Tuck 2013 (Dartmouth) - Calling All Applicants

At my job now, almost everyone went to HBS/Stanford/Wharton/CBS/Haas, so I have a good idea of what the 2-years would be like at those schools. Most urban schools with large classes have a "commuter campus" feel. Commuter as in classmates who live within city limits or region and pretty much have their network set up. CBS is known for this and I hear non-NYC locals have to play catch-up with building their network/friends, etc. I could see this happening if I go to Haas/Stanford, since i'm in SF and I probably won't move out of my rent controlled apt within the city. And I probably won't go full speed into network building events and activities. Just my 2cents on that.

From talking with Tuck alumni in SF and current students, I just felt that student community was not as competitive as in other schools i visited (HBS, CBS, Wharton). Everyone seemed to know each other and they would crack jokes with each other during classroom discussions. I feel regardless of which elite school you go to, you'll get the same caliber of academics. So with that, I felt that 2-years at Tuck would most def. help me build my network and become inspired to try new things/career prospects. Frankly, there is not much to do in Hanover so you have to be creative on keep yourself entertained. And most likely everyone will be on campus during the weekends. So when Tuck alumni say they are very close with their classmates, I believe that.

I went to undergrad in a very large school. It took me a quarter or two to navigate through the school and find clubs/orgs to join. Since bschool is only 2 years, I feel anytime spending digging a niche would be valuable time wasted. Thus I'm a bit hesitant on large bschools.

I got my job now through a chance encounter. That said, I'm hesitant on the career prospects at Tuck. I'm weary on the bulls*t some schools praise about and Tuck is not innocent on that. I think about it like this. Say I'm at CBS and I happen to meet a guy at a PE shop at a networking event. Next day, I could be in the office interviewing for a summer internship. I don't see that happening at Tuck given how far the school is from where most students will be ending up. I feel at Tuck, most recruiting events would have to be fully organized and scheduled. Not a bad thing though, but its a check mark against Tuck.

There are pros/cons at Tuck, but I think you'll have to make an extra effort to land those lucrative jobs. Something I would def consider doing if I get admitted.