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| FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Building a Startup While at Tuck |
![]() By Rob Thelen T'16 FliQ is my startup. We want to change the way that people interact and exchange information. We have come a long way. FliQ started as a pitch at a Dartmouth start-up weekend (three-day event at the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network (DEN) where you pitch, form a team, and work on building a company for three days). We got second place (out of 60 original ideas) and that is where I met my technical co-founder, Orestis Lykouropoulos D’17. We built an MVP, got $5,000 in funding through the Founders Grant (DEN/Tuck grant), and used FLiQ during ETHINK to build out a Business Model Canvas for our final project. In the winter, I built a Tuck First-Year-Project team around FLiQ and had four diverse perspectives as a part of the team, creating a real pitch deck. I learned how to really do LEAN start-up (and hypothesis-driven testing). With Trip Davis D’90—executive director of the Office of Entrepreneurship & Technology Transfer—as our advisor, we gained invaluable insights and as a team, we learned a tremendous amount about starting a business. During this time, we also outsourced part of the development to India and I learned how to do Agile Software Development. Having a venture is more than just trying to build a company; it is a laboratory where I can apply my classroom skills in the real world. I used my learned skills in LEAN startup and hypothesis-driven entrepreneurship during the summer at my internship at Google. I basically treated my summer like a start-up, and tested assumptions, built MVPs, and decreased risk. I built cool products, got along with my co-workers and stockholders, and got an offer to come back. Although I could not work on FLiQ over the summer due to my employment contract with Google, I learned a lot and was ready to start back up. The fall was fast and furious. I took Professor of Business AdministrationSteven Kahl’s BEV course, built a cool team around FliQ again, got to refine my pitching skills, learned to build a financial projection, and received so much great feedback. During the fall term, Fliq was invited to pitch at the Rise of the Rest, a traveling pitch competition founded by Steve Case (co-founder of AOL). FliQ was one of eight New Hampshire companies pitching. Although we did not win, we got great experience, feedback, and motivation from the judges (and 300 people in attendance). We also pitched at the DEN/DALI Lab “The Pitch,” where we took home $2,000 and the title of “People’s Choice” (one out of 18 teams at Dartmouth). We also applied for and received DEN’s Wily grant, which allowed us to hire an undergrad for 10 weeks to help us on some of our projects. This term, I am taking Private Equity in the Field with Phil Ferneau D’84, T’96, and every week I learn a new trial and tribulation of the venture capital world. I was named Live Free and Start’s Innovator of the Week in January. Having a venture is more than just trying to build a company; it is a laboratory where I can apply my classroom skills in the real world. I have used aspects of every class at Tuck in some way, from GEM, to Strategy, to Sustainability—there is no better way for me to learn than to do and apply the theory to the real world. Robert Thelen T'16 was born in Oconomowoc, WI and attended the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated with a degree in business management and human resources. Upon graduation, he received his commission as a second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and was assigned to the 366 Fighter Wing in Mountain Home, Idaho as an aircraft maintenance officer. In Mountain Home, Lt. Thelen was responsible for leading and motivating over 200 airmen and was responsible for $1.6B in aircraft and assets. He was the 2009 company grade officer of the year (1/280), deployed to Guam, Korea and the Philippines as the lead maintenance officer, responsible for 18 F-15Es and participated in joint exercises across the Pacific. In 2010, Lt. Thelen volunteered for a one-year tour in Afghanistan as a combat advisor to the Afghan National Army. In Afghanistan, he led a 12 person cross-functional team in training, mentoring, and advising a 130 soldier strong Afghan Army unit in all aspects of professional military development, including small-arms training, convoy training, logistics management, leadership, and even literacy education. In addition, Rob started a not-for-profit that connected small towns in the U.S. with a local village, helping to start and fund an all-girls school. Capt. Thelen was awarded a Bronze Start Medal for his service in Afghanistan. After his deployment, Rob was re-assigned to Wright Patterson AFB, in Dayton Ohio, as an acquisitions officer. For his first acquisition projects, he was responsible for a new body armor system, a safety upgrade on ejection seats, and a survival system for pilots, worth over $100M. After two years, he was sent to Squadron Officer School, where he finished as a distinguished graduate (7/680) and was reassigned as the portfolio executive group chief, in charge of the cost, schedule, and performance for 500 programs worth $5.1B a year. After eight years, he separated from the Air Force and is currently attending the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and resides with his wife Sarah in West Lebanon, N.H. See here for Rob's previous post on his summer at Google. |
| FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Get to Know Tuck: Visit |
