Meet the MBA Class of 2023: Ricardo Aaron Carrillo, Dartmouth College (Tuck)

Ricardo Aaron Carrillo

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College

“Hopeful dreamer.”

Hometown: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Fun Fact About Yourself: In the last eight years, I have lived in seven cities on three different continents.

Undergraduate School and Major: ITESM—Tecnológico de Monterrey, Architecture

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Woods Bagot Architects, Senior Designer

What word best describes the Tuck MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far and why? Encouraging. From my application process to being admitted, I have seen this value in all Tuck students and alumni. Every Tuckie I have met has been so invested in helping me achieve my goals. People like Michael Barbe (T’22), Kristin Ng (T’22), and Sanjana Tikkoo (T’22) exhibited selfless support to me even before I was part of this family. Compared to other top schools, Tuckies truly surprise you with an unparalleled level of encouragement. It is simply unique; I’ve never seen anything like this.

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? It would be the general management program, challenging core curriculum, student collaboration, and career outcomes. The general management program at Tuck allows you to gain skills to be successful in any industry you want. A combination of cases and traditional classes are used to gain the hard skills that complement case discussion. For me, being part of a school that took a structured core curriculum and had a collegial student body was crucial in my MBA school selection.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Dartmouth Tuck? It is really hard to mention only one, but I will mention where I will be more involved. I am really excited to engage with Tuck Pride, the Finance Club, the Rugby Club, and the Center for Business, Government & Society. I am interested in Tuck Pride as I would love to attract even more LGBTQ+ individuals to our community and push forward LGBTQ+ representation in the business world. I also chose the Finance Club because I am fascinated by the power finance has to change the lives of many people. I chose the Rugby Club because I love to play rugby, and the Center for Business, Government & Society as I want to be more effective in creating social change.

What excites you the most about coming to live in Hanover? What is the one activity you can’t wait to do? The aspects that excite me the most about living in Hanover involve being in contact with nature, to have spaces to reflect on the big issues I want to solve and engage with my classmates 24/7. Hanover is a safe, friendly, and utterly charming place. One activity that I can’t wait to do is to play rugby. I love the comradery, collaboration, and open communication rugby brings out of each player.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I consider my biggest accomplishment to be the mentorship I offered kids, teenagers, and younger staff in my previous industry. Mentoring low-income kids and LGBTQ+ teenagers, while helping them to take positive changes in their lives, has been the best thing I’ve ever done.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? COVID-19 taught me a lot of lessons. It taught me to keep dreaming and be industrious while making positive change for a better society. The COVID-19 pandemic caused me to re-evaluate my life, goals, and relationships with others. In my career, I realized that I wanted to be a more effective agent of change for minorities—women, LGBTQ+, and racial minorities—around the world.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? I am pursuing an MBA because of the impact it allows you to have in the world. I want to have a positive imprint on our planet. An MBA will help me develop the skills and credibility to bring more diversity to the workplace, to help others get better jobs, improve society, and work on nonprofit endeavors. After graduation, I hope to continue working in a company that allows me to advocate for more diversity and opportunities for minority groups while creating wealth for everybody.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Harvard, Wharton, Oxford, LBS, Stanford, and Yale.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA program? I love this question! First, I would like to say there is no formula. Tuck is transparent in how applications are evaluated and what the school is looking for. Tuck looks for smart, accomplished, aware, and encouraging individuals.

Second, take the GMAT or GRE and score at or above the school mean. However, if you have taken it a few times and are still below the mean score, do not let it deter you from applying. Schools recognize that you are more than a score. On this subject, I personally recommend test prep services like GregMat, who was a game changer in my preparation.

Third, get to know Tuck. Go to the school’s Diversity Conference (DivCo) and Women in Business Conference. Attend admissions events, meet ambassadors, engage with clubs, and talk to alumni. I view Tuck as a family, not just classmates or a “network.” I really mean family, where you develop trust with classmates and alumni, and people will have your back. For this reason, I encourage you to get to know the family and demonstrate how you can contribute to the community here.

Fourth, do a lot of self-reflection on your essays, show your true self, be vulnerable, and leave your ego at the door.

DON’T MISS: MEET DARTMOUTH TUCK’S MBA CLASS OF 2023

 

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