Meet Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA Class of 2017

Lane McVey

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College

Hometown: Bronxville, NY

Undergraduate School and Major: Colby College, Government and Classical Civilization

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Sales Service Executive, MLB Advanced Media

Sales Planner, MLB Network

Research Analyst, MLB Network

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? Splurging for the better prep course (Manhattan GMAT) paid off in my case, but having the diligence to complete and master the prep work was crucial. The GMAT is a game of eliminating your weaknesses one-by-one. If you can do that, your score will go up.

Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? Know yourself well enough to understand where you will thrive. Start by listing three qualities you need in a school and remember those traits as you narrow down the list. Do you like a small or larger class size? Do you thrive in a bustling city or in a rural environment? Do you want a general management degree with a core curriculum or do you want to customize your course load from day 1? I chose Tuck for many reasons, but knowing that I am my best self in a small, intimate environment allowed me to draft a reasonably short list. Once you have a decent list, be confident and go for the gold.  Don’t allow yourself to use the “I can’t get in there” excuse. Amazing things happen in the admissions world, so don’t rule yourself out early.

What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? Have focus.  Hone in on one or two schools that you really want to attend. If you are passionate about a place, the essay writing should come easily. In the essays, don’t forget to let your personality speak. Just because it’s business school doesn’t mean you have to be all business. In my Tuck essay, I wrote about how excited I was to go running along the Connecticut River after a long day of recruiting, something I missed while living in NYC. If you have passions and hobbies outside of your career, let them be known. It will make you a more interesting candidate.

Also, take advantage of the events offered by the schools. Tuck’s Women in Business weekend gave me small group access to the Tuck Admissions team, so I was able to show another dimension of myself that the application did not include.

Finally, apply in the early rounds of your top schools if possible. It will show the school that you are organized, proactive, and focused.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Tuck has been really accepting of my “non-traditional” career path in sports. It is tough to be non-traditional when many of your classmates are recruiting for banking and consulting, but every single person I have talked to at Tuck (the CDO, faculty, alumni and students) has reminded me how important it is to follow your dreams even if it means not following the pack. I love that Tuck is a place where I can do that and still succeed.

Beyond career reasons, I chose Tuck because of its small class size, rural setting, and inclusive community. I love that we can go hiking and biking on the weekends and walk into the quaint town of Hanover for a coffee with friends. Being here gives us a sense of relaxation and calm and provides a really important mental balance in an otherwise stressful time.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? Tuck provides a really safe place to fail.  One of my personal goals before I graduate from Tuck is to be ok with failure (except in Tripod Hockey, I won’t settle for 2nd place there).  I’m really competitive, so I don’t like to do things that I won’t excel at.  At Tuck, I don’t want my fear of failure to stop me from trying something new.