UPDATE: This article was originally posted on October 3, 2018. It has been updated with new information and tips below.
Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, Tuck is a haven for collaboratively-minded professionals who seek to have an immersive MBA experience and truly bond with their professors and classmates.
Despite its idyllic setting, Tuck also leads the way when it comes to recruiting, consistently ranking at the top of elite MBA programs when it comes to the number of students employed at graduation and 3 months after graduation.
Considering its focus on collaboration, diversity, and employment opportunities, Tuck is a popular choice when it comes to top MBA programs, meaning it’s no easy task to win a spot in its small class.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Tuck admissions essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up our best tips and links to Tuck MBA sample essays to ensure you give your Dartmouth Tuck application your best shot.
1. Who is Dartmouth Tuck looking for?
(Photo courtesy of @tuckschool on Instagram)
“Bringing together a talented and dynamic student body is critical to our mission of educating tomorrow’s wise leaders. Tuck is enriched by the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and dreams of our students and strengthened by what they share: an exceptional record of accomplishment and a desire to use their talents to better the world of business.” Dartmouth Tuck Admissions
Every year, Tuck’s admissions team sorts through thousands of applications to find the perfect admits for its class of around 300 students. With a strong emphasis on diversity and collaboration, there is no “standard” student at Tuck, yet the average admitted student for the Class of 2024 had a 724 GMAT score 162V, 162Q GRE score.
Beyond the impressive statistics, though, Tuck is also a highly community-driven school and tends to look for a certain set of characteristics in prospective students. According to Tuck’s admissions committee, these are:
If this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll first have to prove you’ve got what it takes by successfully answering Tuck’s admissions essay questions.
2. How should I answer the Tuck essay questions?
Before starting your Tuck essays, we highly suggest you review Tuck’s description of what an “ideal” Tuckie looks like. Not only does this description directly relate to this year’s essay questions, understanding the values upon which the Tuck community is built are essential to showing fit in your essays.
2.1. Essay 1 Tips
Why are you pursuing an MBA and why now? How will the distinct Tuck MBA contribute to achieving your career goals and aspirations? (300 words)
Following the trend that has tended to dominate business school applications this year, Tuck kept its essays mostly the same for the 2022-2023 application cycle, including this goals-type essay.
However, with only 300 words, Tuck forces you to clearly state some of the most fundamental — and important! — information in your MBA application.
First, though the school does not specifically ask you to state your goals, we suggest you include your post-MBA aspirations and your long-term goals in order to provide context for how Tuck can help you later on. Statements like: “I want to be an executive” will not be specific enough for this task. You don’t need to mention specific companies you want to work for, unless you’re going sponsored, and then it’s good information to include.
Any good long-term goal is inherently linked to your short-term goal. The long-term goal doesn’t need to be quite as specific as the short-term in terms of timing, but you should state what you want to do in terms of industry and role. General statements like “be an influencer” or “make an impact” are not going to work here.
Finally, to help add more value to the essay, think about what motivates you to pursue this career path and briefly mention this in your essay.
For example, if you’re planning to launch an eco-startup, perhaps discuss just why sustainability is so important for you. Here, try to focus more on the impact your goals will create in business and in the world, rather than on factors like higher salaries or greater personal prestige, as these are unlikely to win the hearts and minds of your readers.
Finally, prove you really want to attend Tuck by devoting the majority of your question to showing how you plan to navigate the school and its many offerings during your 2 years in Hanover. I always encourage candidates to start answering these types of Why XYZ School questions by considering, “If you do X MBA at this school how will the person you become be different than if you attended Y MBA?”
In general, research into the program’s specifics is essential to support the answer to the previous question. In short, make sure you prove to your reader that you understand how Tuck is uniquely positioned to help you reach your goals and show your passion for their program.
Finally, since Tuck has such a distinctive culture, make sure you include some sort of statement on why this type of culture is important to you.
Need more guidance?
Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of Dartmouth Tuck MBA essays that worked to get our clients admitted to help you plan out a winning Tuck essay.
Our library also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, detailed essay brainstorms, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join!
2.2. Essay 2 Tips
Tell us who you are. How have your values and experiences shaped your identity and character? How will your background contribute to the diverse Tuck culture and community? (300 words)
Despite minor tweaks to the wording of this question, the objective remains the same: tell Tuck how you will contribute to their small class in a way no one else will.
Before thinking about what you can contribute to the Tuck community, you should first have a very clear understanding of just what the Tuck community is like.
As such, nailing this essay depends on two things: research and sincerity.
First – research. If you don’t know much about the Tuck community, it’s going to be hard to write a compelling essay about why you feel you belong there. So first start out by doing your homework. What does Tuck offer in terms of clubs and initiatives? Why do these motivate you and how do you hope to learn and grow by participating in them? Which parts of Tuck’s culture do you identify with, and how do you see yourself putting those into practice while in Hanover? Finally, how can you contribute to the Tuck community.
If you can, try to go beyond the Tuck website. Visit campus, talk with alumni and current students, and sit in on online info sessions to really get a good view into what it means to be a Tuckie.
