Since this is my first entry as a Tuck blogger, I’ll start off by sharing with you how I came to choose Tuck for my MBA program…
I decided to apply to Tuck because one of my closest friends who was also applying to business schools last year kept on raving about the school. He is a friend who conducts thorough due diligence on any decision he makes and had already visited every school he was applying to. He is probably the last Yuppie (young urban professional) who I would have imagined uprooting himself from NYC to a tranquil town of Hanover. But he fell in love with Tuck and was preaching the good news to me. Though generally a skeptic, I couldn’t help but pay attention to what he had to say since I knew something had to special about Tuck for my friend to rave the way he did. And so I began my own research on Tuck.
It turns out that I did not know a single person in my personal circle who had went to Tuck. I was, at first, very discouraged by this. I really wanted to avoid talking to Tuck students because I didn’t want any biased views. But Tuck students were very transparent with me about what is great (close knit community, strong alumni relationship, firm academic foundation, and etc) what is difficult about going to Tuck (weather, isolated location, etc). If you’ve already spoken to a Tuckie, you’ll realize that everyone will be honest to say, “Tuck isn’t for everyone”. In hindsight, I am glad I had reached out to current Tuck students and gotten their insight before and after applying (I encourage you to do the same.)
Ultimately, two factors helped me to choose Tuck. Firstly, I spoke with my undergrad professors who had taught at prestigious MBA programs in Boston, senior managers at Merrill Lynch who had hired many qualified MBA candidates, and friends who were currently in or had just finished an MBA program. Unanimously, and I repeat, unanimously, every person I had sought advice from strongly recommended Tuck. This resonated so strongly with me that I couldn’t think of one good reason to go against the recommendations of the professional I trusted the most. Secondly, I could not think of a good answer to the question — Why not Tuck? Bright people become extremely indecisive when making important decisions that are personal. One exercise that helps people combat indecisiveness is to ask questions – -Why not A, why not B, why not C and so forth – for every alternative presented. And asking such questions will help people see the “right” answer.
In the end, my story is relevant to me and no one else. You’ll soon discover that factors which matter to you don’t matter to other people and other factors that you could care less about matter greatly to other people. So I hope you find comfort in knowing that, if you do you due diligence and follow your heart, you cannot make a wrong decision.
Tuck is a fantastic school. I could tell you this with confidence since I have been going through the Tuck experience myself. So as you consider different school choices, consider asking yourself, Why not Tuck?
(P.S. Tuck is the only school I had applied to that is not in the city. I declined enrollment to what was originally my top MBA choice and decided to come to Tuck instead. I have never looked back on that decision.)
Read the full article: Why I Chose Tuck?