Tuck vs MIT for finance

Question

what are your thoughts?

I am looking for a fourth bschool to apply to. I am not sure yet whether i will apply to a fourth one, but wanna have the option.
The reason I am looking for a fourth bschool is because some told me that "i might" get some sort of scholarship, so I decided that it might be wise to apply to another school in case I get some sort of financial aid. Also, in case I dont get admitted to the 3 bschools I am applying to.

(I am applying to HBS, Wharton and Booth).

Here are my thoughts about Tuck and MIT:

Tuck
Pros: Seems a really nice enviroment. More people go to finance than MIT (number wise and % wise). Loan for Int'l isnt as good as MIT, but I "feel" it would be easier to get some sort of scholarship.

Cons: Name not so well recognized outside of the States or Average Joe (sometimes you want some recognition of Joe who is a c-suit level excecutive at an oil company). Not very well known in business community in Latam. (reason why i think they are giving more financial aid to people from that region, i might be wrong).

MIT:
Pros: Brand name. Really well known in the hard core finance theory field. Really really strong in LatAm. Brand as good as Booth and almost like Harvard (just in Latam)

Cons: Recruiting in finance seems weak. Either no one is interested in Fianance at MIT or they dont draw much attention from Wall street. Even in asset management doesnt seem so strong. Kinda worried about alumni network. Not so sure how generous they are about finaid. This might sound very stupid, but it is nearby HBS, so i will be reminded everyday I didnt get into HBS. Sounds stupid and immature, I know.

dalillama · Answer

You'd be surprised at how often I've heard this from other people. I think it's crap, but to each his own.

My honest take? Visit both schools. I mean it. I've seen plenty of people from LatAm make the trip and it's absolutely worth it. This is a completely personal decision.

toiysam · Answer

Visiting schools isnt an option for me. Really busy at work

sweeces · Answer

Then I would apply to MIT. Tuck is very much a 'fit' school and the *vast* majority of people who get accepted visited the school beforehand to 'show their love' for tuck.

MYCambridge · Answer

NYU beats them both, if all you want is a back up school that still shines in finance. And, I would even argue that MIT is harder than Booth and Wharton to get into, so it isn't wise to choose it as your safety.

riverripper · Answer

I wouldn't say either Sloan or Tuck are true backups for those schools. MIT is actually one of the most difficult schools to get into, especially if you aren't doing it w/ an engineering dual degree (they seem to have moved that way more and more over the years). Tuck is a love it or leave it place for most people. All your other schools are in/near major cities. Tuck is in the mountains of NH, it takes several hours to get to the nearest city (Boston) and it is pretty isolated.

I agree with the NYU option. Both Tuck and MIT are very difficult to get into, especially if you aren't applying in the first round. NYU is a great school, will be slightly easier. For your focus area it is not much of a step down in terms of quality but in terms of difficulty to get in, it would by far be a better options as a backup school. Darden also has a strong finance rep and is similar in terms of teaching style to HBS so could be worth a look.

PTK · Answer

As far as I remember , a friend of my who liked MIT a lot, ultimately decided not to apply because MIT does not give any scholarship. :oops:

As I have heard from a student, Tuck does not provide loans without US cosigner to international students (I might be wrong), but MIT does. So check it. For finance apply to NYU and consider LBS as well (they have MBA 15-21 month and 10 months Master in Finance).

mayansd · Answer

Tuck provides loan programs to international students without a co-borrower (https://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/admission ... -programs/). Some types of loans, though, are available with a US co-signer only. Both Tuck and Sloan have limited scholarship resources, though at MIT you can earn some bucks as a TA, not sure about Tuck. there are some good scholarships at Sloan, especially the Legatum Scholarship, but these are a bit competitive to get. As mentioned before, both Tuck and MIT are very tough to get into, I would say MIT Sloan more so than Wharton/Booth. Sloan's curriculum may focus more on quantitative aspect of finance, do your research and decide. There is a separate finance track in MIT (you choose your track right after joining Sloan, which makes it more focused and planned). Apart from that your analysis is on track, Tuck is a fit school, Tuck's and Sloan's environment are very different from each other. Internationally, MIT brand is better known. I do not think you can go wrong with either of these two great schools, rest depends on where you find yourself as a fit.

Anasthaesium · Answer

Tuck has a longer history of recruiting in PE/ VC. Once you land a job in a Megafund, wouldnt make much of a difference which school you came from. Would it?

PTK · Answer

To land a job in a Megafund, one must have a relevant megaexperience, which he/she offers to that fund. Otherwise with brand name alone, even from H/S/W, and with no relevant professional experience, he/she would not land jobs in Megafund. On the other hand I know a dozen of guys with no name undergrad schools in resume, who are managing deals valued $300m in emerging market economy (Russia).

Tuck vs MIT for finance

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards