We posed questions to admissions officials at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College regarding the application process, what they look for in applicants, and what sets their school apart. These are their responses:
1. What can applicants do to set themselves apart from their peers? Successful applicants "shine" for a multitude of reasons. Some people stand out because of their extensive international experiences, for example. Others may stand out in terms of an exceptional leadership story while others have done a great job of progressing within their industry or company. Applicants should look at our admissions criteria and think of specific examples of accomplishments, skills or experiences that illustrate a facet of their background that they're particularly proud of. 2. What do you look for in the application essays? What do the essays tell you about a candidate? While our essays may change from year to year, the essays are really the "heart" of the application in terms of our ability to get to know more about the applicant's life and work experiences. Typically they tell us why a prospective student is interested in Tuck, what his/her career aspirations are and they highlight whatever experiences the applicant sees as a differentiator for them. They can be extremely inspirational to read. 3. How important is the applicant's GMAT score? How do you weigh it against undergraduate GPA and work experience? Which of these carry the most weight? The least? The average GMAT score for last year's entering class was a 712 and the average GPA was 3.5. However, applicants should look at the website to see the range of admitted scores and grades. Our admissions evaluation process is not formulaic. However, factors such as the GMAT can tell us things like how quantitatively prepared a candidate might be for their M.B.A. program. The GMAT may be more important in cases in which the applicant had very little quantitative courses at the undergraduate level. The GMAT may be less important in situations in which the applicant had a great deal of exposure to quantitative work. |