Live Chat: Tuck MBA Admissions

Dawna Clarke fields questions from readers on the best way to impress the admissions committee at Dartmouth's Tuck School

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Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business (Tuck Full-Time MBA Profile) in Hanover, N.H., accepted 20 percent of the 2,528 people who applied to the full-time MBA program in 2010.A priority is keeping the community small and tight-knit so faculty and administrators can offer personalized attention to students, says Dawna Clarke (screen name: DawnaClarkeTuck), director of admissions at Tuck. Recently, she fielded questions about the program from the public and from Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Francesca Di Meglio (screen name: FrancescaBW). Here are edited excerpts of the conversation:

YHmac: What importance does your undergrad transcript have in the application?

DawnaClarkeTuck: The admissions process is a holistic one. We look at a wide range of criteria and undergraduate performance is one of them. We'll consider your overall performance—if there was an upward trend, the rigor of the classes, the extent to which you were involved—and any extenuating circumstances. You can also take post-baccalaureate courses to make up for a poor undergraduate GPA.

Springer: Could you explain how much weight is placed on entrance-exam scores?

DawnaClarkeTuck: My answer would be somewhat similar to the one regarding the undergrad GPA. It's truly a holistic process and factors such as the GMAT are one of many that are taken into consideration.

My advice: The GMAT is a test in which preparation pays off. Most applicants take the test two to three times, and we'll look at the highest score. We also accept the GRE.

Springer: How much prior business experience do you like to see?

DawnaClarkeTuck: The average of prior business experience tends to be more than four years. However, the range is typically two to 20 years. It's the quality of a person's experience (and how they present it in the interview, essays, and application) that matters more than the quantity of experience.

We have found that our recruiters are more likely to hire those MBA candidates with significant (meaning at least two years) experience before the MBA. Prior work experience really adds to the richness of the classroom experience for your peers as well.

fd10: What subjects would you recommend for post-baccalaureate courses to supplement a lower-than-average GPA (particularly if we've already taken calculus)?

DawnaClarkeTuck: I'd recommend courses that a) are relevant to the MBA curriculum and b) you haven't already taken. Some examples would be accounting, business statistics, finance, or economics. There are many evening classes at universities in major metropolitan areas, which make it more feasible when you're working full-time.

MAB: How important is the GMAT score for international applicants—let's say Indians, who I believe apply in huge numbers. Also, since eliminating people on scores alone is quite easy, is it the first criteria for elimination?

DawnaClarkeTuck: We never eliminate a candidate based on a low GMAT score. We're fortunate in that we're a small school and every applicant is reviewed thoroughly regardless of the GMAT score. India is quite impressive in terms of its educational system, so we tend to see very strong GMAT scores from students from India, but the range of admitted GMAT scores from India is in sync with the general range.

pwing: What international study opportunities does Tuck offer?

DawnaClarkeTuck: We love to see applicants who are interested in global opportunities.