Meet Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA Class Of 2020

Cordaye Ogletree

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College

Classically trained policy wonk with an affinity for the environment and American Akitas.”

Hometown: Detroit, MI

Fun Fact About Yourself: I once hitchhiked from Monrovia, Liberia to Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Michigan, Anthropology and Political Science; Carnegie Mellon University, MPP.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Policy Analyst, RAND Corporation

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: While I was a junior researcher at the Council of Economic Advisers, I created a chart illustrating the closing gap between foreign oil imports and domestic oil production. After presenting it to the CEA chair, an EOP wide team was formed to forecast the month when oil production would exceed imports, a major U.S. geopolitical milestone. When the actual crossing occurred, the Obama Administration organized a full press briefing to inform and congratulate the American people.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Fun! We’ve bonded well so far and I look forward to enjoying Camp Dartmouth with them.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The small class size. Coming from a big public institution for undergrad (and having experienced a smaller sized program in grad school), I developed a preference for academic settings. I am a more engaged student when I’m not distracted. Tuck’s bucolic setting will help me stay focused on the mission at hand: excelling in the classroom, leveraging recruiting opportunities, and getting to know the select group of people who are my classmates.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? The Tuck Sailing Club. My sight is set on the Bocconi MBA Regatta 2019.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? My entire career up to 2018 has been in public service. I’m ready to do something more for myself, and I want to make a splash when I hit the private sector labor market.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? A quick review of lifetime earnings of MBA graduates informed my cost-benefit analysis.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Harvard, MIT, and Chicago

How did you determine your fit at various schools? Fit is important. I dare say, each school attracts and offers admissions to distinct groups of people. To get a sense of that, I looked at schools’ employment reports, student profiles, and videos. The differences across schools helped me to think through what parts of my personality would be accentuated and how I might evolve while attending the various schools. I paid attention to years of prior work experience, educational background, and post-MBA job functions/industries. I also noted if a school was primarily case method or not; the extent to which students traveled; and noted who their famous alum were. All of that helped me gain a sense of the shared experiences of their students and the size and scope of the alumni network I’d be joining. Throughout my research, I remained open-minded. It’s hard to know if something fits unless you try it on.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? Too many to count. Most recently, I started training Capoeira Angola. When I started playing the berimbau with proficiency, I truly accepted that hard work really does pay off.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? At the moment, it would be investment banking. But I do plan to explore career opportunities in the multiple sectors including tech and sustainable energy.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Living on the East Coast, free of student loan debt.

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