Tuck School of Business Essay Analysis 2021 – 2026

By Admission CrackVerbal crackverbalgmat • September 25, 2020

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Welcome to this article in which we will look at the Tuck MBA program at Dartmouth, walk through the essays, and discuss what is unique about the program.

 

Firstly, Dartmouth is one of the Ivy League schools in the US. So Tuck has rich reputation in that sense, but if you ask what is really unique about the program, it is the community spirit that you see in Tuck. It’s a small class, and it is not next to a large city. In that sense, it’s “tucked” away. Due to this bonding you have in two years, you form a deeper network with the alum, and your classmates. That can be seen as an advantage.

 

In the US, the culture of colleges plays a huge role. If you’re okay being in a big city, maybe Columbia is what you should be looking at, but if you would like the warmth, the small class size and the bonding, Tuck is the place you should be. This should reflect in your application essay where you say why this particular style resonates best with you.

 

Another important factor is that they don’t have a Ph.D. program so the entire focus in on the MBA program. All the professors are 100% devoted to taking classes for the MBA program.

 

If you look at the Tuck program, they speak about General Management. It’s known for leadership and general management. That’s a very strong theme that comes with the program and if you see “The Center for Leadership” at Tuck, you will see that they have various concentrations where the largest department by far is Strategy and Management. Therefore, if you’re looking at general management, and developing your leadership skills, Tuck should be the place for you.

 

Dartmouth / Tuck MBA Deadlines 2017-2018

 

Early Action Round

Applications Due: October 4, 2017

Applicant-initiated Interview Complete: October 31, 2017

Admissions Decision: December 15, 2017

 

November Round

Applications Due: November 1, 2017

Applicant-initiated Interview Complete: November 10, 2017

Admissions Decision: February 9, 2018

 

January Round

Applications Due: January 3, 2018

Applicant-initiated Interview Complete: January 31, 2018

Admissions Decision: March 10, 2018

 

April Round

Applications Due: April 4, 2018

Applicant-initiated Interview Complete: April 4, 2018

Admissions Decision: May 11, 2018

 

First Round Consortium

Applications Due: October 15, 2017

Applicant-initiated Interview Complete: October 31, 2017

Admissions Decision: December 15, 2017

 

Second Round Consortium

Applications Due: January 5, 2018

Applicant-initiated Interview Complete: January 31, 2018

Admissions Decision: May 9, 2018

 

Let’s look at the application deadlines. You have the early action round which is similar to Duke. If you apply for an early action round,  and you’re made an offer, it’s a binding offer, which means that you will not apply to any other schools. You need to be very clear whether Tuck is one of your top choices. If it is your top choice, please apply to the early action round.

 

It’s either the early action round, the November intake, or the January intake. Do not look at the April intake, especially if you’re an international applicant. Now, students say “between early action round and the first round, am I at a disadvantage with the first round becoming the second round?”. Not necessarily, but if Tuck is not your top school of choice and you end up applying in the early action round, what may happen is that you get an offer but you’re waiting for the other schools. You may not be able to take up the offer. That’s why you have to be a little careful.

 

 

Tuck School Of Business MBA Essay Analysis 2017-2018

 

Essay 1

 

What are your short and long-term goals? Why is an MBA a critical next step toward achieving those goals? Why are you interested in Tuck specifically? (500 words)

 

Three questions, 500 words. Here is how you break it down. First, you need to be talking about your career so far. It’s not a rehash of your resume but a quick synopsis of your career progression to date. You can tell them, “This is where I started…this has been my journey…but at this juncture in my life… this is what I see ahead.” Something you couldn’t have seen three years ago. What is the clarity you have about your life and career? That becomes your short-term goal. Once you have your short-term goal, you have to be specific about the function, industry, and geography. All of it has to be very specific. One mistake that people make when writing the short-term goal essay is that they are vague. Don’t be vague.

