An Ambitious and Inspired First-Year Class Is off to the Races at Tuck

All members of the class of 2027 were evaluated on Tuck’s four primary admissions criteria—smart, accomplished, aware, and encouraging. Tuck’s holistic evaluation process considers numerous variables in relation to the admissions criteria, including test scores, academic performance, work experience, and professional accomplishments. No single factor determines a candidate’s admission and Tuck recognizes that students demonstrate different strengths in different ways.

“Every year we seek candidates who are not only academically capable, but who will stretch themselves and invest in the success of others,” says Lawrence Mur’ray, executive director of admissions and financial aid. “The members of the class of 2027 embody those values fully.”

T’27s wasted no time getting up to speed. Beginning with Tuck Launch, the two-week orientation program that has jumpstarted the Tuck MBA experience for first-year students since 2019, members of the class of 2027 dove headlong into life at Tuck. From convening study groups, to experiencing their first Tuck courses, T’27s quickly acquainted themselves with the rigor of the Tuck curriculum and the immersive learning environment that characterizes academic life in Hanover.

“Tuck Launch was a microcosm of what the MBA experience is like: intellectually rigorous, immersive, intense, and fun,” says Ramone Wildman T’27, a native of Kingston, Jamaica, who joined Tuck from NCB Capital Markets where he was a senior business analyst. Wildman noted the Tuck Launch session on acceptance with Dean Matthew Slaughter and Professor Ella Bell Smith as a particular standout.

“As an international student, their message made me feel valued, and their high vulnerability was unexpected but well respected,” he says. “It made me feel like I could bring my true self to Tuck and validated my decision about the values that drew me to the school.”

The 304 students of the T’27 class bring with them extensive experience across industries, roles, and regions. Before Tuck, they worked for 252 unique employers—spanning consulting, financial services, health care, technology, and more. On average, they amassed more than five years of work experience that will enrich classroom discussions and peer learning alike.

“I believe that my background in the sciences and time working in the drug discovery pipeline for a large pharmaceutical company sets me apart from most of my classmates,” says Nina Wilk T’27, who worked as a drug discovery scientist at Eli Lilly before pursuing her MBA. “Because I have devoted so much of my life to solving complex problems in the life sciences space, I feel like I bring a different approach to problem solving compared to many of my classmates.”

T’27s put their previous experience and freshly acquired skills to the test during The CEO Challenge, which serves as the capstone to Tuck Launch. Working within their study groups, students were tasked with tackling a real-world business issue from company leaders. This year, CEOs—many of whom are Tuck alumni—from eight different companies including the National Association of Realtors, Alloy Therapeutics, and Causeway Capital Management, collaborated with first-year students. Each group had less than 24 hours to analyze a business case and create a presentation answering key questions for the firm.

“The CEO challenge was exciting and intellectually stimulating. It was the first real test of your study group’s dynamics,” Wildman says. “It forced everyone to adapt quickly and apply their past experiences to new knowledge to solve this problem in an industry with which they may have no prior experience.” 

Members of the 2027 class represent 46 countries by citizenship and 38 by professional experience, with 22 percent of the overall class being foreign nationals. Forty-four percent of T’27s are women, nine percent identify as LGBTQ+, and 13 percent are the first in their families to graduate from college. For those who identify as U.S. citizens or permanent residents, 30 percent identify as a student of color.

Life in Hanover, and the Tuck community, wouldn’t be complete without the important people students bring with them: 26 percent of the class come with partners, and four percent with children.

“Our students bring a breadth of perspectives shaped by personal and professional journeys around the world,” Mur’ray says. “We’re excited to see how the class of 2027 builds on Tuck’s tradition of trust, collaboration, and leadership.”

Learn more about the class of 2027 by visiting the online class profile.