Dartmouth Tuck MBA Winning Sample Essays

Tuck MBA Application Essays for 2019-20

Essay 1: Tuck students can articulate how the distinctive Tuck MBA will advance their aspirations. Why are you pursuing an MBA and why Tuck? (300 words)

Essay 2: Tuck students recognize how their individuality adds to the fabric of Tuck. Tell us who you are. (300 words)

Essay 3: Tuck students invest generously in one another’s success even when it is not convenient or easy. Share an example of how you helped someone else succeed. (300 words)

DarthMouth Tuck, MBA Winning Sample Essays – 1

Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short and long term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA program for you?

My long term career goal is to become Senior Vice President and Head of Global Information Security Group in a major Information Security corporation such as $25 billion Cisco, $5 billion Check Point or $5 billion Netscreen. I plan to achieve that position after acquiring the necessary tools and experience required to manage a large-scale global business by completing my MBA, starting as Product Manager and working my way up.

I find the information security industry exciting; it is ever-growing, ever-changing and provides a huge technological challenge in adapting to new technologies and attacks. Data security was a crucial element to business managers worldwide deciding to connect their intra-nets to the Internet. This made the transformation to a global-commercial network possible. I am proud to take part in maintaining the Internet’s revolutionary role by making individuals who use it feel secure. I hope to harness my motivation, technological ingenuity and managerial skills in developing the industry.

My fascination with business, direct interaction with clients, strategic overview, and the view of a company as provider of products that meet customer needs has motivated me to move from technical roles to business positions. Both my current position as Group Manager in the military and my desired post-MBA position as Product Manager require team management. While today I use intuition and experience to guide my activity, I plan to strengthen my skills by learning formal methodologies at Tuck and benefiting from personal experiences of classmates and faculty. I feel that such knowledge will help me do my job effectively and achieve my long term objectives.

In future positions I will be faced daily with situations which require interpersonal skills: interviewing a job applicant, rewarding an employee, providing constructive criticism, etc. While there is sometimes a suggested textbook solution to these situations, great skill is required to adapt the general solution to the particular case. I look forward to improving my “soft skills” by taking classes like “Leading Organization” or “Organizational Culture and Culture Change”. Here, I can refine my skills with “hands on” experience in a forgiving environment.

Product management and my subsequent positions also require close interaction with departments such as finance, marketing, sales and R&D. I will need to understand the activities of these departments, best practices for interacting with them and how to take them into account in decision-making. Tuck’s Global General Management approach towards teaching business, providing the “CEO perspective”, will allow me to obtain knowledge on this.

I learned that an important part of being a manager is developing vision, knowing not only what your business unit is doing next month but also what you think it should do three years from now. The job requires developing a road-map and setting milestones that will lead to long-term objective while keeping short-term goals in mind. Knowledge gained through courses like “Global Strategy and Implementation” and “Top Management Teams” will allow me to take these considerations into account, balancing it with reality.

I feel that Tuck is the place to receive my MBA education. The close community, the unique geographical location and the strong emphasis the MBA program has on team players and teamwork creates a special atmosphere. I feel most comfortable learning and exchanging ideas in this type of environment. Its informality allows me to easily open up and express my opinion or risk making a mistake. This special trait reflects also in the Tuck alumni community. Talking to Tuck students and Alumni, I was impressed with their willingness to go to great length to assist each other.

Aiming to get back to the Information Security industry I am thrilled with Tuck’s opportunities to expand my education in a technologically-oriented environment through programs like the Tuck Global Consultancy or the Glassmeyer/McNamee Center for Digital Strategies. I plan to take advantage of the fact that Tuck is part of Dartmouth University. The opportunity to enrich my education through classes in Physics, Psychology or History is something I look forward to as I feel this would allow me to develop a multi-disciplinary creative approach that will provide be with a better framework to achieve my goals.

Tell us about your most meaningful leadership experience and what role you played. What did you learn about your own individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience? (500 words)

As Project Finance Manager, I serve as the liaison between two major organizations within Samsung: The Operations department, concerned with day-to-day business, and the Global Finance group, responsible for financial control. Due to this dynamic, I must make unpopular decisions by juggling the needs of both organizations.

In one particular instance, I worked with an Operations program director who was off his revenue target for the year. Concerned with his job security, he found an additional source of revenue that allowed him to reach his goal. I had to approve it. As a gatekeeper for his portfolio’s financials, I realized he lacked evidence of work completed within financial guidelines. Without it, the project would fail an external audit, so I could not recognize the millions in additional sales. Because my job entails making judgment calls in financial matters, I explained to the program director that he would not meet his goal. He became irate, and my own manager suggested that I ignore the lack of documentation and blame the director later.

Instead, I reached out to a high-level controller in the global finance organization, whose input bought me additional time. I also connected with the program manager, eventually finding the documentation needed. I guided him through his technical information and in the end we recognized the sale. I felt that I had damaged my relationship with the director, however, by initially refusing to comply. We continued to work together throughout the year, and I was careful to explain my reasoning of any future decision. Much to my surprise, eight months later the program director nominated me for an executive award because he respected my work and valued future collaboration.

One of my strengths here was doing the right thing. I’ve always felt that how one conducts themselves in a professional setting is a reflection of their personal values. Even though it made my life more difficult, I held firm because I caught an important detail. I understand that I am still young and impressionable and feared that compromise, might lead to expectations of several more, slowly tarnishing the values once instilled at church. It didn’t feel right. I must improve on several weaknesses. Firstly, I must be direct. If I had been more forthright with the director, I would have saved two weeks looking for information. Today, I ask more probing questions to uncover any pertinent details. Secondly, I must set responsibilities in the beginning. Not doing so caused confusion when it was unclear who was supposed to have the documentation. I have learned now to be firm in a tactful way, but to also have clear guidelines on the expectations and responsibilities of my role. I proactively approach the beginning of projects by anticipating future issues and clarifying the actions of which each individual should take ownership. Because I oversee 120+ projects, spending too much time on matters outside of my scope takes away from the other projects I manage.

