Calling all Tuck (Dartmouth) Applicants: (2017 Intake) Class of 2019!!

My Tuck Interview Experience Review for an On Campus interview. Rating:**

My Tuck Interview Experience Review for an Video conference interview. Rating:****

My Tuck Interview Experience Review for an Video conference interview. Rating:***

My Tuck Interview Experience Review for an Video conference interview. Rating:****

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Is an MBA in your future?

When approached with the right perspective, January can be such a refreshing time of year. A time to refocus priorities and take stock of the previous year (good and bad!). With all this reflection, perhaps you realized you’re ready to pursue a different career. Perhaps, you realized you need a little extra help in taking your current career to another level. Perhaps, you think an MBA could help you accomplish these things! Your next steps might seem overwhelming at first. Before you dive into all the administrative work that goes into your MBA application (and while you’ve got that introspective momentum), take a step back. Look at the big picture; the MBA degree, your school(s) of choice, and you. First, think about you: your career path so far, the decisions you’ve made along the way, and where you want to go two years from now, ten years from now, and beyond. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What skills do you want/need to develop to reach your goals? What are you looking for in a living and learning environment? What do you need outside of your academics to allow you to put your energy into your program? Second, consider the MBA. Why this is the right degree for you? What can you gain from an MBA versus another degree? Talk to people you know with an MBA about their experience and what they learned. This gives you context to think about whether your understanding of the value of an MBA matches the reality. It also helps you to form the basis of your answer to the inevitable question during the application process, “Why do you want an MBA?” Third, research the schools you’re considering. Learn what is distinctive about each school and program, as well as commonalities between them. Go back to what you wanted to get out of your MBA. How does each school fit your needs? Throw it all into an Excel spreadsheet if you want (you need to get comfortable with those anyway) and see how it fits your priorities. The final step is to synthesize all the research you’ve done. Knowing yourself, identify what type of MBA makes sense for you and what schools offer the programs you want. Which of those schools best fit your personality but also challenge you to develop and stretch yourself? There are lots of resources to help you in your research, but the most important resource you have right now is time. Even before the 2017-2018 applications are live, use your time wisely to make the process as smooth and stress-free as possible. And good luck!

Where are you looking for the scores?

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Tuck Expedition to Silicon Alley

By Erica Toews T'18 Tuck encourages students to take initiative and supports us in doing so. My classmate Dan Brugal and I led a technology trek to New York City, and we had a blast collaborating to plan the trip. Seventeen first-year students got to know one another as we explored the city and became acquainted with different company cultures. It was amazing to meet Tuck alumni in the industry and experience an instant connection. We felt the creative energy as soon as we walked into Warby Parker: glass everywhere opened the office, sunlight poured into the central atrium, books lined the shelf that ran along the staircase to the second floor. Warby Parker was named after unpublished works by Kerouac, and the space vibrates with literary inspiration. The company designs fashionable and affordable eyeglasses and sells them online. For every pair you buy, Warby donates to a nonprofit that trains men and women in developing countries to give eye exams and sell glasses to their communities. We met Sarah, a T’09 who worked for the army, where she developed the assertive leadership to succeed as director of new stores and facilities. In response to customer requests, Warby is moving away from e-commerce and into retail: they have 44 stores in 30 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Sarah advised us that, as we explore opportunities at different companies, we should be clear about our value add and be able to pivot. We rode the Subway to Blue Apron, a company that delivers recipes and pre-portioned ingredients to make home cooking accessible to everyone. We sat around a conference table and feasted on breakfast sandwiches, while Felicia from corporate development and Greg from marketing spoke about “the circularity of what is cool” and how so many new companies center around subscription and snail mail. Blue Apron envisions building a better food system: while 34 percent of food gets wasted in the U.S., Blue Apron wastes 13 percent and strives to be more sustainable. The company maintains close relationships with farmers from whom they source ingredients. Blue Apron delivers fresh food: as opposed to going from farm to wholesaler to fulfillment center to grocery store and finally to your table, food goes directly from farm to Blue Apron to your table. LinkedIn occupies five floors of the Empire State Building, so our entrance felt dramatic. We met Ana, a relationship manager, who invited us to partake of the daily free lunch. Surrounded by windows with epic views of Manhattan, we learned about the economic graph, which digitally maps the global economy to connect talent with opportunity. In a world where technology threatens to render certain human professions obsolete, LinkedIn’s vision to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce seems particularly important. The acquisition of Lynda, an online learning company that teaches skills to help people achieve their professional goals, will further LinkedIn’s mission to fill gaps in economic opportunities. As we explore opportunities at different companies, we should be clear about our value add and be able to pivot. In a trendy warehouse with brick walls on the Hudson River, Uber is transforming transportation. We met Paul from operations and Dan from marketing, neither of whom attended Tuck, but both of whom claimed the culture at Uber is aligned with Tuck in that it values intimacy, collaboration, and humility. They reflected that Uber was criticized for overcharging customers, and then for underpaying drivers, so their new brand strategy is to take control of their reputation and not let the media define them. They were excited to share about Project Beethoven, which consists of app features for deaf and hard-of-hearing drivers, where the driver’s app signals a new trip request with a flashing light instead of the usual audio notification. We ended the day by walking on the High Line from Uber to Google, where we met Kevin T’12, Mike T’09, and Erika T’11. They corrected the misconception that Google is a tech company by explaining that, with 60,000 employees, they have every role imaginable. Erika added that, though Google is massive, she still felt like she had responsibility. She works in global business development and launched a product in two new countries in the past year. Mike described YouTube as a three-legged stool of creators, users, and advertisers. He sees YouTube ads as video storytelling, but he emphasized that Google is not an ad tech company. It’s about creating products people love and getting people online. All five offices buzzed with innovation and excitement. The technology trek served as a reminder of the diverse plethora of opportunities available to Tuck students. ALSO BY ERICA Extra-Ordinary Companies

