Meet Cornell Johnson’s MBA Class Of 2025

A CLASS PROFILE

This year, Cornell Johnson received 2.554 applications for a spot in the Class of 2025. That’s just one application short of the previous year’s total. In fact, the class profiles for 2024 and 2025 look remarkably similar – except in a few key areas. One of them is class size, which shrunk from 303 to 283 students over the past year. By the same token, average GMAT held steady at 710, though average undergraduate GPA inched up from 3.30 to 3.35.

That said, the percentage of underrepresented minorities jumps out among the Class of 2025 profile data. The number raced up from 16% to 35% in the past year alone. In another positive development, the percentage of women climbed from 39% to 43%. At the same time, international students account for 42% of the class, down just a point from the previous year. Overall, the new class hails from 39 countries and averages 28 year of age and 5.4 years of work experience.

Academically, the percentage of first-years holding undergraduate business degrees rose from 46% to 54%. At the same time, the school reports Engineering- and Science-related degrees constitute 18% and 5% shares of the class respectively. In terms of professional experience, Finance tops all comers, with 30% of the class boasting experience in the area. Cornell Johnson also reports that consultants account for 15% share of the class, followed by Tech (12%) and Government and Nonprofit (11%).

HIGH MARKS FROM STUDENTS AND ALUMNI

One big advantage of a Cornell MBA? Think happy students. In the 2023 Financial Times MBA ranking, the school climbed from 17th to 8th courtesy of student satisfaction surveys. Notably, Cornell Johnson notched the highest satisfaction score for its Alumni Network, while earning the 3rd-highest mark for its Career Services. Maybe the most important stat: surveyed alumni gave Cornell Johnson the 2nd-highest score in the world: a near-perfect 9.94 out of 10 – up from the previous year’s 9.57 average.

An extra bonus: In reviewing the volume and quality of Johnson’s academic research, The Financial Times gave the school the 3rd-highest score in the world!

What’s behind Cornell Johnson’s success? In a separate student and alumni satisfaction survey conducted by The Princeton Review in 2022-2023, the school again achieved the highest marks for being Family Friendly and providing a positive Campus Environment. The survey respondents also hold the Faculty and Administration in high regard, giving them the 3rd-highest scores. Jennifer White-Phalen attributes some of this to the “spirit” of the community.

“From the moment I stepped into Sage Hall at the Destination Johnson accepted students’ weekend, the pay-it-forward culture and the strong sense of community were clear. I think a big part of that happens because of location. Almost all students in the program have had to uproot and relocate to Ithaca. With that, every individual in the program has to fully commit to building their MBA support network in ways that just couldn’t happen in a large metropolitan area.”

MORE THAN A FINANCE SCHOOL

Alumni members have their own thoughts about Cornell Johnson’s ‘secret sauce’. Calvin Tong, a P&Q Best & Brightest MBA in 2023, attributes the school’s success to the people they traditionally choose – “friendly and down-to-earth…and professional.” In contrast, his classmate, Monica Mercado, believes it stems from the program’s vaunted Leadership training.

“This curriculum is based on the Johnson 4 C’s framework: competence, character, compassion and courage. There are many opportunities to learn, put these into action, then receive feedback. There are expeditions, coaches, classes, seminars and elected roles – coupled with a strong feedback culture – that strengthens the practice of management teachings. I believe that this sets us up to be leaders in our post-MBA roles and be nimble as we grow in our careers.”

Complemented by a Top 10 undergraduate business program, the MBA program also ranks among the best for Real Estate curriculum according to MBA directors and business school deans surveyed by U.S. News & World Report. By reputation, Cornell Johnson is sometimes referred to as a “Finance School” due to its strong programing and deep alumni network across Wall Street. However, this reputation obscures a deeper truth says ’23 alum Calvin Tong.

“We have a remarkable track record in investment banking recruiting, owing to the Old Ezra Finance Club, the Career Management Center, and a robust Investment Banking Immersion,” Tong admits. “However, this is only part of the picture, as we also excel in consulting recruiting. In our class, 35% of students were placed in consulting, with more than 13% going to McKinsey & Company. The vast majority had no prior consulting experience, and very few if any were sponsored by consulting companies to begin with. This is an impressive result that should not be overlooked by prospective candidates who are interested in a post-MBA career in consulting.”

ONE-TWO PUNCH: CORNELL TECH AND IMMERSION LEARNING

…or technology for that matter. That’s one area that Cornell Johnson shines with its two-campus model. While the MBA program resides in Ithaca, MBAs can also take classes at its Cornell Tech campus in New York City. Opened on Roosevelt Island in 2017, Cornell Tech enables MBAs to operate in two different worlds: the quintessential college life in rural Ithaca coupled with state-of-the art facilities across the river from the world’s commercial hub. Not only can MBAs develop startups and complete projects in interdisciplinary teams at Cornell Tech, but they also enjoy the flexibility to carve out networks and complete internships with leading companies like Google, Amazon, and Bloomberg.

