Advice for Reapplicants from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business

If you’ve applied to Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business in the past but were not successful in obtaining admission, a recent blog posting by Patricia Harrison, an associate director of admissions at Tuck, has terrific advice and words of consolation that can guide you no matter where you are reapplying.

While some schools, such as INSEAD, are not especially keen on reapplicants, Harrison says Tuck welcomes b-school hopefuls who try to gain admission again”¦with the caveat that they have got to show they’ve made a sincere effort to improve upon their previous application and strengthened their candidacy.

Improved how? Perhaps by brushing up on your quantitative skills by taking additional classes in financial accounting, statistics and microeconomics; a stronger GMAT score; more leadership experience; and clearly stated career goals that explain how Tuck fits into your grand plan. The goal, says Harrison, is to show how much you’ve accomplished since your application last crossed the admissions desk.

“In terms of work experience, again there is no magic number as to how many years you must have, but if you are only a year or two out of school, you might want to think about waiting a little longer to reapply until you get some more experience under your belt,” she advises. Whether your employment history is brief or lengthy, it is crucial to show the quality of the experience.

Unclear goals and/or reasons for wanting to come to Tuck is something we see from a lot of applicants, says Harrison. That’s why how you explain your short and long-term goals is so important–and short-term means want you want to do post-MBA, not simply getting into b-school, she clarifies, adding that, “While we don’t need to see your life plan down to the most specific detail, having a good sense of where you are heading is important.”

Like all programs, it’s important to connect the dots as to how an MBA is going to help you further your career goals, and why, in this case, Tuck is the place to do so. “Talk about unique programs we offer that are related to your area of interest or how the community will support your plans,” Harrison advises.

For more tips from the admissions committee at Tuck School of Business, including procedural information for those reapplying, follow this link. I’ve also recently written about reapplying to business school on my US News–Strictly Business blog; you can read the article here.

 

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