Poets&Quants (TM) Releases Best & Brightest MBAs: Class Of 2018

    OAKLAND, CA, May 07, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Poets&Quants, the definitive online publication of MBA news for graduate business, released its annual list of the "Best & Brightest MBAs, Class of 2018." Now in its fourth installment, the highly anticipated feature highlights the achievements, leadership, and volunteerism from 100 full-time MBAs from 60 leading business schools worldwide.

This year's Best & Brightest are defined by their commitment to service, both to their classmates and society at large. The class has fought on the front lines against poverty, AIDS, and human trafficking. Two members have opened medical clinics to provide care to the underprivileged. Others have developed programming to prevent sexual harassment or support transitions made by international, veteran, international, and disabled students.

Professionally, the Best & Brightest come from organizations as diverse as the United Nations, Teacher for America, Barclays, and the U.S. Marines. It boasts a child actor, a professional poker player, and a diplomat who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear deal. One graduate started his banking career at 15; another was managing a $130 million dollar budget at 22 – and became his company's youngest partner in the process.

"Every year, the caliber of students keeps getting better," says Jeff Schmitt, the senior writer at P&Q who developed the Best & Brightest concept. "One of the things that's changing with MBAs is they're increasingly coming back to campus with a purpose. They've found their calling and they're leveraging business as a means to boost access and fairness for everyone. This sense of mission – and the values they represent – really heightens the possibilities for everyone in business school."

To compile this 2018 Best & Brightest MBAs, Poets & Quants reached out to 68 of the world's top graduate business schools with school selection based on P&Q's MBA rankings. Each school was asked to submit four nominations using feedback from administration and students, with special attention given to academic prowess, professional achievement, extracurricular involvement, and insightful responses. Overall, 65 programs submitted 239 nominations, which were evaluated by P&Q's editorial team. In the end, nearly all of the Top 10 domestic and international business schools were represented including the following:

• Stanford Graduate School of Business
• Wharton School
• University of Chicago
• Northwestern University
• INSEAD
• MIT
• U.C.-Berkeley
• Dartmouth College
• London Business School
• Yale School of Management
• Columbia Business School
• University of Michigan

As a whole, the Best & Brightest consists of 52 women and 48 men – a stark contrast from traditional business school populations where women often account for a little more than a third of the population. The class also includes 35 international students and 9 armed forces veterans. Overall, McKinsey is the top employer of Best & Brightest talent, with 8 members slated to join the firm after graduation. Amazon attracted 7 students, followed by Bain & Company, the Boston Consulting Group, and Deloitte with 5 students each. Another 9 students on the list will be running startups, with 2 others planning to return to the military.

To read the full story and 100 profiles, visit Poets&Quants for "The Best & Brightest MBAs, Class of 2018"

Poets&Quants is the leading source for coverage of graduate business education. Since its founding in 2010, P&Q has experienced eight consecutive years of record-breaking traffic growth, racking up more than 100 million page views from all over the world. In a typical month, more than 350,000 users visit the site. P&Q has established a reputation for well-reported and highly creative stories on the things that matter most to the graduate business education market.

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