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CATEGORY - SCHOOL: DARTMOUTH / TUCK

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Trivia Tuesday: Tuck’s First Year Project

It’s Tuesday again and that means it’s time for some trivia! As our regular readers know, each Tuesday we take the opportunity to highlight some of the programs, policies or predilections of the leading business schools. Our goal is to help applicants learn more about the most popular schools while also discovering some of the important differences between them. Today we’re turning our attention to a Tuck tradition, the First Year Project.

Part of Tuck’s required core curriculum, the First Year Project is one of three core courses students take in the spring quarter of their first year. In keeping with Tuck’s emphasis on teamwork and interest in experiential learning, the First Year Project is designed as a team consulting exercise. Students choose their own teams and are encouraged to develop and propose their own projects, although they are also welcome to work on a project suggested by a partner business or nonprofit. The project’s focus should either be developing a new business or developing a new product, service or market for an existing business. Since the goal is to have students apply the business theory studied throughout the first year, the projects should ideally require a nuanced analysis of strategic and competitive issues.

First-year teams are supported throughout the project by a professor and a second-year advisor and also have access to additional professors for support on specialized areas such as marketing and communication.

Although Tuck’s First Year Project is similar in design to experiential learning courses offered at other institutions, the difference at Tuck is that all students participate in the course, with the project serving as a capstone to the first year experience. In this sense, while all of the leading programs offer students opportunities to apply their classroom theory to real world experiences, Tuck shows one of the strongest commitments to integrating these opportunities into every student’s MBA experience.

To learn more about Tuck’s First Year Project or the experiential learning opportunities at other MBA programs, visit the schools’ websites or check out the Electives and Special Programs sections of the Clear Admit School Guides.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Women Take Center Stage at Tuck School of Business, London Business School

Amid an American election cycle in which women have played a more central role across both parties than ever before, business schools, too, are turning the spotlight on women. The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth just hosted its annual Women in Business Conference and the London Business School announced today its annual Sloan Fellowship Women’s Scholarship.

Tuck’s annual Women in Business Conference, which took place on October 3rd and 4th, this year celebrated 40 years of women at Tuck. Organized by second-year Tuck students, the conference was designed to bring current students, alumni and prospective students together for a range of educational panels and social activities around topics of particular relevance to current businesswomen.

Panel discussions focused on issues ranging from work-life balance to the glass ceiling to cross-gender communication. Carla Harris, managing director in global capital markets at Morgan Stanley, delivered the keynote address. Other speakers included Tuck alumnae Christina Morrison T’93, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Wyeth, and Noreen Doyle T’74, former chief operating officer at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Conference co-chairs Jill Cohen T’09 and Erin Breslin T’09 said they were thrilled with both the speaker lineup and the conference theme.”The conference theme, Celebrating 40 Years of Women at Tuck, will not only help us connect prospective, current and graduated Tuck women but will also facilitate lively discussion about key issues facing women in the modern business environment,” they said in a statement announcing the event. 

LBS Names 2008-2009 Sloan Fellow
Meanwhile, the London Business School this week announced its annual Sloan Fellowship Women’s Scholarship award, designed to encourage women to pursue management careers in business.

This year’s Sloan Fellowship was awarded to Vanessa Ginn, an experienced manager in the oil industry who has held leadership positions at BP and Mobil. The award, co-sponsored by Saatchi & Saatchi and Spencer Stuart, will fund Vanessa’s place in the year-long Sloan Fellowship MSc as well as career mentoring with Spencer Stuart.

Ginn, who developing BP’s downstream emerging markets business in China and India, is the fourth recipient of the Sloan Fellowship MSc. As part of the 11-month full-time program – considered one of the premier programs designed expressly for experienced senior managers – Ginn will explore the latest management thinking with LBS’s world-class faculty while gaining valuable experience in all areas of general management and leadership.

“I am proud and very grateful to be the winner of the Sloan Fellowship Women’s Scholarship, both on a personal level, and for what it represents from a wider perspective,” Ginn said in accepting the prize at an awards dinner last night. “I’m a passionate believer in the power of diversity in business, particularly of women in business,” she continued.

The award will give her an opportunity to take time out to reflect on her career direction, develop enhanced leadership skills, expand her network and encourage other women to embrace leadership in business, Ginn added.

