Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester has cultivated a reputation as an MBA program that values both hard and soft skills in its business leaders, which this year’s incoming class reflects to a high degree.
The MBA Class of 2021 consists of 107 students representing 18 different countries of origin. While Simon’s representation of women MBA candidates of 34 percent in recent years sits below the 38 percent national average, the incoming class reports an impressive jump to 42 percent women representation for 2021. Additionally, the school ranked second in 2018 for percentage increase in women’s salary as measured from before earning their MBA. Forty percent of U.S. students in the class identify as underrepresented minorities.
All together, the new class has an average age of 28 and nearly 6 years of work experience. Prior to entering the workforce, nearly a third had studied business and commerce in college. Twenty-eight percent had majored in the humanities/social sciences while another 19 percent had pursued engineering. Fourteen percent had studied math and science and the remaining seven percent had dedicated their undergraduate years to economics. The middle 80 percent of the class earned GPAs between 2.7 and 3.9, and GMAT scores ranging from 580 to 730. For those who took the GRE, the middle 80 percent quant scores ranged from 144 to 165 and the verbal scores ranged from 148 to 163.
Overall, the polled Class of 2021 students said it was a combination of Simon’s “unabashedly analytical” focus and value of leadership skill development that attracted them to the MBA. Simon’s recruitment aims reflect this as they seek out candidates with strong communication, teamwork, and leadership skills. These attributes were further strengthened by the school’s Edge Program, which was “developed to focus on key competencies today’s employers demand in graduate business students.” Simon has also been leading the way in graduate management education with their embrace of STEM options.
In a time when the phrases like “tight-knit community” and “global focus” are ubiquitous among business schools, Simon genuinely reflects these elements as evidenced in the content of the program, as well as the lived experiences and aspirations of the Class of 2021. Read on to meet a representative group of Simon MBAs.
