Darden v. Duke v. G-Town (With a Potential Tuck Curveball)

Question

Hey all,

I was fortunate enough to be accepted to UVA, Duke, and GTown. All with no scholarship. I am patiently waiting for my Tuck decision come early February.

I wanted to get the opinion of some experienced GMAT clubbers.

I am an Engineer who has spent the past 5 years doing major construction project management and construction consulting at a Big 4 firm. My real passion in life is to be in the small business space. I really like small companies, getting in on the ground level, and making an impact. Therefore, my goals for b-school (some self-reflection and research still required) will most likely be e-ship or VC/PE (business investing) focused.

I have visited all four schools and Tuck/Uva were the ones that felt strongest to me. Then Duke. Then GTown. I love the collaborative, small-ish atmosphere's of Tuck/UVa. However, I didn't mind Durham (Duke) and its a great school as well.

I really like the idea of the case method which is 100% at Darden and present at the other schools.

So after seeing all of this, what say you? Which school of the three would you choose and why?

If I am fortunate enough to get into Tuck, would you pick that over the other three?

What school is going to give me the best education/experience and what school will provide me with the best chances and scoring a job in the areas listed above.

Thanks Everyone!

CobraKai · Answer

Sounds like you've made up your mind: Darden as it is, Tuck if you get in there.

smp5000 · Answer

Thanks Cobra. What's your reasoning for Tuck over Darden?

CobraKai · Answer

*Disclaimer* I'm a little biased.

I applied to both schools last year and I liked Tuck for several reasons:

- Northeast Placement
- Avg age is 28 (I'm older)
- Liked that Dartmouth was way smaller than UVA, and as a result, the town was smaller. Seems like the social life was more driven by theme parties and playing hockey at night instead of going out to the bars all the time.
- Prestige: Tuck is generally seen as a top 10 school, Darden top 15
- Recruiting for marketing seems to be the same at both
- Tuck only does the 2Y MBA - no resources are going towards PT/EMBA, etc.

kingfalcon · Answer

Where do you want to live after school? Assuming you are open-minded, I'd rank the schools as follows:

Tuck > Darden > Duke > Georgetown

I ranked Tuck first because, as CobraKai mentioned, it is generally considered the most prestigious program and will, on the whole, open more doors for you. Secondly, Darden and Duke are really peer schools, so given that you felt much better about Darden, I can recommend Darden over Duke without hesitation. Funny enough, when I was applying last year, I always considered Darden as the "Tuck of the South."

If you're planning to live in the South after school, the equation changes a bit and you may be able to make the case for Darden/Duke over Tuck.

Congrats on all the admits and good luck with your decision!

domotron · Answer

Tuck if you get in
If not, Darden.

Darden and Duke are peer schools I think so if you feel more comfortable at Darden then go for it. As for Tuck, it's a better ranked school and also have a solid network in PE I believe.

gentlejack · Answer

I would agree on Tuck > Darden > Duke > Georgetown, thus I voted for Tuck. However, that is a general rule, and might not apply to you. I know a current student at Darden who chose it over Tuck (without money being a factor). The location (bigger city, warmer, more places to eat etc.) and the case study method were his main reasons.

smp5000 · Answer

Appreciate all of the feedback everyone! This confirmed my original thoughts of it being between Darden and Tuck.

I saw one comment about placement into PE being better at Tuck. I am not necessarily stuck to any part of the country. If a great job was offered, I would gladly move to the N'East or the South. I'm not fixated anywhere geographically.

As you can tell, I am energetic about E-Ship/PE roles (anything to do with starting and growing businesses) but I am going to keep my eyes open to all things. Maybe its Mgmt. Consulting, Maybe I-Banking. I don't know, it'll be part of my discovery process.

That being said, I am getting the feeling that Dartmouth is an overall better school. Darden is also a great school if you are looking to stay in the Mid-Atlantic/South.

Hopefully I can't go wrong with either decision.

kingfalcon · Answer

Besides the fact that PE and entrepreneurship are very different, it looks like you are at least moderately interested in a lot of other paths. Taking that into account along with your openness to your location post-MBA, I'd recommend Tuck. When folks are at all undecided (and scholarships aren't a factor), I generally recommend the better regarded business school.

Recruiting for consulting (at MBB in particular) will be much easier from Tuck and I imagine the same would be true at the top BBs for IBD.

Also, my understanding is that Tuck's curriculum uses a ton of cases, so you aren't really missing out on that front either.

smp5000 · Answer

Really appreciate all of the feedback from everyone. It's been a huge help. It seems as if Tuck is the heavy favorite. Too bad I haven't even been accepted yet LOL!

Say Tuck doesn't come through, will Darden give me the same opportunities as Tuck? (I may just have to bust my butt a bit more)

gentlejack · Answer

Yes. Unfortunately the decision was made for me, but I had Darden and Tuck on par, with pros and cons for both. Career placement is especially strong at Darden, and also the faculties are among the best of the bschools (Together with Tuck and HBS according to P&Q).

smp5000 · Answer

Thanks Jack. Any chance you are making it to Darden for Day@Darden in February? (Germany seems a bit far!

) I completely agree that some schools place better in some markets and have better resources in other areas; however, I also believe that most schools at this level will provide any opportunity you may like. Some will just require a bit more effort. I'm just excited to get gong on the journey!

BonzoX85 · Answer

I am in a similar situation. However, I am leaning towards Duke instead of Darden because its network and brand are much stronger in Brazil compared to Darden UVA. Still undecided what to do in case I get into Tuck, but as it stands it is Tuck>Duke>Darden to me.

gentlejack · Answer

Still deciding on that, but it looks like the Darden Days in April fit my schedule better. It is just a 9hr flight to Dulles, not too bad

smp5000 · Answer

And then a 2 hour drive with  NO  traffic!!! LOL.

gentlejack · Answer

Well, west of the beltway it is not too bad.. And if I-81 would be an Autobahn, I am pretty sure I could make it in 1hr :-D

Darden v. Duke v. G-Town (With a Potential Tuck Curveball)

Darden v. Duke v. G-Town

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