To learn more about London Business School’s Sloan Fellowship Women’s Scholarship, click here. To learn more about the Tuck School of Business Women’s Leadership Conference, click here.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Admissions Director Q&A: Dawna Clarke, Tuck School of Business

~A CLEAR ADMIT EXCLUSIVE~

In our continuing series of interviews with admissions directors at each of the top business schools, we spoke most recently to Dawna Clarke, director of admissions at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.

Clarke joined Tuck’s admissions staff as director in 2005. Prior to coming to Tuck, she spent 15 years in the admissions office at the University of Virginia’s Darden School, including five years as admissions director there. Before Darden, she also served as associate director of admissions at University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler.

In the interview that follows, she has interesting information to share about a new initiative called Tuck 2012, as well as some useful dos and don’ts for application essays.

Clear Admit: What’s the single most exciting development, change or event happening at Tuck this coming year?

Dawna Clarke: One of the initiatives that has been introduced this year at Tuck is a new program called Tuck 2012. One of the goals for the school is to provide the world’s best business education.

Tuck’s philosophy of business education is highly personalized and our targeted class size is 240. One of the underlying beliefs of Tuck is that the quality of student-faculty interaction is greatly enhanced by having such a personal scale. And one of the initiatives to be implemented this year is the opportunity for students to take specialized courses with Tuck faculty who are experts in their chosen career fields.

We are increasing the faculty by about 10 but maintaining the student body size, and we are introducing new research-to-practice seminars as elective courses. One of our goals is to have the most small-scale courses – with the highest percentage of them taught by full professors – of any business school.

The new research-to-practice seminars will offer students an opportunity to take a deep dive into a specific managerially relevant topic. They will be research based with a seminar format and quite small. We are really going to be differentiated in terms of the access to faculty expertise.

Another element of Tuck 2012 is that we have introduced a new class on personal leadership. It’s a required class that ensures that leadership development it an ongoing process for Tuck students.

A third element of Tuck 2012 is the goal of globalizing the program to a greater extent. There have been great strides in terms of increasing the amount of global content throughout the curriculum. We have both looked at ways to enhance existing classes and added new classes that are focused on global issues and specific global regions.

We also have expanded opportunities for students to develop a global perspective outside of the classroom. We now offer a greater variety of one- to two-week tours and treks that allow and encourage Tuck students to travel to other parts of the world. An annual case competition at Tuck also will be introduced on a global issue in conjunction with a corporate sponsor.

The introduction of Tuck 2012 is probably our most exciting addition this year. Of course, it won’t all happen at once. Adding 10 faculty members could take us several years to accomplish. But at least there is a strategy in place that supports these underlying beliefs and philosophy.

CA: Walk us through the life of an application in your office from an operational standpoint. What happens between the time an applicant clicks ‘submit’ and the time the committee offers a final decision (e.g. how many “reads” does it get, how long is each “read,” who reads it, does the committee convene to discuss it as a group, etc.).

DC: Initially what happens is an application is processed. What that means is that it is put in a folder and we make sure all elements are complete – that both letters of recommendations, GMAT scores, all the various application components are there.

At Tuck, every application is read by two admissions committee members, they are not read by student readers. After each application has been through two thorough reviews, they are all are sent to me for a final decision. In many cases, I am able to make a final admissions decision. However, there are often candidates who present clear strengths as well as areas of concern – in other words, they are “on the border.” It is extremely helpful for us to discuss those candidates as an admissions committee. At the end of each admissions round the committee meets for two to three days to finalize the decisions for that particular round. 

CA: How does your team approach the essay portion of the application specifically? What are you looking for as you read the essays? Are there common mistakes that applicants should try to avoid? One key thing they should keep in mind as they sit down to write them?

DC: I would say – this is going to sound like common sense – but I would encourage applicants to make sure they are answering the question we asked. Sometimes a candidate may be more interested in telling us what’s on their agenda and less interested in answering the question asked. We do offer an optional essay so applicants have the opportunity to articulate an element of their background that is important to them.

I find tangible anecdotes, examples and vignettes to be an effective “vivid” way to articulate a point. So, instead of saying, “I have a global perspective,” applicants might talk about a time they worked abroad or traveled abroad.

Also, I would avoid quotations. We see a fair amount of those. “As Thomas Jefferson said…” that kind of thing. I am more interested in what the applicant thinks and less what other people think.

I would definitely proofread. Do not say in your application, “Here are the three reasons I would be interested in Harvard…” It’s not always Harvard, but it does happen. Proofread.

Finally, before you do the essays, really think about the questions and try to prioritize the most important things you want to convey to the admission committee. Don’t go into unnecessary detail – keep it a little bit more big picture.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Reminder: Clear Admit MBA Admissions Strategy Seminar in San Francisco (Free!)

Thanks to everyone who turned out for Monday’s MBA admissions seminar in Santa Clara - it was a pleasure meeting all of you!  Just a handful of spots remain for tomorrow evening’s seminar in downtown San Francisco.  For details and sign-up information, please read on…

****

Clear Admit will be offering a free MBA application seminar for applicants in San Francisco.  The event will be in downtown San Francisco on Thursday, September 18th and will take place from 6:30 - 8:30 PM.  Registration is mandatory and space is limited.  Sign-up details are below.

What You’ll Learn at the Clear Admit MBA Application Seminar
As the deadlines for leading schools approach, now is the perfect time to attend a seminar that will review the application process, explain MBA admissions from an insider perspective and help you to think through your overall positioning strategy as well as your approach to the essays.  Learn what admissions officers look for, how to avoid ‘red flags’ in your application, how to address weaknesses and more.  Both seminars will be led by Clear Admit’s Stacey Oyler.

About Stacey Oyler
With a mix of MBA admissions and recruiting experience, Stacey Oyler is ideally prepared to guide business school applicants toward the right schools given their background and goals - and to help them get in.  Serving as assistant director of admissions at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth from 2003 to 2005, Stacey read applications, conducted interviews and participated directly in admissions decisions. She also oversaw the waitlist process and provided feedback and coaching to candidates who were not granted admission.  Beyond her perspective on what a top MBA program looks for in its students, Stacey’s view extends into what post-b-school employers want. Upon leaving Tuck, she joined McKinsey & Company, leading all West Coast recruiting efforts for advanced degree and MBA candidates.

Prizes!
Seminar attendees are also eligible to receive several prizes, including:
• A set of five Clear Admit School Guides (a $175 value)
• A set of five Clear Admit Interview Guides (a $100 value)

How to Sign Up
Clear Admit has teamed up with our friends at ManhattanGMAT to offer this seminar.  The event will take place at the Manhattan GMAT test center in downtown San Francisco. To sign up for the seminar, click here.  (Note: These links will take you to the manhattangmat.com website. If it is your first visit to the site, you will be asked to complete a short student profile.) For questions about the event, contact ManhattanGMAT at 800-576-4628 or email studentservices@manhattangmat.com.

Thursday, September 18th, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
San Francisco Manhattan GMAT Center: 870 Market Street, 6th floor San Francisco, CA 94102
Register Now!

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Scoretop Saga Conclusion: With 84 Students’ Scores Cancelled, Some Fates Still Uncertain

As reported last week in BusinessWeek and the Wall Street Journal, the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) has cancelled the scores of several students shown to be involved in the Scoretop.com scandal that came to light earlier this year.

According to various reports, the ultimate fate of these students will depend on the level of participation they had with the Scoretop website, the schools to which they applied and their current student status. (Some students involved, in fact, have already graduated from business school.)

According to GMAC spokesperson Judy Phair, the admissions council has decided to cancel the scores of only those students “against whom we felt we have airtight cases.” In total, 84 students’ scores were cancelled.

Of those, 12 students were shown to have actually posted questions themselves on the Scoretop site. Those students will be barred from retaking the GMAT exam for at least three years. The other 72 students posted messages on Scoretop indicating that they had seen certain questions on their GMAT exam. Their scores cancelled, these students will be permitted to retake the exam again immediately.

In all 84 cases, the admissions council notified schools that students had improperly prepared for the exam, although what individual schools will do with that information remains to be seen.

According to the Journal, two of the students who acknowledged that they had seen certain test questions on the Scoretop site – but who had not posted actual questions themselves – are current students at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Chicago is considering action against the students, but “we haven’t decided anything,” Rose Martinelli, director of admissions, told the Journal.

Meanwhile at Stanford, 11 students’ scores were cancelled, according to the Journal report. Of those, 10 were denied admission, but one had already graduated, Admissions Director Derrick Bolton said in a statement.

Stanford plans to meet with the student who has graduated “to discuss this situation,” Bolton said. For students whose scores were cancelled and who plan to reapply, they will need – “at minimum” – to supply an explanation, Bolton continued, encouraging that they “might learn from the experience by reflecting on their actions and taking ownership for their errors, then sharing those explanations and insights with us.”

Other top business schools – including Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale – report that they had no students with tainted scores actually enroll. And a spokesman for the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania said in an email to the Journal that officials still “analyzing the situation are not yet prepared to discuss next steps.”

Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, for its part, will hold an “ethics fireside chat” this month on campus to discuss the Scoretop cheating scandal.

GMAC, meanwhile, has posted an extensive FAQ on the subject of score cancellations. It also announced that it plans to implement palm-vein scanning technology going forward to help reduce other types of fraud among test-takers, including “proxy” test taking, in which applicants hire high-scoring imposters to take the exam for them.

We’d love to hear what you think of the conclusion to the Scoretop scandal. For anyone who missed it last week, click here to participate in Clear Admit’s online poll about whether the punishment fits the crime.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Clear Admit MBA Application Seminars - Free!

We are pleased to announce that Clear Admit will be offering two free MBA application seminars for applicants in San Francisco and the Silicon Valley.  The first seminar will take place in Santa Clara on Monday, September 15th and the second will be in downtown San Francisco on Thursday, September 18th.  Both events will take place from 6:30 - 8:30 PM.  Registration is mandatory and space is limited.  Sign-up details are below.

What You’ll Learn at the Clear Admit MBA Application Seminars
As the deadlines for leading schools approach, now is the perfect time to attend a seminar that will review the application process, explain MBA admissions from an insider perspective and help you to think through your overall positioning strategy as well as your approach to the essays.  Learn what admissions officers look for, how to avoid ‘red flags’ in your application, how to address weaknesses and more.  Both seminars will be led by Clear Admit’s Stacey Oyler.

About Stacey Oyler
With a mix of MBA admissions and recruiting experience, Stacey Oyler is ideally prepared to guide business school applicants toward the right schools given their background and goals - and to help them get in.  Serving as assistant director of admissions at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth from 2003 to 2005, Stacey read applications, conducted interviews and participated directly in admissions decisions. She also oversaw the waitlist process and provided feedback and coaching to candidates who were not granted admission.  Beyond her perspective on what a top MBA program looks for in its students, Stacey’s view extends into what post-b-school employers want. Upon leaving Tuck, she joined McKinsey & Company, leading all West Coast recruiting efforts for advanced degree and MBA candidates.

Prizes!
Seminar attendees are also eligible to receive several prizes, including:
• A set of five Clear Admit School Guides (a $175 value)
• A set of five Clear Admit Interview Guides (a $100 value)

How to Sign Up
Clear Admit has teamed up with our friends at ManhattanGMAT to offer these seminars.  The events will take place at the Manhattan GMAT test centers in Santa Clara and downtown San Francisco. To sign up for the Santa Clara seminar, click here.  To sign up for the San Francisco seminar, click here.  (Note: These links will take you to the manhattangmat.com website. If it is your first visit to the site, you will be asked to complete a short student profile.) For questions about the event, contact ManhattanGMAT at 800-576-4628 or email studentservices@manhattangmat.com.

Monday, September 15th, 6:30 - 8:30 PM. 
Santa Clara Manhattan GMAT Center: 2905 Stender Way, Suite 66, Santa Clara, CA 95054
Register Now!

Thursday, September 18th, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
San Francisco Manhattan GMAT Center: 870 Market Street, 6th floor San Francisco, CA 94102
Register Now!

We look forward to seeing you at these events!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Tuck Students Begin MBA Program with Community Service

Classes haven’t started yet, but some members of the Tuck School of Business incoming class of 2010 are already hard at work. Beginning today and continuing through the rest of the week, 25 students will don work boots and coveralls as part of the student-run TuckBuilds program, a community service effort in which MBA students volunteer their time and energy to help local New Hampshire families build and repair their homes.

“Our building program gets an annual burst of energy when TuckBuilds comes to town,” said Don Derrick of Upper Valley Habitat for Humanity in a statement about the initiative. “We’re looking forward to it again this year.”

TuckBuilds is now in its fourth year, and demand for slots in the program increases with each incoming first-year class. This year, Tuck has partnered with two local nonprofits for this week of community service – the area’s Habitat for Humanity branch and the COVER home repair and reuse program. Through Habitat, two teams will help local families build their homes in nearby Norwich and Lebanon, and a third group will work with COVER in Hartford to replace the roof of a mobile home.

“A commitment to community is an integral part of the Tuck education and tradition, and I can think of no better introduction to this place than TuckBuilds,” student organizer Jenn Blazejewski T’09 said in a statement. “It is a uniquely appropriate way to begin one’s Tuck journey.”

After each day of work this week, the TuckBuilds students will regroup for dinner with alumni and faculty and talk about ways in which business knowledge can be used to positively impact communities. Some evenings will feature speakers as well, such as Charlie Crane D’81, T’83, who serves on both the Tuck MBA Advisory Board and the board for Habitat for Humanity in Portland, Maine.

“This experience foreshadows what is to come in the next two years,” says Patricia Palmiotto, director of the Allwin Initiative for Corporate Citizenship, which supports TuckBuilds and other community service projects at the school. “To become successful in business, it is essential that students engage themselves both personally and professionally in the community.”

Building on this concept, the entire first-year class will take part in the Tuck Community Outreach Day in the week following TuckBuilds. As part of this program, teams of students are matched with 25 local nonprofits for a day of collaboration, and students continue to volunteer with these organizations throughout their two year MBA program, helping with labor projects and offering pro bono consulting.

To learn more about the Allwin Initiative and Tuck’s commitment to community service, visit www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/initiative.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Trivia Tuesday: Scheduling the Academic Year at Chicago, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, Stanford, Tuck, and Wharton

It’s time again for Trivia Tuesday, our weekly examination of the policies and programs that influence the student experience at the leading business schools. This week we turn our attention to an important yet often overlooked feature of MBA programs: the academic calendar. Though not a factor most applicants take into account, a school’s academic calendar can impact the number of classes students take, the timing of the recruiting season, and when students need to begin and end their summer internships – not to mention how much down-time students have during the school year.

Most schools use a version of either the semester or quarter system to organize the academic year. For instance, Wharton’s academic calendar is based on the traditional semester system, with fall semester classes running from early September to mid-December and spring semester classes taking place from mid- January through mid-May. In addition to the extended break between the fall and spring semesters, students also have off for several days in October and in March.

MIT Sloan’s academic calendar is also organized around a semester system, but the school makes several distinctive adjustments. For instance, MIT Sloan breaks up each thirteen-week semester in the following manner: six weeks of classes, a one week “innovation period” and then the remaining six weeks of classes. Moreover, an optional four-week January term between the fall and spring semesters provides an opportunity for students to participate in a variety of credit and non-credit activities.

Although the semester system is the norm at the majority of colleges and universities in the United States, many leading business schools have opted to use the quarter system instead. The quarter system is said to have been invented by William Rainey Harper, the first President of the University of Chicago, as a means of exposing students to more material than the traditional semester system allows. The quarter-based calendar is used by all schools at the University of Chicago, as well as business schools such as Kellogg, Stanford and Tuck.

Under a quarter system, the standard academic year takes place across the autumn, winter and spring terms; since most MBA students participate in an internship between their first and second years, enrollment in summer quarter courses is not typical.

As a result of the quarter system, the academic calendar at Chicago, Kellogg, Stanford, and Tuck differs from those of other leading business schools. Students in the quarter system tend to start classes later, often in mid-September, have more short breaks, and finish the academic year later than their peers in semester systems. Spring quarter exams typically conclude in early- or late-June under the quarter system, which is 2-4 weeks after the end of classes at schools such as Wharton or Harvard. The late end of the spring quarter can impact summer planning for first-year students, since many internships begin in mid-June.

Overall, the semester system allows for a slightly longer winter break and an earlier start to summer, while maximizing the length of time students spend in each course. On the other hand, the quarter system generally allows for a later start to the school year and, by increasing the number of terms in the year, increases the number of courses a student can take. Although most students will be successful under either calendar system, some applicants may find one of the designs a better fit for their personality, goals or work habits. For more information on the organization of the academic year and its impact on students, be sure to check out the Clear Admit School Guides!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Trivia Tuesday: International Orientation Programs at HBS, MIT Sloan and Tuck

Welcome to another edition of Trivia Tuesday! Each week in this column we examine the programs, policies, resources and opportunities of the leading business schools with the goal of highlighting distinctive aspects of the student experience. Following up on our recent articles on pre-term and orientation programs, this week we turn our attention to programs for international students beginning their MBA studies in the United States, with a focus on the resources offered by Harvard, MIT Sloan and Tuck.

