Tuck (Dartmouth): Class of 2017 - Calling All Applicants!

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Female, Veteran, MBA - An In Demand Combination

Jennifer Tietz is originally from Roselle, IL. She graduated from USNA in 2001 with a degree in Mathematics. She served as a Nuclear Surface Warfare officer and deployed to the Middle East with USS O’KANE (DDG 77), USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71), USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72), and Navy Provisional Detainee Battalion-THREE, Camp Bucca, Iraq.  Additionally, she deployed with USS VANDEGRIFT (FFG 48) as the Operations Officer in support of CARAT and Humanitarian Operations in the South China Sea, and served one shore tour at the US Naval Academy on the superintendent’s staff and as an instructor in the Mechanical Engineering department. She holds a Masters in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University. Jen left the Navy in 2013 to pursue her MBA at Tuck, but remains a member of the US Naval Reserve. She spent her summer at McKinsey's London office. In addition to participating in AFAA, Jen started a food group “Tuck Tastes” and is the co-chair of the Tuck Volunteers club.   It was with no lack of trepidation that I left the Navy after 12 years of commissioned service. Multiple head hunters advised me that an MBA was not necessary and that Junior Officers were VERY employable. They showed me portfolios with proof they had placed people into jobs with notable finance and consulting firms. Many of my friends who had left the service went on to nice careers with defense contractors or government agencies. There was a wealth of viable options that seemed ‘safer’ than giving up full time employment for two years while seeking an MBA. Safe is tempting, but I’ve never really been known to take the safe option, and this case was no different. I initially chose to pursue an MBA for several reasons: I craved a ‘normal’ college experience, having gone to USNA for undergrad. The network you develop in a full-time MBA program is just as valuable as the degree itself. I knew VERY little about business and knew the classes and my classmates at b-school would help me learn enough to hold my own in a non-Navy related job. I really did not know what I wanted to do as a post-Navy career (definitely not anything defense or government-related) and thought the recruiting experience at b-school would help me better understand what options were available and where my skills would be most useful. Imagine my great surprise when I started the recruiting process for my internship and found out that companies absolutely love female veterans. From finance to consulting to brand management to general management, the appeal seemed to be universal. Most companies now have significant diversity recruiting programs including initiatives for women and initiatives for veterans, among others. Why, you might wonder? I wondered too and asked. Companies seek to hire more women because their customers and clients are women, and the companies recognize the utility in having the diversity of perspective women employees bring. Separately, companies seek to hire veterans, as they typically display a strong work ethic, adaptability, skill at solving complex problems, and capacity to thrive in a stressful environment. The combination of female and veteran, therefore, is incredibly valuable to recruiters. On my recruiting journey, in addition to discovering how ‘in demand’ female veterans are, I also discovered that the consulting and banking jobs the Junior Officer head hunters had told me about were the very jobs my MBA classmates had left in order to advance to the next level.  It seems, if I had left the Navy and gone straight to one of these companies, it would have been at the analyst level and I likely would have had to leave for the MBA eventually (though I am certain there are exceptions to this at some companies). The social aspect of business school is vastly different from being on deployment, a fact which I found truly refreshing!  It was initially bizarre to be in an environment where colleagues (classmates) date openly, where women are not worried about whether it’s an okay time to get pregnant, and where PT is done for fun, not out of necessity. Never before have I met so many people in one place who are bright, funny, interesting, and diverse. I admit, it has been wonderful to re-learn how to socialize in a (semi) normal environment! Finally, and perhaps most importantly, b-school has given me the opportunity to gradually transition from the military into business in an environment where it’s ok to ask questions, make mistakes, and show up in the wrong outfit. The skills I have learned have helped me transition from the hierarchy so prevalent in the military, to a more flat organization in consulting. I now enter the business world armed with my veterans network, my business school network, the confidence to succeed in just about any job, and the memories from an absolutely wonderful experience in Hanover, NH where I made lifelong friends, discovered so much about myself, and was able to share my many Navy experiences with an audience eager to express their appreciation for my service.

Devon,
The interview is application-blind. What I mean is, the interviewer will not have access to any part of your application, other than your Resume. That is all you need to send to the admissions office 5 business days prior to your interview.
Also, you will need to carry a print out of the Resume with you. Following is the text from the email I received after I confirmed my interview.

"Required for your Interview:
Please send a copy of your résumé to our Tuck Admissions Resume email account prior to your visit. Please name your file in the following format: last name_first name (ex. Smith_Jane.doc) and bring a printed copy as well. You must submit your résumé five business days prior to your interview. Your interviewer will not have your application and requires this copy of your résumé in order to conduct your interview. "

When you confirm your interview, you will get a similar mail with all instructions.

~Anupam.

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Should I come to campus for an interview?

Applicants often ask about our applicant-initiated interviewsand whether they should make the trip to Hanover for an interview.  My answer is “if you are able to make the trip, absolutely!” Tuck is one of the few schools that does not have an invitation-only interview policy.  Our interviews are open to anyone who wants to interview, provided they come to campus and complete the interview before the deadline for their round.  Now if you don’t make it to campus for an interview, we then switch to an invitational system like most of our peers.  We review your application and if you are someone we want more information about (e.g. we are considering moving forward with your application), we will invite you to interview.  That invitational interview will be done either on-campus, with a travelling admissions officer, or by Skype. Why do we have this type of policy?  We want to get to know you fully.  Tuck believes that interpersonal skills are critical to being a successful business leader and a successful member of the Tuck community.  Accordingly, we want to give as many people as possible the chance to introduce themselves and fully shine. There are two significant benefits for an applicant who comes to campus.  First, you get a full sense of the school.  Tuck is a unique community that you really need to experience to fully appreciate.  When you come for an interview visit, you will also attend a class, have lunch with students, tour the campus and have Q&A with an admissions officer.  I often find that applicants who have visited have a much better understanding of what makes Tuck distinctive and why it is the right school for them.  The second benefit is you guarantee yourself the greatest chance to be admitted.  We do not admit any applicant who has not been interviewed (either by their own initiative or by invitation).  Since we cannot invite every applicant who applies, it is possible if you don’t come up on your own, you will not be invited, and you will have lost out on the opportunity to fully show us who you are.  In the past, there have been applicants who on paper might not have stood out enough to be invited for an interview, but they made the trip and because they were so strong in the interview, we ended up admitting them.  Had they not made the effort to initiate an interview, they most likely would not have been admitted to Tuck. How is it interpreted if you don’t come for an interview?  We understand that not everyone can make the trip to Hanover, particularly our international applicants, and we are not going to hold that against you.  In fact, we give you space in the application to explain your reasons for not coming if you haven’t.  But applicants who do not live far away, and who do not come for an interview, can leave a slight impression that they are less committed to coming to Tuck than those applicants who do make the trip.  Does that mean you don’t have a chance of getting in?  Not at all!   We still invite and admit many applicants who didn’t come to campus.  But if it came down to two applicants, all other things being relatively equal, one of whom came to campus to interview on his own, and the other who didn’t, who do you think we are going to be more inclined to admit? A word to the wise, interview slots tend to fill up quickly.  Don’t wait to the last minute to schedule your interview only to find out we don’t have any space available.  Click here to schedule a visit.  I hope to see you all on campus soon!

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Women in Business Conference: From Prospective Student to Co-Chair

The theme of this year’s annual Women in Business Conference, Step Boldly, encompasses what I feel Tuck prepares you to do as a future female business leader.  Tuck is a place that will nurture and challenge you in equal measure so that you to have the confidence to chart your career path.  Whether you are just beginning to consider business school, are currently a Tuck student, or are an alumnae, the conference brings together a group of women for thought provoking speakers, workshops, and networking events.  Particularly beneficial for prospective students (I was one myself at the conference two years ago), the conference is an opportunity to immerse yourself in our distinctive community.  I can vividly remember the October weekend I spent in Hanover two years ago.  There were helpful panels from Admissions, a student life panel full of women who impressed and inspired me, a keynote lunch and dinner with notable alumnae who shared tales from their careers in finance and marketing, a mock class, and dinner with a small group of first-year women at one of their homes.  The small group dinner, a Tuck tradition, was particularly memorable as I felt the warmth of a group of women who had so quickly bonded through the hard work and fast pace of the first-year fall term and were simultaneously so eager to reach out to myself and other prospective students to share their stories and enthusiasm about the Tuck community. Last fall I sat on the other side of that table, and was able to pay forward some of my newfound wisdom with other women considering business school.  Now, I am planning the conference myself with two co-chairs (one of whom I met at the conference as a prospective student), hoping to create the same experience for another group of women.  Some highlights from this year’s conference include a keynote dinner with Patty Wolff T’94 and Angelique Krembs T’94 both of whom have had long careers in marketing at Pepsi, a Saturday keynote lunch with Christina Morrison T’93 who is currently the Senior Vice President of Finance at Aramark, a Gender Intelligence workshop presented by Barbara Annis and Associates, an alumnae panel of women from the class of 2008, Tucktails, small group dinners, and so much more!  We hope you consider joining us on October 24th-26th, you can find more information about the conference and apply (by Friday, September 19) on website.  Brooke Beatt T’15 WIB Conference Co-Chair

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Focus on Applicants from India: MBA Decoder

Our Key Country Representative for India, Sudershan Tirumala T'10 ("Suds" as we know him around here), recently sat down with MBA Decoder to provide an insider view into Tuck, the application process, what it's like to be a student, and career paths post MBA.  Learn more about the program, what sets Tuck apart and what we look for in an applicant.  Be sure to follow the official Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth Admission Query Thread on PaGalGuy. Good luck in the application process. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions along the way.

