 countries. American and Canadian MBA students comprise 70% of the class, followed by Asia (20%) and Europe (8%).

Overall, Tuck received 2,463 applications for a spot in the Class of 2023, an 11% uptick over the previous year. A quarter of the students have partners and another 4% have children. Another 6% are LGBT. They bring a 724 GMAT average to Hanover, an all-time high, as scores ranged from 600-780. Another 37% of the class submitted GRE scores, with Verbal and Quant averages both coming in at 162. As undergraduates, the class produced a 3.54 GPA, though averages ranged from 2.6 to 4.0.

The Class of 2023 also matriculated at 163 undergraduate institutions, including 54 based overseas. In total, they majored in 72 different fields, with 11% of the class moving on to earn graduate degrees. The largest segment majored in fields related to the Liberal Arts. These students hold 45% of the class seats. STEM and Business majors represent 28% and 27% of the class respectively. Another 16% of the class are first-generation college students.

This year’s class also includes students who worked for 227 different companies. A quarter of the class last worked in Consulting. Financial Services (20%) and Technology (14%) professionals make up another third of the class. The rest includes Nonprofit and Government (9%), Consumer Goods and Retail (8%), Healthcare (6%), Energy (5%), Media and Entertainment (3%), and Manufacturing (2%).

HIGHLY-PAID GRADUATES

Historically, Dartmouth Tuck ranks among the top feeder schools to the consulting industry. In 2020, consulting placement hit 42% before dipping to 36% in 2021. High pay is another Tuck tradition. The Class of 2020, for example, pulled down a mean $169,598 in total pay between base and bonus, ranking 3rd behind only NYU Stern and Stanford GSB. And median pay topped $180,000 for the Class of 2021, not counting its enviable 98% placement rate.

 “I think there’s historically been a misconception that it can be hard to recruit and network for competitive jobs in cities while in Hanover,” says Madeleine Livingston, a 2021 Tuck MBA grad. ”I never found that to be the case across my network, and I also think that COVID-19 has changed some of the norms around recruiting and working. We also had the good fortune pre-COVID of hosting visitors for a few days at a time so there were multiple breakfast, lunch, and dinner opportunities to get to know companies and visiting executives.”

Employers aren’t the only ones who are thrilled with Tuck., In Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2021 student, alumni, and employer survey, the school ranked 2nd for Teamwork. In a similar alumni survey conducted by The Princeton Review in 2021, Tuck notched the 2nd-highest score for its Campus Environment. However, the surest sign of satisfaction involves funding. In just four years, Tuck raised over $250 million dollars from alumni and friends. More stunning: three quarters of Tuck alumni made contributions to the effort— a participation rate that more than doubles most graduate business programs.

A Q&A WITH TUCK ADMINISTRATION

This success is just one issue that P&Q touched on in an interview with Tuck administrators. From new developments to admissions criteria, here is what MBAs can expect at Tuck in the coming years.

Administrators Interviewed:

Matthew Slaughter, Dean

Joe Hall, Senior Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning

Amy Mitson, Co-Executive Director, Admissions and Financial Aid

Brian Tomlin, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research

P&Q: What are the two most exciting developments at your program and how will they enrich the MBA experience for current and future MBAs?

Slaughter: “In 2020, we made addressing systemic racism and improving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Tuck and beyond a priority. Dia Draper was appointed as the school’s first Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and, in her first year, Dean Draper partnered with a working group and an advisory team of students, alumni, faculty, and staff to conduct a comprehensive strategic review of Tuck’s culture, climate, and engagement with DEI.

Over the course of many months, hundreds of MBA students, alumni, faculty, and staff participated in surveys and interviews during this review process—sharing their experiences and feedback about our community’s social norms, the curriculum, student recruitment, employee recruitment and retention, and co-curricular activities. The review process informed our data-driven and people-centered approach to creating a DEI Action Plan, which was presented to the community in October.

The DEI Strategic Review and Action Plan outlines the work done this past year, synthesizes our findings, and explains the three focus areas where we will be targeting our energies moving forward: increasing representation, nurturing a culture of inclusivity, and enriching the learning environment. We have reached this milestone—composing and releasing a plan—together, through the collective efforts of our entire school.

We also recognize that no strategic review or action plan can eliminate society’s complex problems— the release of our plan is not a quick fix and while we are proud of the progress thus far, we know there is much work to do and look forward to continuing this work and striving for inclusive excellence as a community.

Another exciting development at the Tuck School has been the continued philanthropic support of Tuck’s generous, loyal, and supportive alumni and friends. Thanks to another record-setting year of giving, we aim to reach our campaign goal of $250 million before the end of fiscal year 2022. The support we received in the past fiscal year was humbling and inspiring, particularly during these historic times, and have strengthened our ability to attract top talent, advance our offerings around inclusive leadership, and develop new and timely programs that help guide rewarding career journeys.

Central to our fundraising success in fiscal year 2021 was increased investment in student scholarships, which has been a pillar of our capital campaign from the very beginning. We’re proud to say that we have surpassed our original campaign goal of $40 million in endowed scholarships. Other transformative investments include a leadership gift to fund a new Tuck Executive Education program dedicated to empowering the next generation of female private markets leaders; a seven-figure gift that will establish a business school case competition focused on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and significant contributions to support initiatives offered through the Tuck Center for Health Care.”

P&Q: What have you learned during the pandemic and the shift to hybrid or remote learning and how will they impact the MBA experience going forward?

Slaughter: “The experiences of the last year-and-a-half affirmed the salience of our mission—to educate wise, decisive leaders that better the world through business—as well as how our program and community are deeply anchored by a sense of place. The Tuck community is like no other, and the bonds students form with one another is at the heart of their MBA experience. Our priority will always be to safely foster in-person experiences that help grow our community and build those bonds. I have been inspired by the creativity and innovation of our students, faculty, and staff throughout the pandemic to provide these opportunities through hybrid instruction last academic year, and full in-person instruction this fall.

The pandemic has also made it clear that the Tuck School cannot sit still. We must continually move forward, evolve, innovate, and build momentum around our school’s defining qualities. We’re excited to harness the lessons we have learned from the pandemic, in tandem with the infrastructure investments we made in new technology and public health supports, to offer students a wide array of curricular and co-curricular experiences. In the early days of the pandemic, we learned the power of gathering virtually and were able to host a number of compelling talks with luminaries from every corner of the globe. We plan to build on that momentum by expanding the Tuck network and hosting events in all manner of settings—virtual, hybrid, and in-person—to offer students more opportunities to make meaningful connections with top business practitioners from around the world both in the classroom and beyond.”

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