Mr. Tuck Hopeful

With your 336 GRE (that is a dozen points higher than the class average of 324 at Tuck), your 3.9 GPA, and your work experience at a Fortune 500 tech company, you are in a very strong position for Tuck. But what I don’t see in your write-up is anything that would make me think you are an ideal ‘fit’ for the school. You are also a bit older at 30 and would probably matriculate as a 31-year-old. That’s no big deal but it is outside the 27-28 window. You need to take advantage of Tuck’s open interview process, convince them you want to go there and make sure there is a fit with the school’s culture and location. If you can do that, I would be surprised if this is not an admit.

Hi, Mr. Tuck Hopeful, Julie-Anne Heafey here with mbaMission. Your stats are stellar, and I like your leadership training from the military and your empathetic-sounding extracurriculars. I’m a little fuzzy on your work experience before this latest role — were you on active duty prior to the reserve, in a more junior role in financial analysis or doing something else in the financial world (the fact that you’ve got both a CPA and CFA Level I tends to make me think this was not your only financial gig) ? Agree with the other experts that you need to explain why Tuck is such a great fit for you… and since it’s always risky to put all your eggs in one basket, expand your list to include some other names. Good luck!

Hi Mr. Tuck Hopeful, Melisa here from Stratus Admissions. Congrats on your strong stats that will serve you well at Tuck. I’d love to learn more about why Tuck is your ideal choice. In the limited information here, it is tough to tell what you have done outside of your Sr.Financial Analyst role – have you seen promotions? Tuck is very much about their collaborative and close knit environment. When you take advantage of the interview, make sure that you have spent the time to get to know that culture and can show that you can contribute and prosper within it. Sounds like sergeant school will give you some nice leadership opportunities, thank you for your service. Leadership stories should be an important part of your profile. Maybe this is something that your recommenders could highlight as well. I would encourage you to think more deeply about your long term goals as well. For your application, you will want to choose between management consulting and high finance – and explain what drives this goal. Where do you see yourself long term and how will your post-MBA position help you to achieve your long term goal? In the large pool of finance professionals applying to business school – you are going to need to tell your unique and authentic story – to help you stand out in the crowd. If you can show your collaborative fit to the Tuck culture – I think you have good chances. I’d also suggest adding some additional schools to your list – potentially Columbia, Yale, Stern. Best of luck!