Yossi Garmazi, for one, plans to complete a semester-long fintech intensive at Cornell Tech before graduation. “It allows you to explore this rapidly rising industry and meet multiple fintech executives from leading companies in New York City, the world’s main economic hub. Cornell Tech also offers other courses that expose students to various aspects of the tech world. I am particularly interested in the BigCo Studio class, which provides an opportunity to pitch ideas to executives from leading companies such as Google, Oracle and Uber.”

Among graduates, the semester-long Immersion Learning program remains the signature experience of the Johnson MBA. In many ways, it is like a pre-internship, where MBAs take a deep dive into a chosen field of interest. A mix of coursework, projects, and coaching, the program enables MBAs to choose from eight immersions, which range from Management Consulting to Sustainable Global Enterprise to Strategic Operations. Among the Class of 2025, Bryn Hart says the Immersion Learning program was the “decisive factor” in choosing Cornell for her MBA.

“Johnson’s astute approach to organizing the first year of the MBA program involves core classes during the first semester, followed by an immersion program in the second semester. The immersions are tailored to delve deeper into individual interests, equipping students to succeed not only in the summer internship but also in their future careers. I am interested in both the Strategic Product and Marketing Immersion and the Digital Technology Immersion, and the option of a customized immersion will allow me to focus on both.”

Her classmate, Sharon Davidor, intends to join the Investment Banking Immersion due to the involvement of Drew Pascarella, an award-winning teacher and investment banker who currently serves as managing director of Vista Point Advisors.

“This experiential learning is second-to-none, as it will give me the opportunity to work on multiple investment banking deals prior to the summer internship,” Davidor adds. “Given that I have no previous experience in investment banking, I am confident that this highly reputable program will help me cultivate and strengthen skill sets such as advising corporate clients and conducting merger and acquisition activities, leading to securing a full-time offer at a prestigious financial institution.”

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DEAN

In May, Cornell Johnson named Vishal Gaur, a long-time professor, as its new dean. What are the top items on his agenda and what does he see as the MBA program’s biggest pluses? This summer, P&Q reached out to Dean Gaur on these very questions. Here are his thoughts on where the MBA program is – and where he plans to take it.

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Gaur: “Two major developments in our MBA program over the past year are a new consulting immersion and a 1+1 track in partnership with Cornell Tech. Cornell Tech is our innovative graduate campus and research center of Cornell University, located on Roosevelt Island, in New York City.

Our new consulting immersion is designed for students interested in the management consulting career path and focuses on building skills that career switchers changing to consulting may lack. All eight Johnson immersions are offered in the spring semester of the first year to prepare students for internships in various career paths.

The 1+1 track in our Two-Year MBA program enables students to spend the second year of their MBA at the Cornell Tech campus. Designed for students interested in tech product management and tech entrepreneurship, this offering enables them to take advantage of the multidisciplinary curriculum at the Cornell Tech campus. Students apply for the 1+1 track and are selected based on their fit and availability.”

P&Q: Give us your one-minute pitch for your business school. What makes you unique?

Gaur: “The Cornell Johnson MBA is an intentionally-sized program that welcomes students, partners, and families to be a part of our close-knit community that sits in a location free from distraction but with easy access to New York City through our two-campus model. All aspects of our educational experience are influenced by our community values and the Cornell motto of “Any person… any study.” Our students build close relationships with world-renowned faculty and industry-leading alumni; work collaboratively with each other; and contribute to an innovative, vibrant environment. As a result, our graduates not only become successful but also develop deep connections to Cornell and with each other.”

P&Q: Sustainability has emerged as a major attraction to prospective MBA students. How does your full-time MBA program integrate sustainability across its curriculum?

Gaur: “Johnson established a Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise (SGE) and launched the SGE immersion in our MBA program in 2005. In the almost two decades since then, we created a portfolio of curricular offerings in this area, including Sustainability Strategy, Sustainable Finance, and a project-based Cornell-wide course called the Big Red Microenterprise. Today, sustainability is included in our core and elective classes in a variety of places, including carbon accounting, finance, marketing, operations, and entrepreneurship, and our alumni from the SGE immersion are leaders in sustainability. More broadly, one of our sister schools — the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management — has world-renowned faculty in environmental economics, finance, and management, and sustainability is a key priority of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.”

P&Q: What are some key elements in your teaching of leadership? What types of options does your school offer that deepen student experience with leadership and make them more competitive in the marketplace?

Gaur: “Our approach to leadership development emphasizes experiential learning where new concepts about leadership can be applied and reflected in an iterative way. To achieve this, we supplement leadership courses with various programs, including leadership expeditions, our full-tuition Roy H. Park Leadership Fellows program, our Johnson Leadership Fellows program, and many others. These programs uniquely leverage our close-knit MBA program and our culture of partnership across the first and second years of the MBA programs. Most of our students participate in some experiential component and realize the benefits in their future careers.”

Next Page: Profiles of 12 members of the Class of 2025