Jennifer Chacon Salas

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College

“Proud Latina; optimistic, enthusiastic, and reliable; love challenges, and only fail if I give up.”

Hometown: La Suiza, Costa Rica

Fun Fact About Yourself: I learned English listening to Avril Lavigne.

Undergraduate School and Major: Universidad de Costa Rica, Public Accounting

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: SmileDirectClub, Risk and Advisory Services Manager

What has been your first impression of the Tuck MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far. Tell us your best Tuck story so far. Each person I have met is welcoming, intelligent, and multi-faceted. During my application, I heard repeatedly how tight-knit Tuck’s community is, and it has lived up to the expectation.

I participated in a pre-term program called “International Orientation,” which was one of the best decisions I have made. I connected deeply with incredible people from around the world. Everyone was willing to be vulnerable, respectful, and empathetic.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school, and why was it so important to you? I chose this program because I wanted an individualized MBA experience. Tuck has a small class size, which helps foster meaningful interactions with classmates, faculty, alumni, and staff.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Dartmouth Tuck? Tripod hockey! I am from a tropical country with only two seasons, rainy and rainier, so trying winter sports is thrilling.

What excites you the most about coming to live in Hanover? What is the one activity you can’t wait to do? I am really excited about the fall! The scenery around the school is beautiful, and I heard that it turns breathtaking in October.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I am proud of how I handled the challenges that arose during the pandemic. I work in risk and advisory. This meant that during the pandemic, the workload of my department grew exponentially, and the role itself became much more ambiguous.

I took this transition as an opportunity to pursue projects that focused on improving efficiency in crucial business areas while strengthening the control environment. These projects helped me gain a better understanding of the business and solidified my interest in pursuing an MBA.

What is one thing you have recently read, watched, or listened to that you would highly recommend to prospective MBAs? Why? Read Interview Hero by Angela Guido. This book is supposed to be an interview guide but is much more than that. I learned so much about myself doing the exercises that Angela proposes. I used this book to prepare for admissions interviews, and I am rereading it to get ready for recruiting. It helps you reflect and understand how to craft your story.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point, and what do you hope to do after graduation? My experience pre-MBA allowed me to gain expertise in a niche compliance/finance are. Even though I loved it, I felt that I needed to grow my skillset for the next step in my career.

I came to Tuck with a clear idea of what I want post-MBA, but I have decided to step out of my comfort zone and take time to explore the opportunities available.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Yale SOM, Cornell Johnson, and Wisconsin School of Business

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA program? The most important thing you can do is show up. Attend admissions events, talk to students and alumni, and spend time learning about the culture. I also recommend reading the admissions series that Amy Mitson—director of admissions, recruitment and marketing—and Pat Harrison—director of admissions, evaluation and yield—have on the Tuck360 blog. That was my application roadmap.

DON’T MISS: MEET DARTMOUTH TUCK’S MBA CLASS OF 2024