Accepted Admissions Blog

The environment at Dartmouth Tuck is unique, and the school’s admissions committee has developed what it calls “a personal, connected, and transformative application experience that mirrors the distinct MBA experience you can expect to have at Tuck.” Yes, academics, test scores, and work experience count, but you really have to understand what Tuck offers and what the Tuck community is like to present a solid application. The school seeks to admit candidates who meet four basic criteria: smart, accomplished, aware, and encouraging. This can cover many facets, so let’s examine things more in depth.

Ready to work on your Dartmouth Tuck application? Read on.

• Dartmouth Tuck application essay tips
• Dartmouth Tuck application deadlines
• Dartmouth Tuck class profile

Dartmouth Tuck application essay tips

Essay #1

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)

First, why do you think you need an MBA? What is it that you cannot do without an MBA? You should be able to answer this question easily. If not, you shouldn’t be applying yet.

Reflect on your current skills and then look at job descriptions for the post-MBA position you are targeting. Note what new skills you need to acquire. Do you have a longer-term goal that motivates your short-term one? Briefly discuss that, too. You really need to know something about the industry or functional area you wish to enter to be able to answer this question succinctly and clearly. This gives the admissions committee the assurance that you have done adequate research on your intended career path.

Next, what distinctive aspects of the Tuck MBA experience will help you realize your post-MBA goals? What do you see at Tuck that you do not see at other schools? Look at the resource centers, the faculty research, the student clubs, and the conferences held at Tuck. You will need to associate those elements of the program with your aspirations in this essay.

Essay #2

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)

This is a very direct and personal question. Think about what makes you you. What are the values you have developed, and how have you exhibited those values in your work or community? Give one or two specific examples that aren’t reflected in other parts of your application or in your other essays. Your answer in this essay will give them a good idea of your fit for their program. Tuck has a very tight-knit, collaborative, and intensely loyal community, so based on your hobbies and interests, how will you be involved in the community, and what would you share with your classmates that might be special? 

Essay #3

Describe a time you meaningfully contributed to someone else’s sense of inclusion in your professional or personal community. (300 words)

This question asks you to discuss one experience that shows how you contributed to making someone feel valued, respected, and heard. Your example could come from a work or a social context. Keep it specific and concrete, or you will blend in with others who write in generalities. Your empathetic, helpful response to the other party’s situation is key.

A CAR (challenge, actions, result) approach will work well here:

• What was the challenge you and the other person faced?
• What specific action(s) did you take to make that person feel welcomed?
• What was the result of this experience for you and others? What did you learn about yourself and the other person?

Essay #4 (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)

If you have any of the elements mentioned in Tuck’s question, by all means, address them here. You do not want the admissions committee guessing or assuming wrongly when they come across something anomalous.

If you feel your application represents your candidacy well, don’t feel compelled to submit an optional essay. If you believe, however, that your application is missing key elements of your story, then briefly include them here. Whether it’s a challenge that you’ve faced or a hardship overcome or other context for what you’ve achieved that will help the admissions committee appreciate your candidacy, share it in this essay.

However, you don’t want to waste the adcom’s time with unnecessary text or material that’s already covered elsewhere in your application. Doing so would reveal a definite lack of judgment – or in Tuck terms, awareness.

Reapplicant Essay

How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Please reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally. (300 words)

This is the question for reapplicants. Why should the school admit you this time around? How are you better than you were the previous time you applied? Have you reassessed your goals so that they are more feasible? Have you retaken the GMAT/GRE? Did you receive a promotion or award for work you’ve done, or did you change jobs?

For expert guidance on how to optimize your Dartmouth Tuck MBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages, which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA program and look forward to helping you, too!

Dartmouth Tuck application deadlines

Applications are due by 5:00 pm ET

Source: Dartmouth Tuck website

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with Dartmouth Tuck directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

Dartmouth Tuck class profile

Here is a look at the Dartmouth Tuck Class of 2025 (data taken from the Dartmouth Tuck website):

Students: 297

U.S. minorities: 32%

International: 33%

Women: 44%

Students with partners: 31%

Students with children: 5%

LGBTQ+: 10%

First-generation college graduate: 19%

U.S. race/ethnicity (federal guidelines reporting)

• American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander: 0%
• Asian: 16%
• Black or African American 5%
• Hispanic or Latinx: 6%
• White: 65%
• Multi-race/ethnic: 6%
• Did not report: 3%

International: 33%

Countries represented:

• By citizenship: 40
• By birth: 22
• By professional experience: 35

Citizenship (counts dual citizens in both countries)

• U.S.A. and Canada: 68%
• Asia: 21%
• Europe: 7%
• Latin America: 8%
• Middle East and Africa: 4%
• Oceania: <1%

Academic

• Unique undergraduate majors: 73
  • Arts, humanities, social sciences: 40%
  • Business: 28%
  • Science, technology, engineering, math: 25%
• Unique undergraduate institutions
  • Domestic: 112
  • International: 69
• Previous advanced degrees: 13%

GMAT average: 726 

GMAT range: 630-800

GMAT Verbal average: 42

GMAT Verbal range: 31-51

GMAT Quant average: 48

GMAT Quant range: 39-51

GMAT IR average: 7

GRE Verbal average: 161 

GRE Verbal range: 152-170

GRE Quant average: 161

GRE Quant range: 149-170

Percentage of applicants submitting GRE: 42%

GPA average (from U.S. schools, based on 4.0 scale): 3.49

GPA range: 2.7-4.0 

Industry experience:

• Financial services: 22%
• Consulting: 17%
• Nonprofit, government: 16%
• Technology: 15%
• Other: 8%
• Consumer goods, retail: 7%
• Health care, pharma, biotech: 6%
• Energy: 3%
• Manufacturing: 3%
• Media, entertainment: 2%

Average months of work experience: 69

Dr. Christie St-John has more than 25 years of higher ed and admissions experience, including ten years in admissions at Dartmouth Tuck. She was formerly the director of MBA recruiting and admissions, director of international relations, and an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt University. Having also served on the board of directors of the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance and the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, Christie has a deep knowledge of MBA and other graduate admissions. Want Christie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• What Is the Difference Between Round 1 and Round 2?
• Four Ways to Show How You’ll Contribute in the Future
• Admissions Straight Talk Podcast for MBA Applicants