Over the past few months, I have answered a number of questions from prospective students and shared with them, my perspective about life at Tuck. And whenever I felt a question is something the wider applicant pool can benefit from, I’ve posted them on this blog along with my response. Here’s one such question from a frequent reader of the blog and prospective applicant – let’s call him VN. His question to me is below:
“All B-schools speak highly of diversity and fit. To my mind, these are really divergent values and each school has its own answer on how these values converge. As a Tuck student, what would you say is common to all Tuck students that gets them to bond despite the diversity and differences in background, actions and goals?”
First, VN, thanks for reaching out and for your thoughtful and thought-provoking question. I will share with you, my perception of what I think “fit” means for a Tuck student and what brings Tuckies together.
The culture at Tuck has been built by generations of students who have each left their own unique mark and during the two years of their MBA, made Tuck a little different, and a little better than how they found it when they walked in for first year orientation. Whether it is the ASW (admitted students’ weekend where the theme this year was sustainability), whether it is taking the time to help Hanover community with clean-up activities, whether it is starting the Tuck Moto Club or the PE Conference , whether is changing the way service is provided in the cafeteria – I can go on and on – there are any number of examples.
It’s the passion to do something – however small – and make it enduring, that’s what I would say is common to Tuckies. And in so doing, they bring together their diverse backgrounds and experiences to make things happen. That, in a nutshell, captures what I have seen at Tuck and in my view, it’s rarely about similarities, and mostly about the differences. Study groups are formed specifically with the differences in mind and the system works.
So going back to the question you asked about fit, I would like to turn around and urge you to think of what you will bring to Tuck that has your own unique stamp rather than focusing on what is common amongst students. Hope that helps and do not hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions.
Good luck with your application!
Read the full article: The question of "fit"