bhatiagp wrote:
Planning to apply to Tuck for Fall '09 .Know its a good GM school with really strong slumni society, and a verty closely knit school. Why did you apply to Tuck, I mean what differentiates it from other schools like Darden and Ross who also have strong focus on GM.
As to
my experience during Admit Weekend:
post459564.html#p459564Reasons for me to choose Tuck:
First: What kind of school I was looking for, my goals and interests:
- My post-MBA goal is strategy consulting
- --> I was looking for a school that has a strong placement record in that department
- I was looking for relatively balanced programs: strength in general management, marketing and finance was important
- Coming from techie industries I was looking for electives that cater to that interest
- My undergrad experience was very urban: big city, anonymous, no real bonding between students
- I wanted a school with small class size, cooperative, in a non-urban environment
- I wanted a real campus-like atmosphere (most American schools satisfy this criterium asopposed to many European schools)
- A Top10 program was the goal
Looking at the above list, some of the reasons why I chose Tuck are already out there. Also, the list explains why I didnt chose certain other schools, especially no.5 and 6: This leaves out Columbia, Wharton, Harvard, Chicago GSB - thus 4 of the Top10 were already off my list.
I ended up applying to Haas, Ross, Tuck and Kellogg plus IESE in Barcelona. All of these schools fulfill the above mentioned criteria to a different extent, but score pretty high. Dont ask why I didnt apply to Stanford. I should have given it a shot, I guess. Then again, I am not sure it would be the right place for me.
I got into all of these but Kellogg. I had scholarships at all schools I was accepted to but IESE, including a full ride at Ross.
At the end of the day, the reason I chose Tuck above the other very nice offers was a rather emotional one. I think the ASW post explains most of it. I understand that Tuck cannot be for everyone. I think it is an absolute MUST to go and see the place and get to know the people. If you want to have that urban vibe during your MBA Tuck will be absolutely not for you. For me, and this remains to be seen, it will be great to be in an idyllic place for two years (with a possible semester abroad in Barcelona thrown in), in a super-close-knit environment focusing absolutely on the MBA and the people and nothing else. I also think that there wont be much time to do anything else anyways, so why pay $3000 bucks for an apartment in downtown NYC?
I am pretty sure that post-MBA I will be back in urban environments in no time.
Hope this helps.