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Interviewing Do’s and Don’t's

Interviewing season is upon us.  As I explained in my earlier blog, Tuck has an open interview policy, and just last week we started welcoming prospective applicants to campus to complete their admissions interview and experience the Tuck classroom and community up close.  Since many of you are getting ready for interviews now, I thought I would provide some of my thoughts on how to prepare.   The first tip is to relax.  Tuck interviews are meant to be a conversation.  We look at them as an opportunity to get to know you better and for you to get to know us too.  We aren’t trying to put you in a high stress situation or make you sweat.  On the flip side, don’t relax too much.  Most of our interviews are conducted by second year students. Some applicants get too casual and assume since they are being interviewed by someone they see as a peer it is okay to slouch, slip into slang or reveal information they probably shouldn’t.  While we certainly want you to feel comfortable and act like yourself, remember, no matter who conducts your interview (student or staff), you should approach it in a completely professional manner. Similar to your essays, interviews are a great vehicle to share your story.  Through the interview, we hope to hear more examples of the types of experiences you have had in both your personal and professional life, and to get a sense of your demonstrated record of achievement, your interpersonal and communication skills, and your focus.  There are no right or wrong answers to the questions we ask, so the best approach is to be yourself and tell us what you really think.  A mistake I often see from applicants is that they try to tell the interviewer what they think the admissions committee wants to hear.  The unfortunate result is they sound inauthentic and/or lacking substance. It is important to prepare for the interview in advance.  Think about the types of questions you are likely going to get, e.g. what are your goals, why do you want to get an MBA, why do you want to come to Tuck, leadership roles, your strengths and weaknesses, etc.  Then think about specific anecdotes from your past experiences to support each response.  When presenting an anecdote, be sure to explain (1) the situation you faced, (2) what actions you took, and (3) discuss the result.  Often candidates will spend too much time on the situation, giving lots of details about the project itself, but then fail to talk about what they actually did and what happened.  The steps you took, your thought process, the results and what you learned from the experience are really what we are most interested in, so please don’t neglect that part.  The caveat with preparation is don’t overdo it.  You don’t want to sound like you are reading from a script. When you get into the interview listen carefully and answer the question being asked.  This may sound obvious, but many applicants are so excited to give an answer they have prepared or they want to be sure to make particular points that they don’t offer them at the appropriate times.  I once had an applicant launch into a long discussion of what his goals were, why he needed an MBA and why Tuck was the best school for him, but my question to him was “so, are you originally from Chicago?” Your answers should be specific and include sufficient details to make your point, but remember to be concise.  The interview is short, 30-45 minutes, so make the most of it.  Once you have answered the question, stop.  The most frustrating interviews I conduct are the ones where the applicant is long-winded and/or strays off topic.  In the end, I don’t have time to get to all of the points I want to cover, and the applicant has missed out on the opportunity to provide a complete picture of himself. Remember your audience – your interviewer may not have come from your industry, so don’t get overly technical in the details and don’t use too much jargon. Research the school in advance – asking questions that could be easily answered by looking at the school’s website does not create a good impression. A couple of obvious points that bear repeating: don’t be late, and remember to turn off your cell phone.

So there is some good news in this busy application season! I just received an email saying that the Scholarship application has been scrapped this year. Woohoo! One less essay to write! All candidates applying will be considered for the financial aid award.

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Club Spotlight: Finance Club

Tuck is great for students who are interested in a career in finance, and the Tuck Finance Club is one of many helpful resources.  We are a student-run group to assist Tuck students in understanding job opportunities available in the financial marketplace.  Whether students worked in finance before school or are looking to completely change careers, we provide a forum to support students in building the interview and networking skills necessary for securing a finance internship or full time role on Wall Street and beyond. We work with the Career Development Office to assist students in exploring career opportunities.  The Finance Club also works in close cooperation with the Private Equity Club and the Investment Club.  We organize several events over the course of the school year, including: Recruiting and social events Resume reviews and mock interviews Workshops on various financial topics and career panels specifically for finance careers, including Investment Banking Financial modeling and valuation workshops with Training the Street Panels describing 2nd year students' internships Seminars on finance-related topics (e.g., valuation, day in the life of a trader, how to succeed on Wall Street) Reflections from T’15 members: “As is Tuck’s way, the second-year members of the Finance Club were always energetic and willing to help me find my path to investment banking. Whether it was taking the time to do multiple mock interviews, having coffee and sharing their summer stories or helping me in banking-related classes, I always had a great support network of peers and cannot wait to pay it forward to the incoming class.”   “From the pre-Wall Street Trek meeting to pre-internship meeting, I believe that each and every club meeting was very helpful and provided all the resources/information that I needed for the entire recruiting process.  But most of all, I was amazed by how accessible the second-year members were for mock interviews and for general advice.”     “Finance Club and T’14s gave me timely advice on behavioral and technical aspects of investment banking. They also introduced me to several senior bankers at their firm and guided me through the interviewing process.” Good luck! - T'15 Co-Chairs: Alison Wheeler, Fanis Tigas, Hendrik Schroeder

I was on vacation. As soon as I returned back, I checked my mail and found this email telling me, "no more separate application for schol!" woo hoo! :D
anupamgupta2112 - agree with you... 1 less essay to write... But, wouldn't mean that candidates with real financial needs are now at par with other candidates.
food for thought...