Darthmouth Tuck MBA Winning Sample Essays – 2

Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did you address it? What have you learned from it?

After two years as manager of the tablet production department at my pharmaceutical company, I saw myself as a good candidate for promotion. I had initiated many well-appreciated projects inside my department and helped it improve. I scheduled a conversation with the plant manager, Dr.XYZ, the HR manager and the plant production manager, my current boss to discuss my future at my company.

I started with my most important achievements: my department’s record of producing 9 billion tablets in one year; the attrition rate that decreased by more than 70%; the challenges I dealt with while the department grow 50% in less than a year; the new recruitment procedure I initiated; the OEE efficiency and Setup Time Reduction projects I am managing. I was hoping to be given an indication for a raise.

The plant manager listened to what I had to say. Her answers though, were not what I expected.

Dr.XYZ told me that despite my achievements, I had much to learn before being promoted to a senior management position. She told me pharmaceutical industry knowledge she demands from her managers. She also mentioned my need to take on more cross-organizational projects in order to have a broader vision of my company. She praised my achievements, but criticized my lack of pharmaceutical knowledge. Finally she mentioned that I lacked exposure to a variety of management styles. Since I had only one manager during my 2 years as a department manager, I needed more exposure to other managerial styles.

At first these criticisms frustrated me. I didn’t expect to be promoted immediately, but was seeking confirmation of an upcoming promotion. A few minutes after the discussion I consulted my manager. He told me not be disappointed because the management believes I am made from the right stuff to become senior manager. He backed up Dr.XYZ’s criticisms, and said that I had to prove management I was ready to be promoted.

The next day I started acting on these points. I scheduled weekly conversations with the plant QA manager to learn more about the pharmaceutical world. A week later I asked to lead a cross-organizational quality project. I was also selected to manage a six member team, all of them colleagues, in a second cross-organizational operational project.

During my conversations with my boss, he advised me to complete an MBA, further confirming my decision to do so. He felt an MBA would help complete my knowledge and skills and prepare me to become a marketing manager.

My manager’s criticism taught me a lot about what is expected from me. I realized that success in a certain field was not sufficient for me to become a high-level manager. I realized that now, I would have to take the next step and show that I can manage in different environments, and lead cross-organizational projects in new fields. I also confirmed that this critical point in my career was the perfect one with which to supplement the knowledge and skills of an MBA together with my experience as a department manager and the knowledge I acquired in the pharmaceutical field, to help me achieve my goals.

Tuck MBA Application Essay Tips

The Tuck MBA essays are out, and we have the latest tips for you! The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth has a small student body and a rural location, combined with world-class faculty and academic focus. The admissions committee has spent considerable time developing a clear set of criteria for admissions. Through their Tuck MBA essays, successful applicants will show they are: smart, nice, accomplished and aware.The essays map directly to aware and nice, explained Luke Anthony Peña, executive director of admissions and financial aid at the Tuck School, in an announcement last year about the changes.The admissions committee expects that the other two criteria smart and accomplished will be covered elsewhere in the application. This year, he said: “We have been pleased with the quality and caliber of aspiring wise leaders for whom all four of the criteria have resonated.” To learn more about the Tuck MBA application, visit the Tuck MBA admissions website.

Essay 1: Tuck students can articulate how the distinctive Tuck MBA will advance their aspirations. Why are you pursuing an MBA and why Tuck? (300 words)

Being aware is one of the four criteria for successful Tuck MBA essays. To show awareness in this essay, spend some time considering your goals. Also, think about why you think an MBA is the right choice. Finally, consider why Tuck is the right place for you. Once you have decided upon your goals, you must articulate them in this essay. Make sure you have done research on Tuck. Use your research to show why Tuck is the right place for your next step. Being aware also means seeing the opportunities available at Tuck. To make goals that are appropriate for you, considering your background and MBA, also shows you are aware.

Essay 2: Tuck students recognize how their individuality adds to the fabric of Tuck. Tell us who you are. (300 words)

Make sure you have spent time learning about Tuck and why you think you are a fit with the community. This essay will show that you are aware of your own individuality. Also, that you understand how you interact with others. And, by reaching out to current students and alumni, you will learn more about the Tuck experience. That will help you better understand how you fit in at Tuck, and write better Tuck MBA  essays.Once you understand Tuck, think about the experiences that have shaped you. This essay is an ideal place to talk about some of your past experiences. For example, what you have experienced in various communities and what you have contributed or learned.If you are struggling to come up with a topic to discuss, talk to your friends and family about any stories that remind them of your unique personality and how you interact with others. Sometimes talking with the people who know you the best can aid your self-awareness.

Essay 3: Tuck students invest generously in one another’s success even when it is not convenient or easy. Share an example of how you helped someone else succeed. (300 words)

Tuck is a team-oriented culture. It’s important to be a nice person who wants to help others. This essay can show your personality and teamwork skills. Think about times that you invested in another person’s success even when inconvenient. Maybe you helped a competitor at work. Or, someone who was not in a position to help you. It’s easy to be nice in a low-stakes environment. It is hard to be nice when it doesn’t personally benefit you. Think about your behavior in a team. Do you help your teammates understand issues or argue with them? How do you resolve conflict? When have you helped someone when it was not noticed or required? Choose a time when you have truly been a nice and helpful teammate and then explain the situation, what you did, and the result. If there were any lessons learned that you have applied since then, describe those lessons.