 

However, in the long term goals, you can be vague. When I say “vague”, I don’t mean that you put some generic statement like, “I want to be an entrepreneur 20 years down the line.” No! Five to ten years down the line is long enough, and you can say, “five to ten years down the line, this is what I hope to do with my life.” If you want to pursue entrepreneurship, you should be talking about the areas in which you’re going to start your own venture. There is some leeway to be generic and at the same time, you need to have something that ties your past experience, your MBA, and your short-term goal into your long-term goal. That pretty much would be your second paragraph. In the first paragraph, you write a synopsis of what you did, in the second paragraph, your goals and in the third paragraph, you say that if you’re here and this is your goal, this is your bridge. What is stopping you from getting there? That really is the reason you want to do an MBA. You want to look at the specific thing that you want to learn from the B-School. Is it knowledge? Is it different perspectives? Is it brand equity and the network? Whatever your requirements are from an MBA school, you list that in the third part.

 

In the final part, for each of the characteristics that you have mentioned you require from a B-School, say how Tuck is uniquely positioned to meet those requirements. My suggestion is take up the opportunity to connect with Tuck alum from the website; they call them the Tuckies. Make sure that you connect with some Tuckies, people from your background, and try to understand more about the school, try to understand the culture and the community spirit at Tuck.

 

That pretty much is going to be your 500 words. You have four paragraphs, roughly about 120 words for each of the paragraphs, and of course you can use your judgment, maybe 80 words in one paragraph and 150 in another. That doesn’t matter. According to me, 500 words is more than enough for you to articulate clearly. Just one point here. For the question,“Why are you interested in Tuck specifically?”, please refrain from making general statements. Don’t say something like “World-class infrastructure” or ‘Globally renowned faculty”. Every top school has it, so you need be very specific.

 

 

Essay 2

 

Tuck’s mission is to educate wise leaders to better the world of business. Wisdom encompasses the essential aptitudes of confident humility, about what one does and does not know; empathy, towards the diverse ideas and experiences of others; and judgment, about when and how to take risks for the better.

With Tuck’s mission in mind, and with a focus on confident humility, tell us about a time you:

received tough feedback,

experienced failure, or

disappointed yourself or others.

How did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself as a result? (500 words)

 

Now what this essay is really asking you is to help them understand you as a person. In Australian Elite Corps, they have this as a question, “Have you experienced failure?”, and if you respond with a “no”, you are not considered suitable. Why? Because they feel that people who have gone through failure understand life better. They know what it takes to bounce back.  What this essay is really looking at is sometime when you did something that you’re not proud of. It could be a failure. Again, there is a trap over here, a lot of students make this mistake. They don’t really reveal the failure, they don’t reveal when they disappointed others. They will say something like, “Oh, this was a failure but eventually, it was a success”. No, it has to be a failure! It has to be a point where you fell flat on your face, where there were no options left. All you have to do is pick the broken pieces and move on. What is more important is not what happened to you, instead, it is how your response was. Did it really affect your sense of judgment? Maybe you stopped trusting your judgment, and then it took some time for you to regain confidence. Perhaps you also realized that sometimes it’s not possible for us to control the outcome, we can just control the decision.

 

That’s probably the learning you had, or probably the learning that you had was that it is important for you to trust others. Whatever the learning be, you need to make sure that you devote a significant portion of this essay to that learning. It’s not about the failure part. It’s about what you learned from it. How were you able to grow as a person? It’s very important. Again 500 words, plenty of words for you talk about this aspect.

 

 

Optional Essay

 

Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere and may be helpful in reviewing your application (e.g., unusual choice of evaluators, weaknesses in academic performance, unexplained job gaps or changes, etc.). Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented by this application.

 

For optional essays, talk about either a gap in your education or employment, or say something that really could not be said anywhere else. Something that you probably planned to do and that might affect your MBA candidature, but don’t try to retrofit stories that you picked to tell the Admission Committee that you were not able to tell anywhere else. That’s not what optional essays are meant for, and in fact, you do a bigger disservice to yourself by mentioning something you shouldn’t be talking about.

 

That’s all we have for the Tuck MBA application process. If you’re applying to Tuck this year, just go down and click the link below. We’ve had students who went to Tuck so we understand the program well, and we would love to share our knowledge with you. We could work together.

