Mr. Recreational Pilot

A certified Poet who works as an I-banker. But you’ve had a highly memorable experience in Southeast Asia, fly a plane (which could come in handy for you and your future Hanover, NH, classmates), are a Karate black belt and dabble in college admissions. Wow. Plus, the numbers work for Tuck. I wonder what course made you lose that perfect 4.0, not that it matters. And while Tuck does have a good number of finance types in its pool, you are a white, male American with a highly achievable goal to work in strategy consulting. All that does add up to an admit in my book, especially given the school’s unnaturally high acceptance rate of 34.5% right now (that will not last long). You need to differentiate yourself in part with your Asian assignment and what you learned from it (clearly there are takeaways there). The other thing I would recommend is this: There aren’t a whole lot of pilots who apply to business school. That alone takes you out of the pile. I’d love to hear the story on what flying means to you and how it has shaped you as a person. That would truly be differentiating, too. Is Tuck really the only school you are applying to? If so, that is never a good admissions strategy. But on the other hand, if Tuck is really where you want to go (and I completely get that being a frequent visitor to the campus and having met hundreds of Tuckies over the years), you need to make that very clear to the school. It would definitely matter to you. I am going to assume that is the case in assessing your odds.

Hi there! It’s Stephanie Horn, Master Consultant with the MBA Exchange and recent Poets and Quants “Top 10 Admissions Consultants”. You have excellent grades and test scores, and a solid work history. I went to Bucknell for my undergrad, and there were so many of us at Kellogg that we had our own alumni club, so I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how well Lehigh is received. In terms of differentiating yourself, while it’s great that you are a pilot and that you do karate, these are not really activities that lend themselves to showing your leadership or teambuilding skills. Can you build on these activities in a way that will benefit your community while demonstrating your ability to lead a project, such as organizing a fundraising event or teaching others? I think your project in Southeast Asia provides good fodder for illuminating the kind of person you are and how you changed and grew during your time there. I think Tuck is a good target for you, and also recommend Ross, Booth, Kellogg, and UCLA as top schools for future consultants.

Hi, Mr. Recreational Pilot. Julie-Anne Heafey here with mbaMission. I am a big Tuck fan (and went to Darmouth undergrad) and have worked with many successful applicants there, so I had to respond. There’s a lot to like in your profile– your academic stats are solid with an awesome GPA and a right-on-par GRE (assuming that the splits are both good within that total), you’ve got work experience at a top firm with a promotion, and you’ve got some cool “extras” that can help set you apart from the pack.

As the moderator suggests, a big goal for you will be differentiation with those extras. Tuck gets a TON of male applicants, many of them from banker/consultant types, so you’ll need to figure out your best angles. The private pilot thing is interesting, and makes me wonder how you got into that and what that involves. On its own, though, it may not mean much to them without some context – you don’t want it to sound only like an expensive hobby – so see if there’s something deeper to discuss. I’d advise the same for the martial arts…what does it mean to you, what can they learn about you? Your essays and interview (be sure to take advantage of Tuck’s open-door interview policy) will need to show that you’ve put some thought into your motivations and what sets you apart. Also, I really like the international experience (and you can link it to Tuck’s global perspective), but the word “inundated” makes it sound like you underwent something tough…not sure if that’s what you meant to suggest, but if so, be sensitive to the perspectives of others in your story and show learnings/growth.

In terms of things to manage…for one thing, I’m wondering about your role and title…usually bankers who apply with as many years as you have are more in an associate role than senior analyst. That may be a quirk of your firm, but your recommenders should hopefully explain. I also wondered about what you mean by “leveraging human capital” — are you talking about delegating or something else? It sounds a little impersonal for a school that values “nice,” so you might want to explain what you mean in a more approachable way. Finally, MBA programs are great for a pivot and Tuck has a fantastic pipeline to consulting but they’re going to want to understand why you want to do this and why now – you’ve spent a lot of time in banking…more than the usual pre-MBA length of time…what changed?

If you do all the above, and submit a solid app, I think you have better than typical odds, but I’m a little more cautious than the current P&Q community because of the sheer numbers of male finance types who apply. I’m rooting for you, though. Best of luck!

Hi, Mr. Recreational Pilot. Julie-Anne Heafey here with mbaMission. I am a big Tuck fan (and went to Darmouth undergrad) and have worked with many successful applicants there, so I had to respond. There’s a lot to like in your profile– your academic stats are solid with an awesome GPA and a right-on-par GRE (assuming that the splits are both good within that total), you’ve got work experience at a top firm with a promotion, and you’ve got some cool “extras” that can help set you apart from the pack.

As the moderator suggests, a big goal for you will be differentiation with those extras. Tuck gets a TON of male applicants, many of them from banker/consultant types, so you’ll need to figure out your best angles. The private pilot thing is interesting, and makes me wonder how you got into that and what that involves. On its own, though, it may not mean much to them without some context – you don’t want it to sound only like an expensive hobby – so see if there’s something deeper to discuss. I’d advise the same for the martial arts…what does it mean to you, what can they learn about you? Your essays and interview (be sure to take advantage of Tuck’s open-door interview policy) will need to show that you’ve put some thought into your motivations and what sets you apart. Also, I really like the international experience (and you can link it to Tuck’s global perspective), but the word “inundated” makes it sound like you underwent something tough…not sure if that’s what you meant to suggest, but if so, be sensitive to the perspectives of others in your story and show learnings/growth.

In terms of things to manage…for one thing, I’m wondering about your role and title…usually bankers who apply with as many years as you have are more in an associate role than senior analyst. That may be a quirk of your firm, but your recommenders should hopefully explain. I also wondered about what you mean by “leveraging human capital” — are you talking about delegating or something else? It sounds a little impersonal for a school that values “nice,” so you might want to explain what you mean in a more approachable way. Finally, MBA programs are great for a pivot and Tuck has a fantastic pipeline to consulting but they’re going to want to understand why you want to do this and why now – you’ve spent a lot of time in banking…more than the usual pre-MBA length of time…what changed?

If you do all the above, and submit a solid app, I think you have better than typical odds, but I’m a little more cautious than the current P&Q community because of the sheer numbers of male finance types who apply. I’m rooting for you, though. Best of luck!

Hi, Melisa here from Stratus Admissions. You background definitely sets you up nicely for an application to Tuck. From a differentiation standpoint, I would love to hear more about your international experience – especially since that is a part of your long term goal. Was it something about this international experience that has driven that long term goal? Or was it something else. Dig deeper into why you want to do strategy consulting and international strategy. What type of firm would you like to work at long term? While it is a very doable path for you, these details help you become a story to remember, rather than another finance guy applying to b school who wants to pivot to consulting. What do you want to get involved in at Tuck? Make sure you really spend the time to get to know and be known – how can you make an impact during your time at Tuck? I would add Haas to your list of schools if you are applying to more than Tuck. It’s similar sized program and strong international reach is a nice compliment to Tuck. Good luck!