What do you think of Tuck?

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What do you think of Tuck?

by LSB » Thu Sep 18, 2008 3:56 pm
Hi Lisa - I am really struggling to put a portfolio of schools together.

You have already reviewed my profile and agreed that the top schools (Wharton, Stanford etc) are possible given good essays etc.

Reality is, however, that Insead is by far my top choice. Beyond that I am not sure where else to apply to.

I am currently a mgmt consultant and the post-mba goal is to move into top tier mgmt / strategy consultant.

Insead is absolute number 1
LBS and Kellogg are at two (even though I'm starting to have mixed feelings about LBS .. Total MBA cost is atrocious)

Is Tuck a reasonable third? Is admissions as competitive as Wharton and Stanford (and LBS / Kellogg for that matter)? How does Tuck;s reputation fare compared to the rest of the ivey crowd?

I have to admit that even though I have spent a lot of time researching European schools (and the obvious US schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Kellogg, Wharton) I am not sure what to make of Tuck.

Greatly appreciate your help Lisa.

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by niraj_a » Thu Sep 18, 2008 6:22 pm
since you would like to remain in consulting, have you looked at harvard / MIT / chicago GSB?

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by LSB » Thu Sep 18, 2008 6:43 pm
I've looked at Harvard. Call me crazy ... but for some reason I was turned off and did not see the fit. Just a gut feel and nothing I could substantiate. It seems like everybody and their uncle want to go to Harvard. Other than the fact that the name is a household staple I don't really see why. Now, again this is just a personal gut feel and by no means do I intend to offend anybody who is applying to Harvard. Obviously, by many objective measures it is a great school.

Did not spend too much time on Chicago and MIT as I was under the impression that they were heavy in banking and less so into consulting. The recruiting target is McK and BCG ... my impression is that Kellogg and Wharton can deliver on these. Will spend some time on Chicago and MIT to see whether these can do the job.

Personally, I feel that many of these schools will be great investments. I am considering location as well. My criteria are mostly in this order:

1) Heavy Strat Consulting Focus
2) Preferably one year
3) Not uber competitive (read Stanford, Harvard)
4) Location (not a big fan of industrial US cities - Philly will not be fun if I get into Wharton)
5) Cost of Living (LBS will be the end of me :-) )

On all measures Insead is the only flawless school. Looking for one more. I screwed up an interview with IE last weekend. Hence I am looking in the US now as I'm running out of top Euro schools.

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by Lisa Anderson » Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:30 pm
Dear LSB,

Tuck is definitely a school to research. For consulting, you really can't go wrong with any of the top 20 US programs. However, these programs will all be quite competitive for entry and will be 22 months long. Columbia has a January entry program that you might want to research as it would be closer to an 18 month program. I think as you start to do some research on the US top 20, you will find many suitable options.

Good luck,
Lisa
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