Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management welcomed a diverse cohort for its MBA Class of 2026, and we’re meeting a handful of the new students in this edition of Real Humans: MBA Students.
Out of the 282 students who matriculated at Cornell Johnson this summer, 41 percent are women and 35 percent are international students, representing 24 countries. Underrepresented U.S. minorities make up 22 percent of the new class.
During their undergraduate years, the new class earned a median GPA of 3.4. When it came time to take the GMAT, Cornell Johnson MBAs landed a median score of 710. They arrived on campus with an average of 5.3 years of work experience, at an average age of 28.
In the following pages, learn about the program beyond the stats from individual students. Starting with A.D. Schmidt from Austin, Texas, he brings six years of multimedia production experience and three years as a business owner to Cornell Johnson. Zainab Mahmud, from London, worked in recruiting and HR diagnostics before pursuing a dual MILR/MBA degree to enhance her strategic impact in business. Additionally, Alyssa Neuberger has four years of experience as a market information consultant at Bank of America and is pursuing an MBA to deepen her business knowledge and leadership skills. Then, Carmyn Polk discusses her background in clinical research and healthcare consulting as well as plans to pursue health tech, particularly in maternal care. Hailing from Brazil, Odone da Rosa has experience in management consulting and corporate mergers and acquisitions, with plans to transition into investment banking.
Out of these diverse backgrounds comes a uniting choice of Cornell Johnson, for its close-knit community, leadership focus, career support and more. Learn more about these students and their advice for getting into Cornell Johnson in the following pages.