Most international orientation programs are held on campus in the week or two before all first-year students are required to arrive. In general, these programs offer an introduction to U.S. culture, an overview of the academic expectations of the MBA program, and workshops in written and oral English language skills.

For instance, in addition to the standard orientation for all students, Tuck offers a five-day International Orientation Program that is highly recommended for international students who have not previously lived or worked in the United States. Held the week before the school-wide Orientation, students in the program engage with Tuck faculty, staff and teaching assistants to become familiar with the case-study method, the standards expected in verbal and written communications, and how to work on teams with people from other backgrounds and cultures. The Career Development Office also leads workshops on resume writing, interviewing and networking. Likewise, for international students with little prior experience in the U.S., MIT Sloan’s two week Communication and Culture workshop in mid-August provides an introduction to Sloan’s classroom environment and to U.S. business and social norms.

Meanwhile, Harvard Business School offers one of the longest international orientations among its peers. The school’s Pre-MBA International Program is a five-week course during which students from abroad are introduced not only to life in Boston and at HBS, but also to the basics of the case method. Outside experts are brought to the campus to speak to international students about writing, business English, and publication skills, after which attendees participate in several mock-case discussions to prepare them for the pace and tenor of class sessions.

For international students concerned about making the transition to business school and to the U.S., these specialized orientations are a great resource. Participants at all schools report that in addition to learning about the academic environment and brushing up on language skills, the international orientations are also a wonderful way to meet fellow international students and to start building a network of business school friendships. For more information on orientations, pre-term programs, and resources for international students, be sure to talk with current students or to check out the Clear Admit School Guides!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Dartmouth / Tuck Essay Topic Analysis 2008-2009

Dartmouth/Tuck’s essay topics for the upcoming application remain unchanged from last year’s questions, meaning the school’s focus on teamwork, leadership and the unique characteristics of its applicants is still present. Those interested in applying to Tuck should make sure that these themes are also present in their essays.

When approaching these essays, applicants should also keep in mind that the lack of a formal word limit does not warrant either markedly long or short responses. The 500 word approximation suggested by the school is a good target length, and one by which candidates should make an effort abide.

Let’s take a look at each of the school’s essays:

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 a rather straightforward career goals essay. The one way that it differs from those of most other schools is that rather than simply inquiring about the basis of an applicant’s interest in the program, Tuck wants to hear the reasons it might be the best of the candidate’s options. Navigating this issue will require a fair amount of research, as it will be important to identify some features that are truly unique to Tuck and very relevant to one’s goals, background and/or interests. This prompt question also makes it essential that applicants define their career goals as specifically as possible in order for candidates to clearly demonstrate the logical connection between their own interests and goals and the main objectives of Tuck’s program.

Essay 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?
This is a tall order for an (approximately) 500 word essay. One great goal to keep in mind is to maintain a balance between the individual and the external. In other words, an applicant might set the scene by offering detailed information about the setting in which he or she led by inspiring others: the financial importance of the project, or perhaps the challenging makeup of a team of coworkers. Of course, ultimately applicants would offer concrete information about how their efforts affected others, and eventually the organization’s bottom line. These descriptions could then be balanced with more reflective observations about the applicant’s own thought process and, in the end, personal development. It will be important for applicants to keep in mind when describing the personal learning and sense of accomplishment accompanying this experience that the heart of this story will be a focus on the interpersonal relationship developed. This essay is a time for applicants to demonstrate their ability to not just succeed on an individual level, but also to motivate and lead others.

Essay 3: Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did you address it? What have you learned from it?
Though this question will elicit a different sort of story from other schools’ prompts about a failure or setback, the major themes of growth and learning are similar. In addition to recounting the steps you took to address the issue that had been raised (and briefly explaining why it was an issue to begin with), commenting on the way you reacted to this difficult feedback could be a great way to demonstrate maturity and a sincere interest in improvement. That is, the element of communication implicit in “constructive criticism or feedback” provides applicants with an excellent opportunity to show themselves interacting with others, perhaps even under trying circumstances. Applicants should also make sure they are addressing every component of this question. Not only should candidates provide a description of the hard feedback and their responses, but they will need to explicitly state the ways they have grown as a result of both the criticism and their response to it.