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Tuck Tech Trek to NYC

By Erica Toews T'18 Tuck encourages students to take initiative and supports us in doing so. My classmate Dan Brugal and I led a technology trek to New York City, and we had a blast collaborating to plan the trip. Seventeen first-year students got to know one another as we explored the city and became acquainted with different company cultures. It was amazing to meet Tuck alumni in the industry and experience an instant connection. We felt the creative energy as soon as we walked into Warby Parker: glass everywhere opened the office, sunlight poured into the central atrium, books lined the shelf that ran along the staircase to the second floor. Warby Parker was named after unpublished works by Kerouac, and the space vibrates with literary inspiration. The company designs fashionable and affordable eyeglasses and sells them online. For every pair you buy, Warby donates to a nonprofit that trains men and women in developing countries to give eye exams and sell glasses to their communities. We met Sarah, a T’09 who worked for the army, where she developed the assertive leadership to succeed as director of new stores and facilities. In response to customer requests, Warby is moving away from e-commerce and into retail: they have 44 stores in 30 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Sarah advised us that, as we explore opportunities at different companies, we should be clear about our value add and be able to pivot. We rode the Subway to Blue Apron, a company that delivers recipes and pre-portioned ingredients to make home cooking accessible to everyone. We sat around a conference table and feasted on breakfast sandwiches, while Felicia from corporate development and Greg from marketing spoke about “the circularity of what is cool” and how so many new companies center around subscription and snail mail. Blue Apron envisions building a better food system: while 34 percent of food gets wasted in the U.S., Blue Apron wastes 13 percent and strives to be more sustainable. The company maintains close relationships with farmers from whom they source ingredients. Blue Apron delivers fresh food: as opposed to going from farm to wholesaler to fulfillment center to grocery store and finally to your table, food goes directly from farm to Blue Apron to your table. LinkedIn occupies five floors of the Empire State Building, so our entrance felt dramatic. We met Ana, a relationship manager, who invited us to partake of the daily free lunch. Surrounded by windows with epic views of Manhattan, we learned about the economic graph, which digitally maps the global economy to connect talent with opportunity. In a world where technology threatens to render certain human professions obsolete, LinkedIn’s vision to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce seems particularly important. The acquisition of Lynda, an online learning company that teaches skills to help people achieve their professional goals, will further LinkedIn’s mission to fill gaps in economic opportunities. As we explore opportunities at different companies, we should be clear about our value add and be able to pivot. In a trendy warehouse with brick walls on the Hudson River, Uber is transforming transportation. We met Paul from operations and Dan from marketing, neither of whom attended Tuck, but both of whom claimed the culture at Uber is aligned with Tuck in that it values intimacy, collaboration, and humility. They reflected that Uber was criticized for overcharging customers, and then for underpaying drivers, so their new brand strategy is to take control of their reputation and not let the media define them. They were excited to share about Project Beethoven, which consists of app features for deaf and hard-of-hearing drivers, where the driver’s app signals a new trip request with a flashing light instead of the usual audio notification. We ended the day by walking on the High Line from Uber to Google, where we met Kevin T’12, Mike T’09, and Erika T’11. They corrected the misconception that Google is a tech company by explaining that, with 60,000 employees, they have every role imaginable. Erika added that, though Google is massive, she still felt like she had responsibility. She works in global business development and launched a product in two new countries in the past year. Mike described YouTube as a three-legged stool of creators, users, and advertisers. He sees YouTube ads as video storytelling, but he emphasized that Google is not an ad tech company. It’s about creating products people love and getting people online. All five offices buzzed with innovation and excitement. The technology trek served as a reminder of the diverse plethora of opportunities available to Tuck students. ALSO BY ERICA Extra-Ordinary Companies

