Meet Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA Class Of 2027

Location. Expertise. Brand. Support.

They’re all good reasons to choose a business school. Pay and prestige, lifestyle and amenities, access and opportunity. They all justify the investment to varying degrees. However, there is one differentiator that eventually overshadows all others: Community – the friends who make the time unforgettable and the networks that eventually open doors to bigger things.

When it comes to community, there are few MBA programs with a stronger reputation than the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

You won’t hear applicants describe Tuck as a fallback or safety school. Coming here is intentional. It is a destination – a place where MBAs choose to study and a community that they choose to join. That’s because they know that they will be part of a special experience with a special group.

“Tuck is an incredible place,” says first-year Gardner Nash, a product manager from CarGurus. “People come ready to actively and authentically invest in the experience.”

‘AN EXPERIENCE I MIGHT NEVER HAVE AGAIN’

Tuck is sometimes described as the 24×7 MBA. That’s because every student is expected to contribute, be it participating in clubs, running events, or organizing weekend gatherings. That means buying into a tight-knit culture where everyone gets involved. One reason: Tuck is the rural Ivy: operating out of the secluded Upper Valley of New Hampshire, more than two hours from Boston. That means everyone starts with a clean slate, ‘tucked’ away from the people, routines, and distractions that dominated their pre-MBA world. That doesn’t mean that Tuck MBAs are living in a proverbial bubble, writes Josh Tang.

“I ended up being very impressed by the level of connectivity Tuck has with the outside world,” continues Tang, who joined the Class of 2027 after working in strategic development for the Creative Artists Agency. “From a recruiting perspective, alumni are so willing to come back to campus and chat with current students that you don’t really miss out on networking just because you’re not in a big city. There are executives and CEOs that visit campus through the Visiting Executive Program, so you can grab lunch or dinner with them if you choose. Lastly, experiences like the GIX and the First-Year Project give you the hands-on experiences that really attracted me to the school. It was important for me to find a tight-knit community, but it was also important for me to apply the academic learning to real life problems.”

Alumni echo Tang’s sentiments about Tuck, which only offers a Full-Time MBA program. As a result, students receive full attention from faculty and staff instead of sharing it with undergraduates and other graduate students. More than that, Tuck’s rustic rhythms enable students to focus on what really matters: learning and relationships.

“I’m someone who loves cities and gets a ton of energy from the morning commute hustle-and-bustle and twinkling skylines,” admits Berk Atillasoy, a ’25 grad who joined the Boston Consulting Group’s Philadelphia office. “But the opportunity to spend two years in the woods offered me an experience I might never have again. There’s something special about the Upper Valley that encourages you to slow down, reflect on your goals, envision the impact you want to have on business and the world—it has been transformative for me, and I left Tuck with a true understanding of who I am and what I want to achieve.”

“From first-hand experience, I can say that what makes Tuck so special is that this “remoteness” is never truly felt—because it’s filled with the warmth of the community,” adds Magdala Díaz de Rávago Zevallos, a classmate of Atillasoy. “The people are what make the Tuck experience. They create a sense of belonging that makes you feel truly seen and valued. Surrounded by nature, you’re also surrounded by opportunities—to discover new passions, build meaningful friendships, and create lasting memories. It’s this combination that makes Tuck’s setting not a limitation, but a gift.”

NICE AND KIND

Tuckies don’t just connect with fellow students. Alumni remain heavily involved after graduation. For one, the school estimates that over 550 alumni return to Hanover every year to support current students in areas like interview prep. More than giving their time, Tuck alum donate their hard-earned dollars. In the last fund-raising campaign, the school achieved an 81% participation rate – more than double the average of their peer schools. These weren’t small dollars either, as the same campaign exceeded its goal by $166-million! Loyal and engaged, it is an alumni base that follows the school’s pay-it-forward, all-in philosophies as deeply as its students.

