Meet Wharton’s MBA Class Of 2025

FROM STRANGERS TO A COMMUNITY

Thus far, Wharton has been everything the Class of 2025 expected – and more. When Maud Chifamba arrived in Philadelphia, for example, she loved how her classmates and alumni stepped up to help her move.

“A Wharton alumni member based in Philly was busy helping me source, find, and store furniture from the graduating class. A 2Y helped me find accommodation (in the midst of co-signer troubles), and a classmate – Fran – helped me pay for the accommodation when I couldn’t process a payment from Zimbabwe due to sanctions. I did not know any of these people before my Wharton admission. When they were helping me, the only thing we had in common – or the only thing they knew – was the Wharton MBA.”

Liz Ostertag experienced how supportive her classmates were during the August preterm, when her learning team banded together to gel as a group. “We all met our Teams during an offsite in Delaware, where we spent the day doing leadership games like blindfolded coordination activities and field games. We shared personal stories about our backgrounds and experiences to get to know each other on a deeper level. From there, we dove right into our Foundations of Teamwork and Leadership course, where we conducted a multi-day intense simulation of running an electric car company. What struck me most was how quickly our Learning Team felt like a community. In just a few days, we went from strangers to seamlessly navigating difficult decisions from the simulations.”

A GROWTH MINDSET

And the Class of 2025’s early impressions of each other? Arman Hassan, a Harvard Economics grad who last worked in private equity, saw the class connected through their “passion for something.” “There are so many classmates pursuing entrepreneurship while they are students; some of these efforts focus on humanitarian causes like education, economic empowerment, and climate change,” he writes. “Even outside of the realm of entrepreneurship, there are people who are very dedicated to their organizations, hobbies, or something else entirely. It is amazing to see what some of my classmates have accomplished and it’s inspiring to see the great ambitions they hope to achieve in the future.”

Beyond passion, the class also possesses a growth mindset – a sense of curiosity and an openness to risk, change, and challenge – according to Monica Tuñez. Being around people like this is a force multiplier at Wharton – making individuals more update and inclusive while amplifying their creativity and problem-solving.

“Wharton is full of experiences that push students out of their comfort zone,” Tuñez adds. “Throughout my interactions at Wharton, I have met people from a diverse range of backgrounds stretching themselves to participate in activities they never have before. These moments inspire me to go to events or sign up for clubs I never thought I would. The growth mindset the Wharton community embodies is a reminder to me that the Wharton MBA encourages you to use this space to approach life not by the “cards you have been dealt, but you will play the hand.””

A CLASS PROFILE

This year’s class includes 874 full-time students who hail from 70 countries. As a whole, international students represent 31% of the class, with first generation and LGBTQ students each making up an 11% share. The headline for the class, however, involves women. For the third consecutive year, women account for the majority of the class – 50% this year. At the same time, the school has worked intensively to bring in other underrepresented groups. For example, American Black and Hispanic students hold a combined 16% share of the class.

Nicolaj Siggelkow lauds Blair Mannix (executive director of MBA admissions) and Maryellen Reilly (vice dean, graduate student affairs) for creating a data-informed system that goes far beyond simply one adcom making a quick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision.

“[They] dig deeply into success drivers and to track them for career outcome,” Siggelkow adds in a 2022 interview with P&Q. “It’s all about getting a better understanding of the factors that allow us to identify great candidates. I’ve only this year really started to appreciate this because I’ve had the chance to more deeply observe this process.”

Nearly a fifth of the class is part of three joint degree programs. The MBA in Health Care Management has attracted 73 students from the Class of 2025.The second-largest segment – 70 students – is part of the Lauder MBA/MA Joint Degree in International Studies, an experiential program that deepens global cultural awareness through interdisciplinary coursework, immersive projects, ongoing networking and advising, and international travel. The Carey JD-MBA also boasts 16 students. In addition, 57 students matriculated through the Moelis Advance Access Program, which provides Penn grads access to the Wharton after 2-4 years of work experience.