 

 

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Are you looking to do an MBA in General Management which will enhance your leadership skills? If your answer is yes, then the MBA program at Tuck School of Business will be the perfect choice for you. In that case, you have come to the right place because, in this article, we will be telling you how to go about drafting the Tuck MBA application essays!

Before we get into the Tuck essay analysis part, here are a few points that you need to know about the business school.

Getting things straight

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Tuck School of Business is a graduate business school of Dartmouth College, which is an Ivy League research university in the US. So, Tuck has a really rich reputation that has lasted over many years.

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Imparting knowledge the right way

Unlike other business schools, Tuck School of Business offers only the MBA program.

Thinking what is so great about it?

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Since it is offering only the MBA program, all the professors invest their time and energy into making the one program the best for all the candidates. They offer their 100% into the MBA program.

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What Tuck School of Business is looking for

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Tuck is a really close-knit community. For the same reason, they look for candidates who are good team players. They want students who can work well in a community and help each other in times of need. You will understand this once you go through the essay questions that they have for you.

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The business school is also looking for candidates who have good leadership potential. Prove to them that you have the skills required to be a successful leader and you can be closer to getting your Tuck MBA admit.

What’s in it for you

As mentioned earlier, Tuck is a really close-knit community – a community of 1000s of alumni across different countries. Once they know what you are from Tuck, they will help you with any guidance or professional help you require. And the business school ensures that year after year, the candidates carry forward this value.

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Another point is, if you look at the Tuck program, they speak about General Management. It’s known for leadership and general management. That’s a very strong theme that comes with the program and if you see “The Center for Leadership” at Tuck, you will see that they have various concentrations where the largest department by far is Strategy and Management. Therefore, if you’re looking at general management, and developing your leadership skills, Tuck should be the place for you.

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Tuck School of Business Essay Analysis 2021 

You need to answer three essay questions to complete your Tuck MBA application. You also have an optional essay. We will now look at the questions, how to go about answering them, and also the word limits that you need to keep in mind. 

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Tuck MBA Essay Question 1

Tuck students can articulate how the distinctive Tuck MBA will advance their aspirations. Why are you pursuing an MBA and why Tuck?

Word limit: 300

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If you look at the essay question closely, you will realize that they are looking for three answers here:

  1. Your journey so far
  2. Your reason to pursue an MBA
  3. The reason for you to choose Tuck

When you talk about your journey, tell them about what you have been doing until this juncture in your life, of course with respect to your career. But look at a larger canvas and tell them about your plan for the future as well. This will include your post-MBA career goals. Without giving this information, it will be difficult for you to tell them why you decided to do an MBA and why you chose Tuck.

Once you have done this, there are two ways in which you can proceed with the essay. One way is to answer the next two questions separately and the other is to combine your answers for the two questions into a single paragraph.

When you answer the second question, you need to tell them what is that one thing that you do not possess now. It could be a skill that you want to pick up or clarity with respect to an industry or a function. You should be able to convince them that you will be able to possess it by doing an MBA.

Let us give you a few examples here. 

You could tell them that the education you have had so far has given you a unidimensional outlook whereas you want to create a multidimensional outlook. An MBA is what might help you get that. 

Another point could be that you are trying to create version 2.0 of yourself. By having so many new people from different cultures around you, you will be able to learn more and change your personality completely. But in this case, you need to give a solid reason as to why you want to change.

If your aim is to get the “Tuck brand” and build a network, you can say that as well. This could also be a huge reason for you to do an MBA.

Once you have given this part, you need to tell them why you want to do an MBA at Tuck and at no other business school. Here’s a mistake that you may want to avoid. Do not go to their website and pick up points from there to answer this part of the question. You don’t need to tell them what they already know.

Instead, give them a genuine answer. Are you applying to Tuck School of Business because of the small and concise class size? Tell them that. Are you applying to Tuck because of the group learning experience they offer? You can tell them that as well. Be genuine. Do not try to make up this answer. You will not be able to convince them.