Early Action app submitted, now on to the interview!

FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Addressing Tricky Situations

Contract ended. Laid off. Better opportunity. On academic probation. My recommendations are from my former supervisor and my colleague. We see things like these on applications all the time. Brief and to the point, phrases like these may give the basic details of a situation, but fail to fully explain what’s going on. When that happens, you are raising questions in the readers’ minds. If you leave it to your reader to guess the answer, you’re opening yourself up to misinterpretation and mistakes. Your job as an applicant is to be upfront; answer those questions before they ever become an issue. Let’s look at some of the common problems we see. Unusual Work History We’ve faced a challenging job market for a few years now. There have been companies folding, layoffs, and tough competition for remaining jobs. Things may be looking up but many people haven’t experienced steady growth in their careers. In addition, some people are risk-takers or work in inherently less-stable industries.  Or some people unexpectedly receive great offers, necessitating frequent moves. There are a variety of reasons your work history may not be a straight upward progression. The key challenge for you is to explain it, not just in two words, but in a full sentence; maybe even more than one sentence. If you had a gap between jobs, let us know what you did during the gap. If you accepted a better offer, explain why it was better, especially if the title or salary doesn’t make that immediately obvious. Think not just “what?” but “why?” Academic Stumbles Frequently we’ll see resumes that highlight an applicant’s GPA in their major or for their last two years at school. OK, we understand why you’d want to highlight the better years or classes, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to look at everything. So be sure to talk about those other years or classes. Acknowledge your academic flaws, whether it’s one course or a whole semester. Give us an understanding of the situation, what you learned from it and, most importantly, why this is an anomaly and not a reflection of the student you will be at Tuck. Recommendation Choices We prefer recommendations from supervisors and strongly prefer that your current supervisor will be one of the people providing your recommendation. But there are many reasons why you might wish to have someone other than your current supervisor write it. Maybe you just started working for them, or telling them will affect your promotion and assignment opportunities, or they simply don’t understand what you do. As with the other situations, explain. Tell us why you picked this choice for your recommender. Explain how this person can give a well-rounded perspective of your skills and abilities. Letting us know the reason why stops us from guessing – often incorrectly. The optional essay is a great place to explain these tricky situations if you couldn’t fit it neatly into another part of your application. You don’t need to write an essay. You do need to fill in any blanks for the reader so we don’t fill it in ourselves.

I think scholarships should be merit-based. Need based is good, but exceptional merit should trump need. Trust me, I NEED it. :D But I would still rather have the scholarship awarded to me because I deserved it on merit, not because I am poor.

Just my thoughts.

It really depends on your profile. GMAT/GPA is truly only one of the many factors taken into consideration for b-school acceptance. Things you can control includes your essay, your recommendation, and how you pitch your work experience. The things you cannot control that are taken in to account are: you career progression, your industry of experience, you nationality/race/gender, other applicants' profile. Focus on the things you can control to craft as a compile reason as possible. School typically look for candidates who can contribute to the classroom discussion and can leverage their backgrounds, experience, and the b-school education to succeed after b-school.

I somehow don't agree that your career progression and industry are out of your control. There may be unexpected circumstances in your career, but it is largely under your control. As for your industry, this solely depends on your own volition. Not sure why this is out of your control.

Having said that, I think the GMAT is just one aspect of an application. A 700+ does not guarantee an admit to any school. It needs to be backed up by a well-rounded application.

You are right. You have control over all aspect of your application. I was looking for a short-term perspective. When an applicant is applying for b-school, there are things the s/he can not control at that point. It would be wise to focus on how to tell a compiling story from your background.

Just chatted with Pat Harrison on Beat The GMAT. My question to her was...

To which she replied...

I do expect some impact on the need based schols.
anupamgupta2112 - bro, I think we differ in our opinion here. Because ppl who work in NGOs and government sector will get biased against in this matter.

Care to explain? I did not quite get your logic there.

Does Tuck do any mid-cycle release or acceptances for EA or are all of the decisions sent out right at Dec 18th?

I haven't heard of any decisions going out before the deadline. No forums/blogs talk about it. If they do this, it means I will jump every time I see an unknown number flash for a good 2 months..