“During my early career, I worked with several Tuck alumni,” recalls Gardner Nash. “But I did not fully understand how rare this community is until I started the MBA process. When I reached out to students and alumni at Tuck, almost everyone replied and most people introduced me to two or three more Tuckies. At Tuck your community becomes exponential.”

And Nash attributes that to what is sometimes called Tuck Nice – a quality of students eschewing sharp elbows in favor of teamwork and proactively going out of their way to support and celebrate their classmates. Bobby Hickson, who competed in his first triathlon at 13, noticed the difference during his second week. Bed-ridden with a fever, he found classmates – basically strangers – checking in and bringing him food while he was out.

“[It is] a culture where people make an intentional investment in each other,” Nash continues. “You see it in warm greetings during cold winters, in classmates showing up for Band Party (shoutout to the class of 2027 band, the Grateful Debt), and in how quickly people step up to help.”

That said, Tuck Nice might be a bit of a misnomer, counters ’25 alum Zoe Kaslow. “Tuckies are incredibly nice, but sometimes “nice” makes it difficult to have tough conversations. However, there’s also a movement toward “Tuck kind.” I can have conversations with people I disagree with about hard things, but we eat breakfast, we learn things about each other, and we do it again the next week.”

TAKING THE WHEEL IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Nice or kind, the MBA Class of 2027 is certainly accomplished. Take Margaret Palko, who most recently worked in strategy for DoorDash. In the event of a mishap, she developed a product that ensured regulated goods like alcohol were returned to the original store.

“We ensured that we delivered the best-in-class experience—compliantly, safely, and smoothly. It was a great project because it was incredibly cross-functional, and it allowed me to see and own something end-to-end which I had never had the ability to do before. The amount of trust my leadership gave me is something that I don’t take for granted.”

Bobby Hickson, a Princeton Economics major, cut his teeth as a marketing lead at the Ford Motor Company. Working on the Lincoln brand, he developed a dashboard that enabled the firm to recoup $20-million in incentive overcharges. Not surprisingly, he will be welcomed back at Ford as a national incentive manager after graduation. Sticking to the automotive industry, Gardner Nash opened up an entirely new marketplace for CarGurus.

“I helped the company move beyond its core listings marketplace into the dealer wholesale market and consumer seller market,” he explains. “Dealers needed inventory to replace what they sold on our marketplace and consumers wanted real offers at home, so we built products for both sides. I led cross functional teams that launched and scaled these products to thousands of customers and meaningful revenue. What I am proudest of is the operating model we built with engineering and sales, which let us keep shipping fast in a complex two-sided market.”

AWARD-WINNING ARTISTS

Beth Maslinoff could be described as a poet with quant potential. She spent 17 years in the performing arts, most recently as a ballerina for Ballet Memphis. However, she gained precious experience working in labor negotiations.

“I had the opportunity to be part of an organizing campaign and the subsequent negotiations for the first unionized professional dance contract in the state of Tennessee. Getting to participate in the crafting of such an exhaustive document from scratch was a huge collaborative endeavor that was a great lesson in conflict negotiation, coalition building, leadership, and strategy. So much of the life of a ballet dancer is made up of fleeting, impermanent moments of live performance, so to work on producing a contract framework that subsequent generations of dancers will get to take ownership of and refine was a true privilege.”

Maslinoff isn’t the only artist in the class, either. Meet Tristin Marshall. “I’ve won a Clio Music Award for a fan-first digital activation, scaled fan pages to nearly 1-million followers in under eight months, and helped drive an album to a #1 Billboard debut through a fan-led campaign. I’ve also transformed online Discord servers into real-life experiences. These wins solidified my passion for building communities, and my last role showed me just how much I love and embody this work.”

GETTING THE ATTENTION … OF CONGRESS

Before joining the Class of 2027, Emma Branski served in the U.S. Air Force as an associate director in the Aircrew Training Program. In the financial sector, Ali Almail helped to restructure the state pension plan for Kuwait. At the same time, Aleksandar Nikolic headed up finance for the Better Collective, where he established a shared service center covering over 10 European countries. At the same time, Lars Erik Schönander made waves with his writing while working in a DC-based think tank focused on tech policy.