As mentioned in the beginning, you have 300 words. You can utilize 100 words to give them your journey and your post-MBA goals. And then, use the 200 words to convince them about why you are doing an MBA and why you want to do it at Tuck.

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Tuck MBA Essay Question 2

Tuck students recognize how their individuality adds to the fabric of Tuck. Tell us who you are.

Word limit: 300

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Here’s a tip to writing this essay: Go to Tuck’s website and see what they have to say about their expectations from candidates.

But, be yourself.

What we mean to say is that you will come across the several points that they have mentioned on their website. But, don’t try to force-fit yourself. You should be able to naturally align with them and tell your story.

Let us make it easier for you.

Pick two adjectives that best describe your personality. Two adjectives that will tell them who you are.

Are you strategic? Are you someone who executes? Or are you a team player?

It could be anything. But make sure you pick two adjectives and give them a reason as to why you are so. They need to know that. It could be something to do with your childhood or your experiences. Just tell them honestly.

But don’t forget to tell them how you will contribute to the business school. If you look at the questions, the first question required you to tell them what you expect from Tuck, Whereas, in this essay, you need to tell them about your contribution to the business school.

Like the previous essay, you have 300 words. Once you pick two adjectives, utilize 150 words to explain each of it. Try to be clear when you draft this essay and use the word judiciously.

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Tuck MBA Essay Question 3

Tuck students invest generously in one another’s success even when it is not convenient or easy. Share an example of how you helped someone else succeed.

Word limit: 300

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As you would have understood by now, at Tuck, they give a lot of importance to the community spirit. There are no two ways about it.

When you are answering this question, make sure you pick an incident in which you put an effort or you went out of your way to help someone. They have mentioned “not convenient or easy”. And, you need to tell such a story in which it wasn’t expected of you to help someone, but you did it because that is who you are.

You need to showcase your sense of empathy and compassion. Here are some examples:

  1. You could have helped someone who you know personally; could be a relative or friend. But it should be something that you did. You should be able to tell them how you invested your time and energy.
  2. You could have helped someone you did not know; could be through an NGO or it could even be someone related to the maid that comes to your house. 
  3. If you are not able to get a personal story, tell them a professional story. It could be about how you helped your boss or your colleague. But remember, that it has to be deep.

Once you tell them the story, they need to know more about the person you helped and how you helped them succeed.

So, tell them the situation, what you had to do, what you did, what was the result and what did you learn from it. This is called the START framework:

S – SITUATION

T – Task

A – Action

R- Result

T – Takeaways

Even when you are following this framework, make sure that you humanize the essay. That’s the whole point. They are looking for that human element.

You can spend about 50 words to describe each of the elements in the framework. You can utilize the rest of the words for the introduction and conclusion of the essay. 

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Tuck MBA Optional Essay Question

Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere. Example, a typical choice of evaluators, factors affecting academic performance.

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Answer this essay, if there is something particular that you want to explain. If not, we would suggest that you don’t answer this. You already have three solid essays.

Tuck School of Business MBA Application Deadlines

If you really want to get into Tuck School of Business, you might want to keep these deadlines in mind. Moreover, with these deadlines, you can now plan your MBA application process better.

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Tuck MBA Application Deadlines 2020-2021

Round 1*       September 28, 2020

Round 2        January 4, 2021

Round 3        March 29, 2021

Round 4        Rolling from April 1, 2021, to June 1, 2021

 

Round 1 Consortium* October 15, 2020

Round 2 Consortium  January 5, 2021  

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So, here we leave you with the most important points and dates that will help you get into Tuck School of Business. As you have seen, you need to submit three essays. And make sure that you portray your human element perfectly through these essays.

If you would like to watch what our GMAT and MBA Expert, Arun Jagannathan has to say about writing your Tuck essays, you can watch the video here.

If you feel that you need more help in drafting your essays or reviewing your application or let’s say, even brainstorming your ideas, you can always reach out to us.

You can click on the image below and get in touch with our expert.

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