Meet Wharton’s MBA Class Of 2026

Where do I go? What do I do? What first? What’s best?

So many options. So many opportunities. That’s the tough part about earning an MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. While students fret over FOMO – the fear of missing out – they overlook the school’s JODE – the joy of doing everything.

Call it the Disney World of graduate business education. You get a pass for a short time – two years – and you can hop anywhere and do anything. Your choice! Want to learn private equity or entrepreneurship? Spend a semester in the San Francisco for coursework, internships, and networking. Picture yourself traveling the globe so you can master intercultural leadership? That’s the Lauder Joint Degree in International Studies. Not quite sure what you want to do? That’s why Wharton offers over 20 majors and 200 electives, taught every which way from cases to simulations to hands-on projects.

A PLACE TO DO IT ALL

In other words, there’s something for everyone – no matter what students hope to do or how they want learn. Like any great experience, Wharton is customized to the student, says Claire North, a first-year MBA and software engineer who hopes to work in the intersection of social impact investing, entrepreneurship, and government.

“I chose Wharton because of the program’s curriculum flexibility, which encourages a personalized MBA experience tailored to each student’s professional goals. Wharton allows students to start taking electives right after the first semester, as long as the core requirements are completed by graduation. Additionally, students can take electives across any of Wharton’s schools.”

Looking forward, North intends to dabble in just about everything. ”I sought a program that, in addition to teaching analytical and leadership skills, enabled me to delve into specialized subjects such as startup entrepreneurship, healthcare economics, and decentralized technologies. At Wharton, I can gain a world-class business education while exploring these interests through electives like Managing the Emerging Enterprise, Health Care Services Delivery, and Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, Digital Assets: Business, Legal, and Regulatory Issues.”

THE FIRST ADOPTER MENTALITY

That’s the thing about the Wharton School. Think of it as the protype early adopter institution. The school has historically been among the first to bring new ideas to their students. Healthcare, analytics, fintech, sustainability, DEI – Wharton didn’t just develop electives around these subjects. Instead, they weaved them into the core programming and built majors around them. All the while, the school maintained a close eye on the fundamentals. Call it ‘all-inclusive’ – excellence across-the-board. Notably, in a 2024 U.S. News survey of business school deans and MBA directors, Wharton ranked among the ten-best in nearly every discipline: Marketing, Management, Entrepreneurship, International Business, Accounting, Business Analytics, Production – not to mention 1st for Finance and Real Estate.

This is one reason why Wharton’s reputation as a “finance school” misses the mark, says Maximilian Kneis, a 2024 Poets&Quants Best & Brightest MBA grad. “While we have incredible research and faculty in the finance field, we also have a heavy analytics focus intertwined in many courses, world-class healthcare management and real estate departments, and deep marketing and management expertise. The support for entrepreneurs is also strong, whether it be through innovative classes or the many resources at Tangen Hall (and throughout the University of Pennsylvania as a whole). My peers are entering a wide variety of industries across consulting, finance, technology, startups, sports, social impact, and many more.”

The school’s dizzying scale plays a part. Picture 866 students in the Class of 2026 alone. That doesn’t include a near equal number of 2nd-years…or another 3,300 undergraduate, EMBA, and doctoral students at Wharton. As a whole, Wharton boasts 100,000 alumni across 153 countries – not counting professionals who participated in their array of executive education programs.

THE BEST IN THE WORLD

In Wharton’s case, scale extends to influence. The school ranks as the top business school for research according to both The Financial Times and the University of Texas at Dallas – a testament to the productivity and impact of Wharton’s nearly 500-member full-time and part-time faculty. That’s a faculty that includes marquee names like Adam Grant and Gad Allon. Even more, they are producing research that is filtering down to the next generation of top business leaders. Following in the footsteps of prominent Wharton alumni like Google CEO Sundar Pinchai serves as an inspiration to first-years like Mansi Jain.

“Some of the world’s greatest changemakers have studied in the same classrooms as I do today, and now I have the privilege of joining such a strong community of leaders. Walking into Huntsman Hall and seeing the Dhirubhai Ambani auditorium fills my heart with pride and hope that one day I, too, might create a legacy and have my name inscribed on one of these halls.”

That influence confers authority and prestige to Wharton grads. This part year, the full-time MBA program ranked as the best in the world by The Financial Times. It was the 2nd year in a row – and the 13th time since 2001 – that Wharton had reached the pinnacle. And it’s not just Wharton’s Full-Time MBA raking in the accolades. The Undergraduate Business and Executive MBA programs also ranked #1 globally according to Poets&Quants. Beyond the credibility, connections, and coaching, a Wharton degree offers something ineffable – a legacy to follow and a purpose to fulfill.

“My uncle went to Wharton,” writes first-year Itay Zitvar. “About two years ago, I visited him in the US after a long time. He didn’t have to say anything – I just watched and learned how the connections and experience he gained during his time at Wharton guide his every move to this day, more than 20 years after graduation. I wanted these for myself as well.”

FROM AI TO CRYPTO

Zitvar grew up in Tel Aviv, working in analytics for Israeli Military Intelligence before heading up AI strategy for Hyro, a healthcare firm. He’ll fit right into Wharton’s data-driven culture. “I conceived and created healthcare industry’s first GPT-powered medical Q&A tool, now serving over 1 million patients a year, 40% of the company user base.”

Growing up, Claire North played the piano and guitar and even taught herself how to DJ. She arrived at Wharton after working in storing and moving crypto assets. Her classmate, Mansi Jain, is a professional Bharatnatyam dancer who started practicing her art when she was four-years-old. Eventually, she found a new passion: entrepreneurship.

“[I started] NoBarr, a women’s apparel e-commerce business in India,” she tells P&Q. “What began as a passion project to address the lack of clothing options for myself and my immediate circle has evolved into a business that makes clothing accessible, affordable, and inclusive for women across India. Despite India being an apparel manufacturing hub, local options were extremely limited, especially back in 2018 when I started. Today, NoBarr collaborates with all major e-commerce platforms, enabling us to ship over 30,000 units each month.”

A SUCCESS WORTHY OF A WHARTON CASE

Nitin Sethi also made his name in India. Most recently a McKinsey consultant, he performs stand-up comedy in his spare time – and has done it in three languages. And his biggest achievement – doubling his company’s partner base – would be worthy of a management case study. Working as an entrepreneur-in-resident for the Urban Company, a home services startup, Sethi faced a series of staffing barriers that would sink most new ventures.

“Few, if any, [partners] pursued or wanted to learn bathroom-cleaning, given the strenuous nature of the job and the discriminatory treatment cleaning partners faced due to caste-related connotations. Even existing partners perceived their work as “in-between” gigs to make quick bucks. Fewer still were committed to delivering impeccably, as service NPS continuously dropped.”

In response, Sethi automated several functions, which increased hourly earnings. He also sought to professionalize the role, even launching a PR campaign to consumers to reframe their image of partners. The result? He reduced partner churn by 10%, while onboarding 5,000 new partners and turning the venture’s first profit.

“Designing our systems and infrastructure to upskill partners on hard skills (new kit, SOPs) and soft skills (customer expectations management, professionalism) has been a truly rewarding experience that made me realize that empowerment is the highest form of service,” Sethi adds.

A FIRST-GENERATION STUDENT PAYS IT FORWARD

Brendan Lorton studied Systems Engineering at West Point before serving as a Green Beret in Afghanistan. Graduating three years behind him was Araceli Sandoval, who jokes that she has never broken a bone “despite jumping out of planes, rappelling off mountains, firing M1A2 Abrams tanks, and diving with Great Whites.” Not only did she rise to become a Special Forces Officer, but Sandoval became part of U.S. Army history.

“In 2016, the U.S. Army lifted its ban on women serving in armor and infantry roles,” Sandoval shares. “I had the honor and privilege of commissioning as one of the first female officers in the armor branch, a pivotal moment in both my career and military history. Being at the forefront of this change allowed me to prove that women are fully capable of excelling in combat roles, and let me pave the way for future generations of female leaders in the military. This achievement remains one of the most rewarding and defining moments of my career.”

In some cases, first-years are humbled by their good fortune. Kenton McNeal, a classically-trained pianist, is not only thrilled to join the MBA Class of 2026, but also to receive a sponsorship from Deloitte – something that only 10%-20% of its team is eligible to receive. By the same token, Elyshia Geter – a competitive cheerleader who worked in real estate – is the first in her family to pursue an undergraduate and advanced college degree. For that, she has been paying her advantages forward.

“I understand the challenges of navigating the financial industry without significant guidance. Despite experiencing self-doubt and imposter syndrome, I’ve built relationships with incredible mentors who have instilled confidence in me and profoundly influenced my career path. I’m committed to giving back to the next generation of investment professionals, whether through supporting summer interns, training first-year analysts, or offering advice to undergraduates aspiring to break into investment banking.”

Next Page: An interview with Executive Director of Graduate Admissions Blair Mannix and profiles of 10 Wharton first-year MBA students.