“One of my biggest accomplishments was writing an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal that got retweeted by members of Congress. The real cherry on top was that, less than a year later, I testified to Congress on the issue. The policy area I was working on was foreign investment in property next to American military bases.”

For Schönander, the MBA is a family affair. He can commiserate with his sister, who is a first-year at NYU’s Stern School. Looking ahead, Schönander hopes to expand upon his previous career path – just in the private sector. “I am interested in working in tech, whether that be at a tech company proper or at a consulting firm. I worked in tech policy while I was in D.C., and while I loved doing it, I realized that to pursue the goal I care about (helping America reindustrialize), I would learn more doing that at a firm than in the government.”

Outside of class, Olivia Merritt says she picks a new sport every year. This year, it is cricket. She joins the ranks of Margaret Palko, who recently learned how to scuba dive. Perhaps she could it the waters with Ali Almail, who admits that he can scuba dive but not swim. Then again, Almail has the perfect teacher in Aleksandar Nikolic, who has collected over 500 national and international medals in swimming! After all, Hanover is just a two-hour drive from the Atlantic Ocean – a spot that Merritt was able to visit shortly after arriving at Tuck.

“I arrived from Canada on a Sunday afternoon, and by 6:45 a.m. Monday morning, I was briefing 10 classmates I’d never met before on regional development in a sunlit boardroom in Murdough building. It was quite the introduction. That same group quickly became close friends as we headed to Portland, Maine, for the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Deep Dive pre-term trip. By mid-morning, I was shaking hands with a lobster fisherman-turned-aquaculturist, discussing blue economy innovation and regulatory hurdles aboard a small vessel in Casco Bay—porpoises swimming nearby.”

HANOVER HAVEN

There is a cliché that ‘life is what you make it.’ And few student bodies make the most of their surroundings better than Tuck MBAs. Home to roughly 12,000 people, Hanover – and the outdoorsy lifestyle it represents – is foundational to the Tuck experience. Picture the natural beauty of the Green and White Mountains, which are both just 40-minute drives from Hanover. There is the Connecticut River that carves through the Upper Valley, a land of hamlets, farms, wineries, remote cabins, and apple orchards. Punctuated by four distinct seasons, there is skiing at Killington, kayaking along the Great River, hiking across Rail Trail, cliff jumping at Quechee, and weekend trips to Burlington, Boston, and Montreal. In the words of alum Berk Atillasoy, the region is a “massive playground for outdoor adventures.”

“Hanover provides the college town atmosphere surrounded by nature and easy access to tons of outdoor activities,” says Emma Branski. “The ability to leave class and walk down a flight of stairs to jump into the river, hike local mountains, and partake in all the winter sports is awesome.”

“I grew up in Massachusetts and love winter,” adds Gardner Nash. “Only at Tuck can you ski freshly groomed trails in the morning, practice negotiation skills with classmates in the afternoon, and then grab dinner with a visiting executive in your target field in the same day. My ski gear is ready to go.”

Lars Erik Schönander relishes the “quiet” of Hanover. In contrast, Beth Maslinoff loves how she is greeted on the streets by people that she has just met. For Zachary J. Woody, a customer development manager from Ohio, Tuck is an opportunity to channel his inner Henry David Thoreau (with Walden Pond also being 40 minutes from campus).

“Tuck is a chance to step away from distractions, sharpen my focus, and walk out stronger. The woods symbolize resilience, renewal, and clarity—and that’s exactly what I want this experience to leave me with.”

Alas, there’s still plenty of civilization in Hanover. ’25 alum Zoe Kaslow points out that you can find a J. Crew there. Even more important: “We are also only around 45 minutes from the nearest Chipotle (I checked),” jokes Gardner Nash.

Next Page: An Interview with Joe Hall, Senior Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning

Page 3: Profiles of 12 Members of the MBA Class of 2027

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