Tuck vs. Fuqua vs. Yale SOM (Maybe) - Non-traditional

Question

Good morning all, 
I am a non-traditional applicant (US citizen) and was lucky enough to receive acceptances to Tuck, Darden, UNC, and Fuqua, and interviewed at Yale which I will get a decision on by 4 April.

I've eliminated UNC and Darden for a variety of reasons, so now it is down to Tuck and Fuqua as well as Yale (should I get in). So, far no scholarships for either and I doubt I’ll get one from Yale should I be admitted. Career-wise I'd like to work in consulting or general management in the short-term, ideally in the DC area. Additionally, I also plan on ideally spending some of my career in Europe so overseas name recognition and network is important to me. Finally, my partner will be working in between Baltimore and DC while I go to school, so being able to quickly get back and forth is important to me as well.

With that said my partner is not overly keen on Tuck due to the pain of getting there. I will be attending admitted students weekend at Fuqua, but won't likely be able to make Tuck. Unfortunately, I also have to decide on Tuck or Fuqua BEFORE I am able to attend the potential Yale admit weekend, which makes my situation a bit more difficult.

On the pros and cons side, all three programs have tight-knit networks, though I've found Fuqua's to be a bit more hit or miss versus the consistency of Tuck and Yale. Please note, the below are just my opinions thus far drawn from limited exposure to each program. If you disagree please tell me as I may have gotten mistaken impressions given how short my time at each has been!

Tuck 
Pros (as far as I see them): 
- Unparalleled network, I attended a liberal arts school and really like the similar vibe I get from Tuck
- Focus on the single MBA program versus a myriad of eMBAs, MMS. MSF, etc 
- Best placement of the 3 into consulting, also highest-rated program
- I loved the traditional leafy campus 
- GND

Cons: 
- Location, hard to access DC to see my partner, the winter is brutal
- Not as well known in Europe (from my experience) 
- More expensive relative to Fuqua and COL

Fuqua 
Pros: 
- Warmer weather, easier access to see my partner 
- Good placement into at least some of MBB in DC area
- Duke sports (I’d be lying if I didn’t say Duke basketball, lacrosse, and now football are a selling point!) 
- Seems to have a better network in Europe compared to Tuck and Yale SOM

Cons: 
- Not as highly ranked
- While I like the Team Fuqua mentality, from my interactions only about 50% of students / alumni were good about responding, being engaged versus 100% of Tuck and Yale alumni and students I reached out to 
- This is not intended as a dig, simply a commentary on the metrics and people I’ve met, but the academic strength of Yale / Tuck seems noticeably higher when I’ve met people
- Grade disclosure

Yale SOM  
Pros: 
- I love the interdisciplinary approach, particularly as someone interested in both politics and business, and the opportunity to take classes at the law school, and other top MA programs
- SOM also seems more integrated into the university which is attractive and provides more opportunity to meet interesting people from a variety of backgrounds
- The students and alumni I’ve met have all been incredibly responsive which I’ve loved, definitely went punch for punch with Tuck on this front 
- The new building is amazing and definitely speaks to Yale’s commitment to improving the school 
- GND

Cons: 
- Smaller network both in the U.S. and abroad 
- Doesn’t place as well into consulting or GM as Tuck or Fuqua
- It is a bit touchy feely if that makes sense, not just collaborative (which I like), but a fair bit lefty (one of the presenters / alumni was as near as I could tell anti-capitalism and I seemed to be the only one a bit put off by this in the class

Anyway thank you all for any input you may have, I like all three schools and I’m having a hard time making a choice, so figured I may get some different perspectives here!

domotron · Answer

Full disclosure I love Tuck and I am 99.99% sure that's where I will be matriculating this fall.

I am also European (based in London) and their respective networks in Europe was a big factor for me. In a nutshell, I felt that the networks in Europe probably went Tuck > Fuqua > Yale SOM purely on the basis of the business schools. Add in the parent institutions then Yale wins. By no means is Tuck's network big in Europe but the quality seems to be extremely high. In terms of name recognition, regular people will definitely have heard of Yale (but not SOM) but less likely to have heard of Duke or Dartmouth (even less likely Tuck and Fuqua). I didn't feel like there was significantly more recognition for Fuqua/Duke vs Tuck/Dartmouth.

It sounds like you like the location of Tuck but your partner doesn't. Having flown in and out of Boston and used the Dartmouth Coach, I actually thought it wasn't so bad. But I have no idea if there are direct flights from DC to Boston. Usually there are no shortage of rides from fellow students to and from Boston too and it's faster in a car than the Dartmouth Coach. As for the winter, there's no getting around it! It's definitely cold but if anything, it helps bring everyone closer together. Also I love the fact campus is all interconnected so you don't have to set foot outside if you don't want to on a given day!

From your comments, I get the feeling you like Tuck and Yale more than Fuqua. Tuck's very dependent on whether your partner can get comfortable with getting into/out of Hanover. If you get admitted into Yale, perhaps look into organising a trip yourself before the Yale admit weekend and deposit deadlines. That way you can make your decision without paying a deposit first and potentially losing it. I think the most important thing is which place feels like the best "fit" and somewhere you really want to spend the 2 years. Issues like problematic transport links are a pain but not insurmountable.

