Dartmouth (Tuck) Application Essays and Deadlines for 2009-2010

Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business won't release its full 2009-2010 application until mid-August, but the school has already announced its application deadlines for the coming year, and has also spread the word that its admissions essays remain the same since last year.

Our comments follow in italics:

Tuck Application Deadlines
Early Action Round: 10/14/09
November Round: 11/11/09
January Round: 1/6/10
April Round: 4/2/10

(Tuck is one of the few top business schools to offer an Early Action admissions option. "Early Action" means that the decision is non-binding, although if you are admitted you will need to send in a deposit by mid-January, or else you will give up your seat. If Tuck is your top choice, or at least a very close 2nd or 3rd choice, Early Action is a great way to signal your enthusiasm for the school.)

Tuck Application Essays

(There are no hard word limits for Tuck's essays, but Tuck does provide some guidance. According to the school's web site, "Although there is no restriction on the length of your response, most applicants use, on average, 500 words for each essay.")

1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA program for you?
   
   (This is the fairly standard "Why an MBA? Why this school?" question that most schools ask. Tuck takes the concept of "fit" very seriously when evaluating candidates, so be sure that you can present a compelling argument for why Tuck in particular is the right place for you to earn your MBA.)


2. Tuck defines leadership as "inspiring others to strive and enabling them to accomplish great things." We believe great things and great leadership can be accomplished in pursuit of business and societal goals. Describe a time when you exercised such leadership. Discuss the challenges you faced and the results you achieved. What characteristics helped you to be effective, and what areas do you feel you need to develop in order to be a better leader?
   
   (Here you will keep your response focused on one single situation, what action you took, and what the results were. The last part, about areas that you need to develop, could make for a whole separate essay by itself, but you will need to succinctly respond to this. Your response here may or may not tie into the situation you describe earlier in the essay, although ideally you won't introduce an entirely new theme with only 100 words to go in your essay.


3. Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did you address it? What have you learned from it?
   
   (We tend to like this question better than "What is your biggest weakness," because it starts with an actual experience -- the feedback you received -- and asks you to reflect upon it. As with all "weakness" responses, you want to give an honest, real response, but you also don't want to give an answer that could ruin your entire candidacy. The best answer will address a true weakness, but will be backed up by progress you have made in overcoming it.)


4. Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who can bring new perspectives to our community. How will your unique personal history, values, and/or life experiences contribute to the culture at Tuck?
   
   (This is a good chance to highlight any strengths or themes that may need more emphasis in your application. Everything in your background is fair game here: your work experience, your personal life, and your hobbies all make you unique!)

For more advice on applying to Tuck, talk to the MBA admissions experts at Veritas Prep, and be sure to follow MBA Game Plan on Twitter!

Waitlist Advice from Dartmouth (Tuck)

Recently Karen Marks, Tuck's Associate of Recruiting and Enrollment, wrote a post on Tuck's blog about the school's upcoming decisions for their November round. (Tuck's admissions deadlines aren't called Round 1 and Round 2, etc. Instead, they have an Early Round, a November Round, January Round, and an April Round.) This Friday Tuck's November Round applicants will learn their fates: accepted, denied, or waitlisted.

Most of Karen's post is devoted to answering questions that Tuck's waitlisted applicants will likely have:

First, let me explain how we decide to waitlist someone. Candidates are placed on the waitlist for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we need more information about an applicant, but see many positive qualities and are interested enough to seek additional data. Sometimes we have questions about English or quantitative proficiency, so we will encourage the candidate to retake their GMAT or Toefl or to complete additional coursework. In other cases there are no particular areas of concern but we are unable to offer admission at that point in our cycle.

Tuck is one of the better schools in terms of communicating with waitlisted candidates. If you are waitlisted by Tuck, you will be assigned a single point of contact, and that person will give you feedback on any outstanding questions that the admissions committee has. However, if they tell you that there isn't any other information that they need, you should believe them -- they have no incentive not to keep you fully informed of how they view your candidacy.

If there's big news in your life, though, this is always a good reason to reach out to your Tuck point of contact and let them know -- such as if you just got a promotion on your job, took a new job, or have recently achieved something else significant.

In terms of your chances of being admitted off of the waitlist and expected timing, Karen says:

Historically, we have admitted people from the waitlist every year - but the number varies, as does the profile of those admitted off the waitlist. Most of the time we do not admit waitlisted candidates until later in the cycle - usually not until the Spring.

So, be patient, follow the rules, take all the feedback you can get, and good luck!

If you need help in navigating Tuck's or any other school's waitlist, Veritas Prep's MBA admissions experts can help!

Job Advice for New MBA Students

A first-year Tuck student recently posted a message on the Tuck School of Business admissions blog giving career advice to new Tuck (and all MBA) admits.

