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Here is some helpful advice on applying Round 3 (the April round) from the Dartmouth Tuck Q&A:
Linda Abraham: Jonathan asks, “What advice would you provide to an April applicant?” Is there anything different that an April round applicant should be doing?
Amy Mitson: My response to that would be that whenever you are applying, you should always explain your candidacy. But a question is always raised in my mind when I read essays or see information from an April round applicant who says that Tuck is their top choice and they definitely want to go here. You are putting your all into it, but then I wonder why you waited till the last round. So just with that, don’t leave any question unanswered. If Tuck is your favorite place, why did you wait till the last round? There is probably a reason; maybe there was a job change, maybe you were out of the country and now you are back in the US so you had time to interview on campus, whereas in an earlier round you didn’t because your work took you out of the country. Is there a reason why? Don’t forget to add that in so that we can see the entire context. Answer all of the “why” questions.
Linda Abraham: So if somebody applies in your April round, something goes through your mind wondering why the applicant didn’t apply earlier. In some ways it calls into question commitment; it’s not just that they decided to apply a little later.
Amy Mitson: If an applicant is very enthusiastic about the fact that this is their top choice and they have been thinking about it for so long…
Linda Abraham: If they said they wanted to do this since they were in kindergarten, I would certainly agree with you.
Amy Mitson: The later rounds are fine, but give me the follow-up; provide the detail as to why. I would have loved to see your strong application in the earlier round and offer you admission then, and then you wouldn’t have had to wait any longer.
Dawna Clarke: To build on Amy’s point, I think we are pretty transparent. We do have an April round, but I think we are also very transparent in saying that it is a very competitive round, and our advice to applicants is to try to apply in one of the earlier rounds. There are circumstances sometimes why somebody would apply in the last round; a change in a job situation may necessitate it — you didn’t think you could go this year, but now something has changed and you could go this year. And I think Amy’s point is that to some extent it’s better to let us know those reasons rather than leave some of those questions blank. Certainly come up for an interview; show your interest in other ways.
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