![]() Researching programs and schools. This step of the application process will likely be ongoing and should not be minimized. While there are several programs that offer a great education, what sets them apart from one another? How do you determine the ever important topic of fit? Probably the best way to answer these questions is by actually visiting the schools you’re considering. An MBA is a big investment in terms of money and time so you want to make sure that you pick the right school for you. It’s worth some travel if possible. Tuck encourages perspective students who are applying in the next application cycle to visit without an interview during March and April. Your visit will include sitting in on a first-year class, lunch with current students, a tour of campus, and the opportunity to ask an admissions officer questions. Use this link to find a date that works best for your schedule and then register. We don’t offer a standard visitor schedule during the summer while school isn’t in session, but will open back up for visits with interviews in August. When you’re on campus and as you reflect afterward, ask yourself: Do I see myself at the schools I am considering? Was the campus and community a place you could live for two years? Are the students and alumni people you could identify with? Are they people you feel compelled to get to know? Did they make you feel comfortable throughout your conversations with them? Was the overall vibe of the school in keeping with your core principles and values? As you ask yourself these questions, many others will come up that will be more specific to you. Again, don’t underestimate the importance of fit as you consider which schools to apply to. Another great way to learn about a program is to reach out to current students and alumni for their first-hand perspective. At Tuck, club co-chairs and research center fellows often provide their email address on the website, specifically so you can connect with them. Additionally, you can sign-up for Tuck Connections, which will match you with a student or an alum based on the criteria that you’ve requested. Finally, the admissions office will be all over the world and likely in a neighborhood near you during the summer and fall months. In addition to admissions staff, many events will include alumni or even be hosted by a student. Continue to check our travel calendar as it’s updated constantly. Think of these touchpoints as more than just a checkbox on your application. There isn’t an ‘automatic admit’ option for the candidate who has talked to the most people or attended the most events. Rather, think of it as a step toward the huge investment you’re making in yourself – an investment that deserves an informed decision. Bonus: It actually WILL make your application stronger by gaining thorough and genuine understanding of how and why you and the school will complement each other. |
| FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Tuck Spotlight: 10 Questions with Duncan McDougall T’87 |
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Duncan McDougall is the founder and Executive Director of the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) which he has run for 18 years. Duncan has worked as a management consultant, freelance writer, teacher, and public radio commentator. Duncan graduated from the Tuck School of Business in 1987 where he was awarded the Arnold F. Adams prize for Entrepreneurship. He then joined Mercer Management Consulting, a Boston-based international management consulting firm, where he was a partner specializing in marketing strategy. He enjoys linguistics, speaks French and Spanish, and has taught courses in Peru, in U.S. penitentiaries, and to Vietnamese refugees in Boston. Ten years ago he started another non-profit, Waterbury LEAP (Local Energy Action Partnership) that promotes renewable energy, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction in central Vermont. He is active in political campaigns, and is currently serving as Treasurer for Sue Minter, candidate for Vermont Governor. Duncan lives in Waterbury Center, VT, with his wife and son. 1. What was the exact moment when you first felt like you were a part of Tuck’s community? On my first day at Tuck I walked into the front hall and the receptionist, Karen, said "Hi Duncan, what can I do for you?" We had never met. I quickly realized two things: 1) She had made the effort to memorize the faces and names of all the incoming students from our applications; and 2) Tuck was a special place. 2. Who had a profound impact on you during your time at Tuck and why? My favorite professor was Brian Quinn. Among other classes I had him for Business Policy and he taught me to take the broad view of how an organization operates and where it fits in a competitive environment. I also find myself using Management Communication tools all the time. 3. What’s your favorite Tuck/Dartmouth/Hanover/Upper Valley event and why? To blow off steam I used to love playing pick-up pond hockey at Occum Pond. 4. Fill in the blank: every visitor to the Upper Valley needs to _____. Enjoy a quiet tea and read a good book in Sanborne House. 5. What’s a challenge that you’re currently working on solving? Or perhaps a world problem you’d like to see solved? Over the past 18 years the Children's Literacy Foundation has been striving to reach, support, and inspire low income and at-risk young readers and writers throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. We work with children in homeless shelters, low-income housing, and remote rural communities, as well as refugee children, foster kids, children of prison inmates, and others. I spend several weeks each year in prisons working with inmates and their children and helping them have books and stories be a larger part of their lives. I wish we would spend much more money addressing the root causes of drug addiction and mental illness and much less time throwing people in prison and destroying families. 