We suggest you start by selecting a few different elements to focus on in your essay. Then, move on to the second critical element: sincerity. How you express yourself in this essay is as important as showing you did your research.
You may want to use a few past examples that demonstrate how you can add value on a given topic.
For example, let’s say you created your consulting firm’s first dedicated recruitment process for students from your university, a move that greatly increased diversity in the office. In your essay, you could discuss this achievement and state you’d actively like to contribute to Tuck’s Consulting Club and help those planning to switch into the consulting career be more successful in doing so.
Or perhaps you were recruited to help your company solve a financial challenge at a branch in Angola and were able to develop a solution, together with that country’s government, that not only solved your company’s financial issue but also provided a reliable food source for thousands of Angolans. Talking about how you plan to share the challenges of performing business on an international scale with your colleagues in your study group to help them become more high-potential global leaders would also make for great essay content.
You may also want to include an aspect of your identity or personal life that isn’t necessarily tied to an achievement. For example, perhaps you went through the experience of coming out and want to share this with other members of the LGBTQ+ community at Tuck.
This prompt is broad, so you’re free to choose elements from your personal and professional life. Just make sure you choose your most high-impact stories and meaningfully connect them with the Tuck MBA.
Finally, make sure you’ve got the tone right. Tuck wants to hear your story, so imagine you’re sitting across the table from a current student, a friend, or even a family member and are explaining to them why you’re so passionate about the school. This approach makes the letter feel more personal and genuine, helping you win over the Tuck admissions committee.
2.3. Essay 3 Tips
Describe a time you meaningfully contributed to someone else’s sense of inclusion in your professional or personal community. (300 words)
This year, Tuck changed this essay question. As the business school world increasingly focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion, Tuck joins the ranks of schools asking a specific essay question on this topic.
In this particular question, they ask you to focus on a specific instance in which you contributed to someone else’s sense of inclusion.
First, start brainstorming examples. You want to focus on examples where you meaningfully contributed to inclusion. For example, giving a colleague a pep talk about navigating your office’s difficult culture wouldn’t be a great choice here. On the other hand, mentoring a new hire to ensure they experienced a sense of inclusion at your workplace would work.
If you prefer to focus on a group of people to whom you contributed, that would also work for this question.
Good examples should also have a clear beginning, middle, and end so the reader can fully understand your actions and impact on others. As such, examples that are currently unresolved should genuinely be avoided.
Finally, for an essay of this size, a single example told exceptionally well, is likely to work best.
After you choose your example, we recommend you use the STAR methodology to tell your reader what happened in the clearest and most high-impact way possible. Remember: the Tuck admissions committee doesn’t want to read about what happened, they want to experience. Using the STAR methodology and good storytelling techniques are key to ensuring your example jumps off the page and makes you stand out.
2.4. Short Goals Essay Tips
In the Application Specifics section of the application form, all applicants will be asked to share their short-term and long-term goals in 50 words or less. Both your short- and long-term goals should be ambitious and realistic, though on the margin, we will expect your long-term goals to tilt towards the former and your short-term goals to tilt towards the latter.
Here, directly state your short-term and long-term goals in simple, clear terms. If you can fit it, we highly recommend that you also include the motivations for your goals and the impact they will generate.
If you’re struggling to define your goals for the MBA, check out this post!
2.5. Optional Essay Tips
Optional: Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere (e.g., atypical choice of evaluators, factors affecting academic performance, unexplained job gaps or changes). Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented by this application. (300 words)
This is not a place for you to retell your life story or sum up your interest in Tuck or need for an MBA. It is also not a place to copy and paste a strong essay you wrote for another school. Make sure you focus only on weak spots and also discuss what steps you have taken or took to rectify the weaknesses.
Find additional tips and tricks to help you master the optional essay here.
2.6. Reapplicant Essay Tips
To be completed by all reapplicants: How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Please reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally. (300 words)
Here, make sure you clearly demonstrate how you have improved since your previous application. Also include any relevant updates on your goals and interaction
We have written a separate post on the topic of reapplying to business school, including insider tips and tricks to help make sure your second shot at your dream school is successful!
Looking for Dartmouth Tuck MBA essay examples?
Check out our real sample essays that got our clients admitted here.
3. We make your story shine
One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA essays is that candidates fail to tell compelling stories. This is important because if your stories are not compelling, they will not be persuasive. At the same time, they must be backed by strong examples that establish a track record of success and prove to the admissions committees why you belong at their school.
Striking this balance between content and creativity can be tough, however, as succeeding means not only choosing the right stories but ensuring they are told in an optimal manner.
This is why our iterative developmental feedback process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting helps you mold your message through the application of our storytelling expertise until it reflects exactly what makes your profile stand out and show fit with your target program.
Not only can you take advantage of our editing expertise through multiple edits – you can also benefit from it after a single review! If your budget is tight, our editors will be happy to help polish your text as much as possible and leave “bonus comments” so you can keep working on it on your own!
No matter how long we work with you, we will always ensure your essays shine. Sign up to work with our team of storytelling experts and get accepted.
4. Tuck Deadlines
Here are the deadlines for the 2023-2024 season. You can access the online application here.
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