Just got done with my interview. It was conducted by Sudershan Tirumala T'10 over skype. The questions were standard with minor twists here and there.

Tell me about yourself.
What do you want to do?
Why Tuck?
Which other schools? What if you get admits from all of them with a scholarship barring Tuck.
Strengths and Weaknesses
What will you do at Tuck?
How will people remember you from Tuck if everything goes well?
Is there something that I haven't asked you yet?

The electricity went off towards the end (after 28 minutes. It was my turn to ask him questions) and I had to switch to mobile. It was heart breaking because the rest seemed to have gone okay and this definitely disturbed the decorum. I guess I fumbled/asked the wrong counter question soon after this but I got the opportunity to clarify myself. Also, things were not the most clear over phone as the internet was not good either (Screw Airtel). So basically, a good interview turned bad.

Anybody else faced this? How does it reflect on your application?

Is it normal to not have received an interview invite or a waitlist/ding from Tuck at this point? I am hearing a few folks got waitlisted already.


Sent from my iPhone using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Tuck Mindfulness Society: Q&A with Eric Giles T’16

The Tuck Mindfulness Society (TMS) is a growing group of practitioners who use meditation and mindfulness techniques to develop better overall health, mental focus, satisfying personal relationships and leadership qualities such as empathy. One of TMS’s founders, Eric Giles T’16, is the Redwoods Resident at DaVita Kidney Care. We chatted with him recently to ask about how he uses mindfulness in his daily life, post Tuck. What initially drew you to mindfulness meditation? I was researching ways to increase my productivity at work and one book mentioned that meditation was a way to develop a sense of focus. Intrigued, I read more about mindfulness. As I read, I realized that all the characteristics mindfulness helps develop—equanimity, staying grounded in the moment, contentment, attention—were all woefully absent in my life. I had become a servant to ruminations about my past, to anxieties about my future, and was in a constant state of unease. At Tuck students call it FOMO (fear of missing out). Reading about mindfulness made me realize that contentment, joy, and happiness was always available to me, and that meditation was a technique to practice living in the present moment. Describe what your practice is like today. I do my best to stick to a regular practice. My goal is 5 minutes before I leave for work so that I start my day feeling grounded, then a longer sit for 15-20 minutes before I go to bed. I also attend a group sit and mindfulness talk at a local center each Thursday. I mix a few books about mindfulness into my reading list. Next up on my list is Smile at Fear by AUTHOR. MY practice is enhanced and more regular if I am in a community, so I do my best to read or participate with other groups as much as possible. I am also looking to attend a weekend silent retreat in the spring time. Do you ever practice mindfulness when you aren't in formal meditation? Work and life is stressful. When I feel my mind start to get agitated, I close my office door and just sit in how I am feeling and focus my breath. It only takes about 20-30 seconds before I feel my mind calm down. I am also a very kinesthetic person and cannot sit in a chair all day, so I often go for a 5 minute walk outside. I do my best to silence divergent thinking and just feel my feet hit the ground and absorb the sounds and smells around me. It is quick, but it brings my mind and body back into alignment. How has mindfulness practice helped you at work and in life? I remember before I went to Tuck I used to have "Sunday dread." I would feel anxiety each day before work, I would let mistakes haunt me for days, and I would struggle to focus on tasks. I certainly still get anxious before some tasks and, admittedly, there are mistakes that I let stay with me for longer than I should. But after two years of practicing while at Tuck, my disposition is much less volatile. I am no longer beset by constant anxiety, and my peers are amazed at my ability to constantly "be in the zone" when they walk by my desk. I’m more productive and happier now. These benefits carry over to my personal life. I’m better able to listen to loved ones, and I’m more empathetic towards my friends. I am also just more fun to be around since I can live in the moment. Any final words of advice for committing to a practice? Mindfulness is like becoming taller when you are a child. You never realize that you are growing until you look back at an old picture and think, "Wow! I’m a lot bigger." Mindfulness is the same way.