6. What do you personally feel is the key to good leadership? I believe good leadership involves hiring great people, deciding on shared goals, regularly seeking ideas and input from all directions, and always asking your employees 'What can I do to help you remove any barriers for you to achieve your goals.' 7. Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun? I enjoy soccer, hockey, cross country skiing, and going on adventures with my wife and son. I also like to be involved with local environmental and political initiatives. 8. What would your theme song be? "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival 9. What’s the best piece of advice you can offer on getting ahead? Or, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Really care about what you're doing. It will get you out of bed in the morning, and you're more likely to do it well. 10. What is one thing that people would be most surprised to learn about you? I was once chased by pirates in the South China Sea. Seriously. |
| FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Building a Different Kind of Startup While at Tuck |
![]() ![]() By Fernando Plubins Schneider T'16 Growing up in Brazil, a series of unfortunate events made my early years in life very challenging. However, everything changed when I met wonderful people during my journey who helped me in many different ways. Some were great mentors who I looked to for advice. Some were people I looked up to who inspired me to achieve more and aim higher (including pursuing my MBA). Some were very practical mentors who helped me with a job, money, or other basic needs. All of these people completely changed my life. As a result, I developed the desire to do the same for others. At Tuck, I found the perfect environment to do so. I took the “Strategic Principles for Internet Business” course where I was introduced to the idea of two-sided platforms and the sharing economy. I was so fascinated with these concepts that a Tuck colleague and I started thinking about business ideas around them. While our business ideas were still in the development phase, I realized I could apply the concepts to build a non-profit organization to help people in my home country of Brazil. And that’s what I did. Six months ago I invited a couple of friends to build Projeto Joule. It’s a platform that connects experienced mentors with teenagers trying to figure out their career path. It also connects experienced professionals who are looking for a new job or trying to improve their careers. We help people find a job, education opportunities, or discover their path in general. Mentors are volunteers who are willing to share their knowledge—mentees get help for free. We have about 200 mentors and we’ve already helped hundreds of people. The majority of our mentors have a master’s degree, over 15 years of professional experience, and work for top companies including Google, Microsoft, Uber, Johnson & Johnson, PwC, Oracle, Amazon, Citi, PepsiCo and many others. Building a nonprofit is very similar to building a startup company. I’m applying several concepts I learned during my “Building Entrepreneurial Ventures” course. During the class, students have the opportunity to work on an idea from scratch and develop it to a point where you can actually deliver a pitch to real investors. I had the opportunity to discuss my idea with professors of strategy, marketing, leadership, and more. Tuck professors love to help students—the close access students have to faculty here is amazing. The Tuck community has helped me a great deal throughout this venture as well. For example, I started a small fundraising campaign to hire our first intern and I was very surprised to see donations coming from former students that I didn’t even have strong relationships with. While launching the platform, I did most of the work at the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network (DEN) building. The DEN is my favorite place here. It looks like Google or Facebook or any other cool company in Silicon Valley. It´s a perfect place to think, brainstorm ideas, or just to do work. And you also get free food and drinks! At DEN, you can also discuss your ideas with experienced entrepreneurs who are there to help students succeed. Having access to them is such a privilege. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than to work on Projeto Joule. I hope to impact the lives of thousands of people with this nonprofit. I’m amazed to see how many good people are trying to find an opportunity to give back to the community and help others, so I’m happy we are providing such an opportunity. And Tuck was the perfect birthplace for our project—“giving back” is such a strong value here. Follow Projeto Joule’s facebook at www.facebook.com/projetojoule Originally from Brazil, Fernando attended Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration. Before coming to Tuck, he worked for about eight years in the tech space for companies including Google, Dell, and UOL (largest Brazilian internet company). His roles included product management, sales, and marketing. During the summer he interned at Microsoft in Redmond, as a channel marketing manager. After graduation, he’s returning to Brazil to work for McKinsey & Co in the digital practice. Fernando is married and has a three-year-old son. “I’m notably known for not having any special talent, hobby, or interesting side or story,” he says. (Photo of DEN courtesy of Dartmouth College) |
| Live Chat Session with Tuck Admission Director |

Presenter: Kristin Roth, Associate Director of Admissions at Tuck.
| FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: CDO Weighs In: Recruiting Advice for the Investment Banking Industry - Part II |
![]() ![]() Deirdre O’Donnell is an associate director of the Career Development Office (CDO). Click here for Part I of this series. For the investment banking industry, how important is prior experience vs. performance in interview vs. networking? The job is going to go to the person who’s competent, can do the work, and wants it the most. How do they measure how badly you want it? Part of it is networking; part of it is having really meaningful conversations with multiple people at each institution. They definitely track which events you’ve been to so you want to be at all events. It’s a huge commitment of time. Most students will go down to New York to visit banks at least once so if you’re interviewing with eight banks, that’s a lot of trips to New York. (However, it is always important to remember that the quality of your interactions outweigh the quantity.) There are a lot of people interviewing for a very small number of jobs so your initiative and passion really play a role. The ones who want it the most are the ones who are going to get it. If a particular bank is your number-one choice, tell them that in an interview because making that commitment in the interview may make the difference between you and somebody else getting the offer. (Obviously, integrity is everything and you can only tell one bank they are your top choice.) For bulge bracket banks, prior experience is not critical. If you can get through the Tuck curriculum and perform well, they will be confident that you can do the job. The big investment banks have very robust training where they will teach you everything you need to know based upon your level of understanding once you get in there. Middle market investment banks also have training but their associate classes are smaller. It is different when you go to the boutique investment banks. Some have training programs which are usually small, and ideally they’re looking for somebody who already has a grasp of finance, preferably with previous investment banking experience. Boutique banks will often look at somebody who’s been at a bulge bracket bank for two years and hire them laterally. Any other advice on how best to prepare for interviews in the investment banking industry? There are a finite number of requirements to do well in an interview and we’ve recorded most of them. Trust what the previous Tuck students have put together in terms of questions asked and practice! Practice your technical questions—you have to do well on them to get to the final round—and practice doing fit interviews so you’re thoughtful around your core competencies. Show your commitment and passion for the business, network, and reach out to second-years and young Tuck alumni. Finally, have a clear understanding of who the Tuck recruiting team is at each bank. You only have so much time at each bank, so you need to target the right people to spend time with. |
| FROM Tuck Admissions Blog: Your MBA Application: Areas for Improvement |
![]() Sometimes we just don’t have all of the credentials, the experience, or the skills we need to ensure we will get to where we want to be. There are times when these challenges can be overcome with hard work, dedicated focus on improving our prospects, and just a little creative thinking. The MBA application is no different. There are several situations that can leave a candidate feeling less than confidant about gaining admission to their dream school. First, to ease your fears: there are some fairly common stumbling blocks on the road to an MBA--and they can often be overcome, or at least minimized. Here’s the key: rather than resolve yourself to months of worry and regret over things you can’t change, there are many ways to actively turn a less than ideal situation into a more positive one. It’s also important to keep in mind that the application process really is holistic. We know that you’re way more than just one particular data point. My undergraduate GPA is low. First, keep in mind that the Admissions Committee reviews applicants with a very holistic approach. While important, a low undergraduate GPA in itself won’t prevent admission. Also note that while your GPA may be below a school’s average, it may be within its range. That being said, a low GPA is still a weakness in your application that should be addressed. If possible, start by acknowledging this in the optional essay and providing an explanation (not an excuse!). Finally, prove to us that you’re capable of handling an extremely rigorous, and quant heavy, curriculum. You can do this by scoring well on the GMAT (or GRE), taking additional, supplemental classes beyond your undergraduate degree and submitting well-written essays. It’s also important to clearly show us areas you do excel in; leadership, global experiences, community involvement, etc. My GMAT score isn’t where I want it to be. Very similar to having a low undergraduate GPA. To reiterate, the admissions process is holistic and a school’s average GMAT is just that, an average. One big difference here actually works in your favor; if you’re unhappy with your GMAT score, you can always study harder and retake it, without consequence. After giving it your best effort, if you feel like there’s no amount of additional preparation that will improve your score, you’re still not out of the game. Again, you’ll need to prove you can handle a rigorous quantitative curriculum; high undergraduate GPA, supplemental courses with good scores (we often suggest financial accounting, statistics and microeconomics), etc. Finally, highlight areas of your background that shine. I come from an unconventional professional background. Great! Tuck values unique experiences and individuals – many students decide to go to business school with the intention of switching careers, so you won’t be alone. Show us through things like your essays and interview how that unconventional experience will actually bring a different and positive perspective to your classmates. Also, while you may not have been crunching numbers, there’s a good chance you’ve been honing skills that will help you succeed in business; leadership traits, interpersonal skills, communication expertise, etc. Be sure to tell us the reality of the situation, not just what you think we want to hear. Is your previous work experience based on a passion of yours? Wonderful! Let us know. Additionally, take some time to reflect on some important questions – for you and for us. What are your long-term goals? How will an MBA help you achieve them? Why now? Why Tuck? Once you answered these, if your path still leads you to Tuck, your sincerity and passion will be evident. I have very little global experience. Like everything else, global experience is an important factor in your application, but certainly not the only one. You may have more global experience than you think. Have you worked or lived outside your home country? Have you visited for an extended period of time? Have you worked with global clients within your home country? Do you know a second language? Or, maybe this is the perfect time to jump on that international opportunity you’ve been postponing. I’m not sure my current supervisor will be supportive of my decision to apply to b-school, so don’t think it will be a good idea to ask for a recommendation. This is a fairly common dilemma for many applicants. While it’s certainly helpful to have the insight of a direct supervisor, not having one is not a deal breaker. Consider reaching out to the person you reported to prior to your current boss. Other options may be current clients, a colleague who led a team for a project you worked on or the director of your department or team. The key thing to remember is when selecting recommenders, focus on people who can really speak to your strengths (and weaknesses) in key areas such as leadership, teamwork, and aptitude. Steer clear of asking former professors, family members or your little league coach. |
Success stories and strategies from high-scoring candidates.