Flyte · Answer

I am making a similar decision, though sub-Gtown for Darden and UNC. I'm leaning towards Tuck, but that may change after BDW and ASW, we shall see!

asimov · Answer

Congrats on being accepted to some great schools. You don’t go wrong with any of them. Given your career goals of general management or consulting in the near term, with potential stint in Europe, I think Fuqua and Tuck would be the better two options. Not a knock on Yale, but I think the perception is that Fuqua and Tuck are stronger management and consulting schools.

It sounds like the accessibility to DC and time with partner is very important to you. I would encourage you to reach out to students and the consulting clubs to understand the time commitment needed to effectively recruit for consulting gigs. Also, to have the conversation with your partner to set the expectation based on your findings. And looking into the post-MBA future, to understand the work/life for the careers you are looking for.

For general management careers, I would encourage you to look into what industry/company and functions you plan to focus on. This will help you narrow down the schools. The strength of the school with the particular company/industry/leadership program varies significantly.

Good luck and congrats!

mgg234 · Answer

Keep in mind, your first year of business school, you're probably going to be too busy to leave the area and hang out with your significant other on the weekend. Plus, Duke's "off day" is a wednesday, so you only have a 2 day weekend, not a three day weekend (not sure if Tuck has Friday off). Based on what you said, I think you'll regret it if you dont pick tuck.

DefyingGravity · Answer

I also was deciding between these three programs, and chose Tuck over Yale and Fuqua.

I preferred the culture of Tuck and Yale. Tuck also places extremely well into consulting, and has a fiercely loyal alumni network.

Posted from my mobile device

mgg234 · Answer

....and then you got into Stanford haha. That'll make the decision easier! congrats

asimov · Answer

Well, if Defying choose Tuck over Stanford, s/he certainly won't be the first one to do so... congrats on the admit.

Flyte · Answer

This.

But, seriously congrats on the Stanford admit.

DefyingGravity · Answer

^ Thanks, you guys are hilarious.

Sorry for hijacking this thread AJdemic. Honestly, I think Tuck is an incredible place. I'd recommend visiting with your partner and seeing if the travel is truly a deal breaker. It seems like you prefer Tuck over the other two. Even with Yale, an airport isn't really that close (although getting there is less of a pain than with Tuck).

p.s. I'm going to send you a PM

hailmary · Answer

.....and then she got into HBS (fingers crossed). She is the most admitted person on GMATClub and even in real life.

aerien · Answer

Hijack: DG, you are amazing!!

aerien · Answer

To OP:

In the grand scheme of things, bschool is only 2 years (and it goes by really quickly). However, getting to Tuck is a pain IMO, and you have to consider how much of your weekends you want to be spending commuting vs actually getting time to spend with your partner and your classmates. Travel-aside though, like others here, I feel like you really like Tuck.

Chiming in the Yale side of things:
Small network: I don't think this is a con, personally, because the network is really strong. I would rather have a small network that is loyal and willing to stand up for me as opposed to a larger network of people who might not respond to my emails. Both Tuck and Yale have smaller networks since they're smaller schools and take in fewer people per year; I'm not sure why you have this as a negative for Yale and for Tuck as well.

Consulting placement: Yes, historically-speaking, based on the size of the class, Tuck has more placements into consulting than Yale does. I'm not sure what the exact numbers are this year, but my class at Yale has done really well in consulting placements for the summer so you would not lack those same opportunities to recruit for MBB, etc if you came to Yale. I hope you look into location of those placements though; most people I know at Tuck end up in consulting in Boston, whereas the Yale placements are a bit broader in range. Granted I only know a small sample size of Tuckies, so just be sure to check what the outlook is like for DC placements, assuming you would want to be near your partner in DC after graduation/for the summer.

Touchy/feely - This depends on the class and the professor and the particular guest lecturer of the day. Yes, it can be touchy/feely but it's bschool and I'd rather have some variety than staring at Excel all day!

Bottom line - please visit the schools if you can. See if what people say at Fuqua next week change your mind at all. Talk to current students who were in the same position as you were (Fuqua vs Tuck) and hear their reasons for making the decision they did. Reach out to students at Tuck and see what they think; their Partners Club is huge and may be able to assuage some concerns your own partner has.

Good luck with the Yale outcome next week, too!

AJdemic · Answer

...

AjMBA · Answer

I would focus on fit. You want to pick a place where you will be happy for 2 years.

Current students say that once you get the interview for consulting all that matters is your performance on the case and fit portions. It sounds like you can get the interview at both schools, so don't get too hung up on the numbers.

bdepp · Answer

Based on your consulting/GM goals, I would think Tuck is the better fit for you (with the caveat that I have no idea how companies in Europe view the two schools).

The location/commuting/significant other part is much more complicated and you are the only person who has enough information to make a good decision for yourself when it comes to that stuff.

Good luck!

AJdemic · Answer

Thanks all for your input, I decided to matriculate to Tuck. Happy to answer any questions people have.

domotron · Answer

Congrats on your choice! Looking forward to meeting you in Hanover this fall

Tuck vs. Fuqua vs. Yale SOM (Maybe) - Non-traditional

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