2022-2023 Tuck MBA Essay Questions
Class of 2025
Tuck Round 1 is 1 week, 4 days, 5 hours ago (September 26).
Tuck has consistently been looking for the same thing in their applicants — fit to the Tuck culture. Thankfully, though, they made it easier to come up with useful content in that third essay, based on rewording the question to give applicants more clarity on where to focus. This admissions strategy is about the same as we’ve seen from Tuck for three or four years now so that means that all the advice we’ve offered to applicants about Tuck and writing good essays is still valid and viable this season too!
The main point is to apply early to Tuck Round 1 if you can!
Like, really really early! As early as the first of August!
Tuck has a interview-anyone policy with interviews conducted online, so you’ll want to take advantage of that — but you need to submit by September 1st to do so if you’re trying in Round 1! (It’s even more complicated if you end up as a Round 2 applicant; you have to submit by December 1st.) After that, they move to a by-invitation policy, just like most other schools except for Kellogg have. Those Round 1 interviews will start being scheduled in mid-August, so yeah, if you have your act together then this could be a great opportunity for you! Having a guaranteed interview is a true advantage, not just because it lets you get yourself in front of the admissions team (most likely, a second-year student) via your videocall experience, but it also gives you an early chance to practice interviewing, which is a key skill you’ll need to develop on top of everything else you’re working to figure out with these apps!
The Tuck essays are actually not horrible, as essay questions go. The most obvious comment about the Tuck MBA essay questions is — they are short! The questions themselves aren’t hard to understand, but obviously, coming up with a great story to use in response to each one is a non-trivial exercise. That being said, when a BSer nails their Tuck essays then they’re going to have a very easy time in standing out and high likelihood of an admit. We would love to help you get there! We invite you to consider getting your Tuck essays decimated by the ‘Snark — to make sure your end-product is as insightful, robust, clearly written, and amazing as you can make it!!
So how do you answer the Tuck essay questions??
Tuck essays
- Tuck students can articulate how the distinctive Tuck MBA will advance their aspirations. Why are you pursuing an MBA and why Tuck? (300 words)
This is super straightforward (yay Tuck!) but dang it, you’re really not being given much space (boo Tuck!) It’s pretty challenging to say what you need to say in only 300 words. This essay needs to show the amount of research you’ve done, the qualities of Tuck that strike you as important from the Tuck culture and especially the program, and your justification for why an MBA is needed and how it fits into your plans. This needs to be at least as much about you as it is about Tuck. Many candidates will get the balance wrong. Slanttowards presenting concrete information about yourself. Our Tuck Guide will help you understand how to do this!
- Tuck students recognize how their individuality adds to the fabric of Tuck. Tell us who you are. (300 words)
Keep it personal, people! This essay needs to a) have a concrete example of what you have done or a life experience that defines you; and b) show self-awareness and insight. Keep those Tuck-defined qualities in mind, but don’t pander to them. This one is doable within 300 words but it ain’t gonna be easy. If you’re thinking of also applying to Ross, do their essays first; those will give you fodder to leverage for this Tuck question.
- Tuck students are encouraging, collaborative and empathetic, even when it is not convenient or easy. Describe a meaningful experience in which you exemplified one or more of these attributes. (300 words)
Finally! They fixed the poor wording from last year, and made it easier for applicants to hone in on what they really wanted to know about. Still, the 300 word limit is not helpful. Most important: A story about mentoring will not be big enough to carry this essay! Plus, it’s like the most cliched topic in the world for MBA apps. Please find something else to write about!
Tuck also has a standard optional essay, which like all other schools should only be deployed to explain something that is not otherwise obvious or covered elsewhere in the application. They also have a traditional reapplicant essay requiring you to discuss improvements made since your prior application. Tuck is reapplicant-friendly but they need to see how you’ve changed since the last time! In past years, Tuck admissions has referenced original apps when they are reading the new one, but the new one you submit this year needs to stand on its own; you cannot expect that they’re going to be examining or studying deltas. It’s your job to make this year’s presentation clear while not contradicting what you said in the past. Paying close attention to what you said before, to make sure that what you’re saying now is either consistent, or is explained. At the same time, the pitch should stand on its own, without requiring any added information that would have been conveyed in the original app. Lots of moving parts to a reapp strategy but there’s enough to work with in the Tuck requirements to let you do it well.
The 2022 Tuck MBA Application Guide covers the essentials you need to put together a compelling application to this school — one that may be in range for a wide variety of applicants!
Tuck 2022 MBA App Dates and Deadlines
The 2022-2023 deadlines for Tuck are:
- Round 1: September 26, 2022 This is towards the end of the cluster of deadlines you’ll be hitting for Round 1 — with the key exception: If you want to go for the guaranteed interview (which sounds like a very good idea!) then you’ll consider submitting your Tuck Round 1 application by September 1st!
- Round 2: January 4, 2023 Tuck sucks. This is literally the first deadline of any school after the holiday break. This is pretty fast after New Year’s and other schools are giving you more time. Blech, lame. However, as with Round 1, Tuck has an early deadline of December 1st if you want a guaranteed interview in Round 2.
As with all schools, we don’t list final-round deadlines — but Tuck is seeing softer application numbers lately, and because of that, it might work out to try in their final round. The main caution is that if you end up a reapplicant next time, it’s not easy to put together a strong set of essays in the next Round 1 following a failed Round 3 attempt, so take that into consideration. A Round 3 app needs to be amazing!!! Don’t cut corners if you’re going to put the app in play at this stage of the season.
2021 MBA Recommendations
1 Tuck adopted the standard recommender questions which somewhat simplifies the process for your recommenders.Here are the questions specifically asked by Tuck (since, oddly enough, “standardized” isn’t always standardized!):
- Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization. (50 words)
- How does the performance of the applicant compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? (E.g. what are the applicant’s principal strengths?) (500 words)
- Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (500 words)
- Optional: Is there anything else we should know?
Even though they haven’t specified a word count on that last optional question, it too should be quite brief. If you want to offer guidance to your recommenders, we’d say no more than 250 words there, if they use it at all. It really is optional! We cover this in our Recommender’s Instructions Sets if you want to give your recommenders a hand.
Tuck Essay Reviews & School Info by EssaySnark
- Tuck sucks. Not totally but yeah kind of. (August 2020)
- essay critique! Tuck short and long-term goals / why MBA / why Tuck (December 2017)
- essay critique: a “significant leadership” story for Tuck or Kellogg (September 2016)
- If this is your Rd 1 list – Tuck, Duke, Kellogg – read on. (July 2016)
- Firsthand experiences on Tuck, Kellogg and Duke, from a military candidate (July 2016)
- essay critique! Tuck career goals (December 2013)
The Applicant-Friendliest Place on Earth(February 2012) As of 2020, unfortunately we don’t see them that way anymore 🙁- essay critique: Tuck essay 4, new perspectives and life experiences (September 2011)
- essay critique: Tuck “overcoming an obstacle” essay (December 2010)
adcoms that we trust(October 2010) [update 2020: nope] and the one less traveled by (December 2010)
The standard career goals advice we’ve offered for schools like Columbia and others may also be helpful for you in tackling Tuck essays.
Our Tuck MBA Application Guide explains the interview policy and submitting early, plus all that you have to understand about the essays and everything else you’ll need to create a great application! Our Guide walks you through everything you need to know to put together a top-notch application for this Ivy League school.