FrozenTongue wrote:
Tuck2013, eestineiu, and RHB:
No greater demonstration of Tuck's community feeling than you guys helping us out here!!! Love the place for this feeling alone. And this is exactly the reason I am not in favour of Chicago, Columbia or LBS. Staying out in cities by yourself, it is easy to get lost in the usual stuff. The kind of relationships Tuck fosters is the one I am looking after..
Cheers guys for your offer of help....
One question, for you and other internationals here:
We love Tuck, true... but flying all the way across the globe, just to visit Tuck is a bit overboard for everyone... How does this "applicant initiated interview" process work for Internationals....
For me it was no problem, my girlfriend lives in Boston so I'm in the general vicinity of Tuck fairly often.
The only thing that is different about my app is that I actually hadn't been able to get over to Tuck prior to submitting my application and I was advised by one of the current students to call the adcom and explain that and see if I could have the interview sometime after. The adcom were very accommodating and worked with me to sort out an interview. You try getting an adcom at another school to do something different just for you... not going to happen.
Really as an international you have two options:
1 - Telephone / skype interview. Tuck doesn't penalize you for doing this and there are plenty of people who get in in this manner. If you feel you can perform well and represent yourself well in this kind of environment then go for it. If yo do go this route be sure to interact with some current students prior to your interview, Tuck wants to see that you have really taken the time to get to know the school. I did this by targeting some of the clubs I would be interested in joining and sending the presidents emails introducing myself and asking if they would be prepared to have a quick chat about the club and the school, every single one replied positively.
2 - Fly to the States. If you are applying to the several universities in the states then it is well worth the time to take a vacation and visit all the schools you are interested in. For me the trip to Tuck was worth every penny spent. I personally feel that I can represent myself face to face far better than on the phone, and I was able to get a really good feel for the campus. Compared to the overall cost of your MBA the cost of such a trip will be somewhat insignificant, and it will help your entire application, you will write better essays, better understand the school culture, and ultimately have a better chance of getting in.
Hope this helps.
RHB