Welcome to the fourth and final entry in our A Closer Look at Tuck’s Admissions Criteria blog series, where we’ll explore how you can demonstrate that you are encouraging in your Tuck application.
Encouraging, collaborative, and empathetic behavior is integral to our community, where supporting and challenging others with kindness and courage fosters strong relationships. Demonstrating these qualities involves consistently investing in others—celebrating successes and respectfully engaging in constructive dialogue. We evaluate this criterion in your application by looking for sustained patterns of behavior over time.
In your application, you have three opportunities to showcase that you are encouraging: the third essay prompt, interview, and letters of reference.
Tell us about a time you meaningfully contributed to someone else’s sense of inclusion in your professional or personal community. For advice on the essays, reference our Tuck Admissions Insights: Application Essays blog.
Resist the urge to craft a perfect “encouraging” story; instead, help your interviewer see that you are in the habit of both supporting and challenging others.
Your references can confirm that others recognize the investments you’ve made in relationships. Encourage them to provide examples and stories that include with whom and how you partnered with others, in addition to what you did.
Involvement in extracurricular activities, such as coaching, mentoring, volunteering, etc., while commendable, does not automatically demonstrate the encouraging criterion. It’s the quality of your interactions and the depth of your engagement that matter most. And if you have not had the opportunity to be involved in philanthropic causes, don’t worry—there are many other opportunities in the application to demonstrate this criterion.
We're excited to learn how you invest in others and welcome you to reach out with any questions as you navigate our application process. We can't wait to meet you at one of our events or learn more about you through your application!
Create a profile to learn more about Tuck and receive news and updates