Essay 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?
In asking this question, Tuck is trying to understand the potential value of applicants’ knowledge and interests, and also the way they think about the world. Rather than making the common claim that they can bring a unique perspective to the classroom, candidates are encouraged to offer insightful details about what differentiates them from others in the applicant pool. Discussing the way your individual perspectives would affect this close-knit community (in a modest manner, of course) can really bolster your response here, since the adcom is sincerely looking for applicants who will change the program for the better. For that reason, applicants who outline the specific contributions they could make to the Tuck culture, the ways in which they intend to make them, and the reasons they are uniquely equipped to do so, will make a positive and lasting impression on the adcom. Again, this essay will require that applicants have done their “homework,” so to speak, and have researched the various clubs, courses and campus-wide involvements dedicated to promoting the diversity and varying interests present at Tuck. Specifically indicating which of these involvements interest the applicant will go a long way in proving to the adcom one’s ability to make a positive impact on the school community.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Dartmouth / Tuck Essay Topics 2008-2009

Although Dartmouth/Tuck’s online application will not be completed and live until later this month, an email from the admissions committee confirms that the essay questions for the 2008-2009 seasons will remain unchanged from last year’s. This allows interested applicants additional time to begin thinking about and drafting responses.

Dartmouth/Tuck’s essay questions for the upcoming application season are as follows:

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?

Essay 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?

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

Essay 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?

Although there is no formal word limit for these essays, the school recommends that applicants aim for an average of 500 words per response. Applicants should also note that essays are expected to be submitted in a double-spaced format.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Dartmouth / Tuck Deadlines 2008-2009

Dartmouth/Tuck has released its deadlines for the 2008-2009 application season! In order to view the deadlines, as well as access the online application, which should be fully updated in the next few weeks, interested applicants should log in through Tuck’s “apply online” page.

The deadlines for the 2008-2009 season are as follows:

Early Action
Application Due: October 15, 2008
Applicant-initiated Interview Completed by: October 15, 2008
Notification: December 19, 2008

November Round
Application Due: November 12, 2008
Applicant-initiated Interview Completed by: November 12, 2008
Notification: February 6, 2009

January Round
Application Due: January 7, 2009
Applicant-initiated Interview Completed by: January 30, 2009
Notification: March 20, 2009

April Round
Application Due: April 1, 2009
Applicant-initiated Interview Completed by: April 1, 2009
Notification: May 15, 2009

Tuck 2012: Dean Paul Danos Shares School’s Strategy for the Future

In a recent email to alumni from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University, Dean Paul Danos provided an update on Tuck 2012, a strategic review initiative involving faculty, staff, students and alumni that has been underway for the past year.

“I pleased to announce that at its meeting in early June the faculty approved the recommendations of the Strategy Monitoring Committee dealing with student access to faculty expertise, the core curriculum, leadership development and globalization,” Danos wrote.

Greater Student Access to Faculty
With regard to student access to faculty, the committee approved the hiring of 10 new faculty members with no associated growth in the size of the student body, effectively reducing the current student to faculty ratio. The committee also agreed to the creation of a new type of small elective course that would allow students to work closely with a faculty member to gain exposure to his or her expertise and ways of thinking about management issues.

Core Curriculum Changes
Changes to the core curriculum are also in the works, according to Danos. Upcoming refinements to the core as agreed upon by the faculty will include:

- A restructuring of Fall A and Fall B to run four weeks and nine weeks respectively, part of an effort to decompress the pace of activities;
- The development of a new core course on personal leadership development, to build on both the current organizational behavior course and the activities of the Cohen Leadership Development Program, and
- The addition of an ethics/business and society distribution requirement.

These changes will be implemented for the 2009-2010 academic year. In the interim, Strategic Analysis of Technology Systems, currently a required core course, will be taught as an elective, and students will be able to take two elective courses in the spring term.

Expanded Leadership Development
In addition to the above changes to the core, the faculty also approved several enhancements to Tuck’s current leadership development activities. Planned enhancements include the incorporation of leadership development into the core curriculum, the development of a required second-year follow-on activity related to leadership development and progress toward the creation of a Tuck center for leadership.