The student, Natasha V., writes:

When I was admitted to Tuck (a happy day!), I started asking more-detailed questions about the curriculum, community, housing… the list goes on. But one area I overlooked was finding out real information about what my job search would like for my desired career. Truthfully, I put these questions off, since I had some idea of what I wanted to do, and I told myself that I had two years to find a job.

The reality is, first-years are already in full-swing of applying for internships, which should (hopefully) lead to full-time jobs next year. So, my two-year deadline turned out to be more like four months... two very different timelines! Looking back, I wish that I had asked more questions about what my job search would look like at Tuck. It would have helped me get grounded before coming to school, and better understand how and when to apply for internships.

Natasha then goes on to share a few key questions that a newly admitted business school students should ask the school's career office:

1. For your desired career, which companies recruit on-campus for internships and full-time positions?


2. For your desired career, how many students find internships or jobs through on-campus recruiting?


3. For your desired career, how many students interned or accepted full-time jobs in that area?

It often surprises us how often students DON'T ask these questions until they are deep into the summer internship search in their first year. By all means, it is your responsibility to know what your job prospects will be in your chosen field at a given school. Make sure to take this into consideration when you choose a business school to attend, and even when you're deciding the MBA programs to which you want to apply.

Dartmouth (Tuck) on MBA Admissions Interviews

Today Tuck's Associate Admissions Director, Karen Marks, wrote a post on the Tuck blog about how the admissions office handles MBA admissions interviews. Her post says a lot about how the schools views applicants and how interviews fit into the overall Tuck admissions process.

Unlike many other top business schools, the Tuck School of Business has an open interview policy, meaning that any applicant can schedule an interview rather than waiting for an invitation from the admissions office. Tuck really looks at whether or not you schedule an interview (and make the trip to New Hampshire) as a strong indicator of your interest in the school. Marks explains that you are by no means ruining your chances of admissions by not scheduling an interview and visiting the campus, especially if you face circumstances that would make the trip difficult (e.g., you live far away, have tight finances, or have other obligations that prevent you from traveling). However, if you're serious about Tuck, know that the most powerful way to show this is by visiting the campus and conducting an on-campus interview.

Regarding interview format, there's a good chance you will be interviewed by a second-year student. Marks makes a point of emphasizing that these interviews carry just as much weight as those conducted by Tuck admissions officers. And meeting a second-year student gives you a great chance to further get a feel for how well you'll fit with the Tuck culture.

Finally, Marks attempts to put an end to anxiety that domestic applicants feel over whether or not they get invited to interview by the Tuck admissions office. She sums up it all up by saying:

The bottom line is that it is definitely a positive sign if we invite you interview, in that it indicates our desire to learn more about you, but don't read too much into it if we don't extend an invitation. Most domestic candidates schedule their own visits, and we are unlikely to prompt you to do so.

So, don't stress over whether or not you're invited to interview with Tuck. But, if you follow their (and our) advice and schedule your own interview with the school, then this should be a moot point!

If you're preparing for your interview with Tuck or any other top business school, Veritas Prep's MBA admissions interview preparation service can help you maximize your chances of success.

Dartmouth (Tuck) Application Deadlines 2008-2009

We posted information about Tuck's 2008-2009 admissions essays a couple of weeks ago. Now, here are the school's application deadlines:

Dartmouth (Tuck) Application Deadlines
Early Action: October 15, 2008
November Round: November 12, 2008
January Round: January 7, 2009
April Round: April 1, 2009

Note that Early Action is not binding, but successful Early Action applicants must submit a $3,500 deposit by January 12, 2009. You will barely start hearing Round 1 decisions from most other top schools by this date, so only apply to Tuck via Early Action if you're sure that the school is right for you. (We happen to think it's a terrific program.)

To get a good feel for your chances of admission to Tuck and other top MBA programs, try the Veritas Prep Business School Selector.

Dartmouth (Tuck) Application Essays 2008-2009

Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business has confirmed that its 2008-2009 admissions essays will be the same as those in last year's application:

Dartmouth (Tuck) Application Essays

1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA program for you?



2. Tuck defines leadership as “inspiring others to strive and enabling them to accomplish great things.” We believe great things and great leadership can be accomplished in pursuit of business and societal goals. Describe a time when you exercised such leadership. Discuss the challenges you faced and the results you achieved. What characteristics helped you to be effective, and what areas do you feel you need to develop in order to be a better leader?



3. Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did you address it? What have you learned from it?



4. Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who can bring new perspectives to our community. How will your unique personal history, values, and/or life experiences contribute to the culture at Tuck?

Tuck is one of the few top schools that won't give you specific word limits for its admissions essays, but the school does "recommend" that you aim for about 500 words per essay. We suggest that you heed this target and treat it as you would any other school's word limit, going significantly beyond 500 words only if absolutely necessary.

For more advice on applying to Tuck, visit the Veritas Prep Tuck information page.