Calling All Fall 2011 Dartmouth (Tuck) Applicants

Decided to move to November round

Going to an event in LA tomorrow, and I'm gonna ask how BIG visiting the campus is for the admission. Ticket + lodging + misc = at least $800 from CA, and my fund is bottoming.

Make sure to ask out loud because I want to hear the answer. Same boat as you, that's why I didn't schedule an interview...

Trust me, at Tuck it's big.

Not necessarily because they use it as a sign of how serious you are about going to Tuck (they do), but because it is a very unique place. You are in the middle of nowhere (not that far from Boston, but it's not a short drive). When classes are done, you'll be hanging out with your classmates. When you go to the store to buy groceries, you'll run into classmates. Outdoor activities are big. There are only 3 bars.

It's more about the admissions people knowing that YOU'LL be comfortable at Tuck. They are concerned that if you haven't visited, you might not like it. They want people who know they'll come to Tuck and like it.

$800 is nothing compared to the $110K in tuition you'll be spending. Make the trip, visit multiple schools per trip. It's worth it in the end.

RF

I agree that $800 is a very small amount given the scope of the MBA endeavor, but time is a major factor. If schools use my physical presence on campus to determine my level of interest, I wont be getting in anywhere.

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to reveal my decision making process or not, but I'm specifically applying to certain schools because of their location. Duke, Darden, Ross, Tuck....all fantastic locations. I'm not applying to all these schools, but each have campuses outside of a city. I'm not saying that location was my main consideration, but I would love to spend 2 years outside of the city. I grew up in a small town and love the outdoors access and vibe. I do appreciate that some people may not like that kind of thing and it makes sense for Tuck adcom to screen accordingly. Unfortunately, I'll have to do my best without a visit.

I lived in Cornell for 4 years. I think any place can be better than Ithaca, NY

Question for you Refurb, having read your comments on that, can the self-initiated interview be counted as a "class visit" as well, granted that the interview will be just a small portion of the day that I'll spend on Tuck campus? Will this "class visit" and luncheon with students be sufficient enough to show that I am interested in Tuck without going to any reception or forum in the other part of the country? I know there's no magical formula to how much you can show a school your interest, but I was hoping that the self-intiated interview will be a good way to tell Tuck that I'm interested in Tuck. Not only would I get a chance to interview, but I'll get a chance to do the class visits and such. Any thought?

Just came back from the event in LA.

Including the booklet that they gave out, you can really feel the close-knit community mentality.

Most of all, you gotta visit the campus. It sounded implicitly mandatory. Good thing I've signed up for campus tour + interview.

Im in for Janurary. I went to the Tuck reception today in Westwood. And i was really impressed with the presentation. I love how Tuck has such a tight knit community.

can anyone shed some light as to the overfilling class of 2012 and how it affects admission to the class of 2013? I remember reading somewhere that Tuck underestimated the yield and has accepted too many applicants (whom also decided to enroll) and are pushing some applicants to the class of 2013. Is this true? If so, does anyone know how this will play a role in the admission this coming year?

bakfed:

I actually asked that question yesterday directly to the admission lady.

She admitted overflow for class of 2012, and she expects the same high yield rate this year too. But she officially said not to worry about it too much and not to believe too much what you read in internet. But IMO, her nervous chuckle discounted what she said

oh well~ life goes on and there's more editing to the essays =)

I finally submitted my app for ED and scheduled for an on-campus i/v on 09/20.
Going by the website - The decision will be declared by 12/17 (ED)

Frens - Can someone explain whether the applicant has to wait till 12/17 to hear from Tuck or are the decisions rolled continuously after the ED deadline (10/13).

Thanks,
KC

Good luck, Chaitu.

The answer is yes. If the only trip you make to Hanover is for your interview, you're good. You'll get a chance to sit in on a class, get a tour and have lunch with students.

The concern for the admissions people is that if you never come up to Tuck and get in, you might hate it.

For those of you who can't make a formal visit to Hanover for whatever reason, there are many things you can do to alleviate the concerns of admissions:

1. Talk to lots of alums/current students. Ask them about what they liked/didn't like about going to Tuck (outside of classes). Ask them what type of person would "fit" in a place like Tuck. If something resonates with you, put it in your essays!

2. Just come up to Hanover! If you're in Boston, take a drive up to Hanover, walk around campus and down main street. See what it's like. Even if you never talk to anyone while you're here, you'll get a sense of the place. This would work well if you can only make it during the weekend.

The lack of a campus visit all depends on how far away you are. Obviously, if you're in Boston and you don't visit, it will look very bad. If you're in San Diego, allowances are made, but you better show you did your homework. For the international students, I don't think there is any expectation you visit campus (except maybe those applicants in eastern Canada). It will certainly help if you can visit, but admissions understands that someone in India or Europe can't spend $2000 just to visit a school for an afternoon.

Good luck guys!!

RF

OK, I love Tuck and don't want to disparage what admissions says, but the numbers speak for themselves.

The normal target for class size is 250.
The number of students who accepted the offer of admission for Class of 2012 was ~310.
The class size for 2012 is ~280.
That means 30 students deferred until next year. These are students who said "YES!" I want to come to Tuck! I would guess that at least 2/3 will end up coming to Tuck next year.

So that means with a class size of 250, 8-12% of the spots are already gone for next year. Obviously it will be more difficult to get into Tuck next year. How much harder? Who knows? But it will be harder.

RF

that's where I'm at...but I'm making the trip

refurb, do you know of any plans to increase current class size to 350 or more, from 250? What if the number of applicants this year jumps from 2xxx to 3000? Would Tuck be able to make the necessary adjustment?