Globalization
Finally, Danos wrote, the faculty agreed to increase global content throughout the curriculum, both in existing courses and through the addition of new courses focused on global issues and regions. Opportunities outside the classroom, too, will be expanded and enhanced, both on the Tuck campus and around the globe.

“Building on our current strategy and momentum, I believe that these changes and new initiatives will ensure Tuck’s unique place in the world of top MBA programs,” Danos concluded.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Summer Reading Recommendations from B-School Profs

Whether you’re just beginning to think about business school as a next step or you’ve already been admitted and are deciding how to spend these last months of summer, BusinessWeek.com has some suggestions for a little light reading – straight from professors at some of the nation’s top MBA programs.

The professors’ recommendations include both recent books and classics - covering topics ranging from accounting to business ethics. In fact, some fiction even made the list. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the top picks:

• Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack (Skyhorse Publishing, 2007) – recommended by Stewart Friedman, practice professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business

• Freakonomics (William Morrow, 2006) by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, recommended by Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management Professor Adam Galinsky

• The Goal (North River Press, 2004) by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox, a novel that introduces the concepts of bottlenecks and variability through the story of an Israeli physicist who saves a man’s job and marriage, recommended by Wallace Hopp, the Herrick professor of manufacturing and professor of operations and management science at University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business

• How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living (Harper Paperbacks, 2003), also recommended by Kellogg’s Galinsky

• The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It (Oxford University Press, 2007) by Paul Collier, recommended by David Levine, the Eugene E. & Catherine M. Trefethen Chair in Business Administration at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

• More Than a Numbers Game: A Brief History of Accounting (Wiley, 2006) by Thomas King, recommended by Robert Howell, professor of business administration at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business

• Ten Deadly Marketing Sins (Wiley, 2004) by Philip Kotler, recommended by Kellogg Professor Tim Calkins

Happy reading!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Trivia Tuesday: Earning a JD/MBA or MD/MBA

Welcome to another edition of Trivia Tuesday! Earlier in the year we looked at the options for students to earn Master’s degrees alongside their MBA studies through dual and joint degree arrangements. This week we’ll examine the opportunities for students interested in combining their business education with study in law or medicine. The growing demand for talented, knowledgeable managers in the health care industry makes the combination MD/MBA degree particularly valuable, and graduates who can analyze both the strategic and legal implications of a decision fill an important niche in the business world.

Wharton’s programs are typical of the JD/MBA and MD/MBA programs offered by leading business schools. As with most of the MBA/MA programs, candidates must apply to the two programs separately and admissions decisions are made independently. However, the longer length of JD and MD dual degree programs - typically four years for a JD/MBA and five years for an MD/MBA - mean that students have somewhat more leeway in deciding when to apply to the programs. For instance, students may apply to and begin both degree programs in the same year, or may choose to start the JD or MD first, applying to the MBA program in either their first or second year of study in the other program.

Kellogg’s MBA/JD program is differs slightly, in that the schools have managed to compact the three year law degree and two year MBA into just three years of on-campus study. The program also differs in that students apply through Kellogg only, though they spend their first year in full-time residency at the Law School.

Below is a summary of the JD and MD dual degree options offered by several of the leading MBA programs, along with links to sites offering more information about the dual degree or the law or medical school.

Chicago GSB:

JD with University of Chicago Law School
MD with Pritzker School of Medicine

Columbia Business School:

JD with Columbia Law School
MD with Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
DDS with Columbia University College of Dental Medicine

Cornell/Johnson:

JD with Cornell University Law School
MD with Weill Cornell Medical College

Duke/Fuqua:

JD with the Duke University School of Law
MD with the Duke University School of Medicine

Harvard Business School:

JD with Harvard Law School
MD with Harvard Medical School

Kellogg:

JD with Northwestern’s School of Law
MD with the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern

Michigan/Ross:

JD at the University of Michigan’s Law School
MD at the University of Michigan’s Medical School

MIT Sloan:

No JD or MD dual degree programs

NYU/Stern:

JD at NYU School of Law

Stanford:

JD with the Stanford School of Law
No formal MD dual degree, though students may pursue a medical degree separately from the MBA

Tuck:

No JD program; offers a Master’s of Science in Environmental Law