Before entering Wharton, the class averaged a 728 GMAT, with those taking the GRE posting a 162 average in both the Quant and Verbal sections. As a whole, 80% of the class graduated from American high education institutions, while averaging a 3.6 GPA as undergraduates. Despite Wharton’s reputation for a quant school, 40% of the class actually majored in the Humanities, continuing a long-standing tradition of liberal arts fields constituting a majority of the class. Another 33% of the class majored in STEM-related fields, followed by Business at 27%. Professionally, Consultants make up 27% of the class, more than double Private Equity and Venture Capital (14%) and Technology (12%). Several segments also produced sizable shares of the class: Non-Profit and Government (10%), Investment Banking (9%), Financial Services (7%), and Healthcare (5%). In addition, the class includes representatives from Consumer Products, Media and Entertain, Retail, and Energy.

AN ACADEMIC FIRST ADOPTER

 The Wharton School is also synonymous with across-the-board academic excellence. In a 2023 survey of business school deans and MBA directors, Wharton earned the highest score for both Finance and Real Estate, while ranking 2nd in Marketing and Accounting (and Top 10 for Analytics, Management, Entrepreneurship, International Business, Production, and Information Systems). At the same time, Wharton ranked #1 in the world for the quality and volume of research – and 2nd overall for its Executive MBA offerings2nd overall for its Executive MBA offerings.

One reason for this success: Wharton boasts a deep bench with over 240 faculty across every discipline. As history shows, when new business trends emerge, the Wharton School quickly invests in it to stay ahead of the curve. Three years ago, for example, the Wharton School completed Tangen Hall – a 7-story, 68,000 square foot entrepreneurship hub, where Wharton student and alumni founders enjoy the space and resources to design and prototype their solutions and build their ventures. It even includes pop up retail space to test their concept on real customers. The center also aligns with a previous Wharton expansion, where it opened a Bay Area campus so students could take advantage of coursework, internships, and alumni mentorships related to startups, technology, and innovation.

“[Wharton] has experts in every aspect of the business world, from data analytics to entrepreneurship to diversity and inclusion,” says Anthony Penna, a former associate director of MBA admissions at the Wharton School. “The breadth of the program and the enormous resources of the University of Pennsylvania make Wharton a business school that can help you achieve almost any goal.”

AN INTERVIEW WITH BLAIR MANNIX

In September, P&Q reached out to Blair Mannix, the executive director of graduate admissions at the Wharton School. In this exclusive interview, she discusses new developments, leadership training, sustainability and more with Poets&Quants.

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?

Mannix: “We saw a need to help bring together students who were interested and passionate about the most important issues impacting our global society. From this need came the creation of MBA Impact Communities. Beginning with two key topics, Social Equity and Environment, these communities will serve as an aggregator of information and opportunities ranging from research and academic pursuits to career paths. These communities serve as a knowledge hub to allow students to connect with fellow classmates, professors, and organizations.

We also added two new majors to our curriculum. Starting this academic year, MBA students can now major in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and Environmental, Social, and Governance Factors for Business (ESGB). There’s been a lot of student interest in these areas of business in the last few years, so we’re thrilled that we can now offer coursework that will better prepare students for a changing workplace.”

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

Mannix: “What sets Wharton apart is the flexibility of the program. The curriculum offers both a business foundation and a ton of freedom to explore new topics. We offer 21 majors and over 200 electives, a variety of course styles like case studies, lectures, and simulations, and students can learn across two campuses in Philadelphia and San Francisco. The Wharton experience is fundamentally about choice, and we love that our students can tailor their experience to meet their unique personal and professional goals.”

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?

Mannix: “Students can study the complex relationships between business and the natural environment through our Business, Energy, Environment, and Sustainability (BEES) major and our Environmental, Social, and Governance Factors for Business (ESGB) major, which are housed under Wharton’s faculty-led ESG Initiative. Additionally, there’s a student-led group called the Wharton Sustainable Business Club (SBC) who are bringing together students interested in addressing global environmental and sustainability issues by increasing related academic and career opportunities on campus.”

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

Mannix: “Wharton puts a strong emphasis on leadership development and helping students get a deeper understanding of themselves, their organizations, and communities. The McNulty Leadership Program is a research-based program that develops communities and spaces that foster and facilitate leadership learning experiences. The program offers travel opportunities that are physically intense and provide genuine moments of uncertainty and challenge. They also offer on-campus experiences like one-on-one executive coaching. Students can also create their own leadership opportunities outside of the classroom by taking on board roles in student clubs, conferences, and extra-curricular programs.”

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

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