Hey guys quick question. After you interviewed did anything get posted on your application status? The only things on my application status are my two recommendations and a verification that I submitted payment.

Thanks exactly how my application was - all the way through to admit.

I actually didn't receive a note either that they had processed my application for EA (I submitted 2-3 days before the deadline in full), so I called a few weeks after the deadline to confirm and they did.

So don't be too alarmed when you click submit and you don't get much validation that everything is in.

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: The Dynamics Inside Tuck’s AdCom

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an Admissions Officer? How it feels? In his new post on MBA Crystal Ball, Suds gives you a peek into the dynamics of Tuck’s Admissions Committee.   By Sudershan Tirumala T’10 Associate Director of Admissions, Regional Director of India and South East Asia Across every interaction, whether in person at a Tuck Reception or Coffee Chat or business school fair or over Skype or email or phone calls or through some other medium, I have had the privilege of getting to know so many candidates so well. It’s almost as if I have become their spokesperson within the Admissions Committee. I can’t speak to how Admissions Committees of other business schools do, but at Tuck, it’s a very emotionally charged discussion. I’ve probably said this before, but the arguments in the committee are not so much about why someone shouldn’t be admitted at Tuck, but rather why someone should be. That’s a very different way of thinking about an applicant. The applicant stops being a file any more, and it’s as if the person is present right in the room, in front of the committee members, making an argument in her/his favor. That level of pro-candidate approach in a committee is something I’ve never ever experienced. All said and done, when decisions are made about the candidates, the weight on [our] shoulders only increases further. It all comes to a head the day after results are announced. In my case, I was staring at an extra-long line of emails from candidates who I’ve met along the way, from candidates who thought they did a great job in the application, from candidates who thought they had a really good interview, from candidates who thought they had a competitive GMAT score, from candidates who thought they had a compelling profile, and so on. Each of the emails had disappointment writ large in the writing, each of them a little hurt, and each of them a little incredulous about what just happened. Each of them wondering what might have gone wrong, and each of them seeking insight into why the decision was the way it was. I am not someone who will shy away from the responsibility of answering these emails, and I will eventually respond to all of them. And this is what increases that responsibility even more—the fact that the candidates actually felt that I was approachable enough that they reached out to me sharing their thoughts. Being a member of the Tuck Admissions Committee is an emotional roller coaster ride. The high of meeting so many exceptional candidates along the way, combined with the challenge of making some very tough decisions and then, the responsibility of connecting with everyone who is looking for answers, while also simultaneously moving things forward for the many, many applicants that are also jostling for a space in the class in the future rounds. For all those who have written to me, and the many more who have stopped short, I’d like to take this opportunity to address them here: The Tuck Admissions Committee has the unenviable job of choosing from a large pool of exceptional candidates to fill a class of finite size. I know it is very difficult to digest the news as a candidate who has put in so much effort into the application. Every person on the Tuck Admissions Committee is supremely empathetic, especially since we get to know every candidate so well, and it’s so difficult to make these tough decisions. Still, that doesn’t make things any easier for those at the receiving end of these decisions. The whole point of this blog is to give you a glimpse into the dynamics within the Admissions Committee and let you know these are not decisions that are taken lightly and in an off-handed manner. Every file gets due consideration and every candidate gets the opportunity to present her/himself. All said and done, I sincerely hope you take back with you, the positives from this experience. Maybe you are planning to reapply to Tuck next year. Maybe there are schools you have heard back from with a positive news. Maybe there are schools you are applying to as you go along. Whatever your case, I wish you all the very best in your future endeavors.   This is an abbreviated version of Suds’ post. Check out the full version at MBA Crystal Ball.

Great that makes me feel a lot better then! I was a little worried because the submitted application just looks so barren.

+1 for the January round.

Cannot wait to hear back (even though its only been about a week ha ha). Does anyone know if they wait till the notification deadline (March for the Jan round) or do they send decisions out as and when they have them ready?

All the best to everyone!

I'm headed to Hanover later this month for the applicant initiated interview (applied already in the January round).

Do you think I should update my resume for the interview to include my GMAT score? I was thinking it could turn out to be an implicit benefit and show that I am a strong academic fit.