Jul 30, 2015

“No school does social impact quite like Tuck”

By Eric Giles T'16

Eric is a career switcher who transitioned from an education nonprofit—Teach For America—to the health care sector. He hopes to expand health access to all populations.

Whether or not you came from, or are headed towards, a socially-oriented career, how well a school integrates social impact with its business curriculum must be on your personal checklist. The success of future business leaders will depend on how well they understand that their actions are intertwined with the surrounding community and then use that knowledge to their advantage. As I investigated which business school to attend, I was blown away by the depth of experiences Tuck offers to students to help them understand how to use their business skills to bolster the global community.

You have undoubtedly seen in your research that Tuck is among the best in career statistics, faculty research, teaching quality, and alumni network. What continues to set Tuck truly apart is the way that the school offers students the chance to see how their business skills can make a transformational impact on the broader world. Below is just a small sample of the opportunities you’ll find at your fingertips if you become a Tuckie. Many of these are put on by the Center for Business and Society and I would encourage you to check out their website to learn more.

• Social Venture Fund: Tuck is among a handful of schools that offers students first-hand experience in impact investing. Work with fellow students to invest significant money into organizations that produce social as well as financial returns.
• Revers Board Fellows: Your cutting edge MBA skills can be used to immediately help nonprofit organizations. Through this program, you sit on a local nonprofit board to help the organization create value.
• World class speakers: Tuck brings the most prominent thinkers in the world to talk to students in intimate settings. Because of Tuck’s small size, we receive ample opportunity to meet visiting speakers one-on-one or in small group settings.
• Business and Society Conference: The entire Tuck community comes together to learn from experts in fields such as impact investing, venture capital, education, health care, and sustainability.
• Allwin Community Day: One of your first experiences as a Tuckie will be working with your new study group to consult for a local nonprofit.
• Negotiating ethics: Tuckies come together for monthly discussions on critical ethical issues. Topics range from accounting disclosures and Enron to the ethics of major companies marketing in low-income markets traditionally dominated by local businesses.
• Your fellow students: You will find that your fellow students will push you daily to consider the broader social issues. Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, including education, agriculture, sustainability, and ethical supply chain management. There are no shortage of Tuckies who bring valuable first-hand experience of being on the front lines of social impact.

Again, this is only a small sample of opportunities available to you at Tuck. As you explore your MBA options, I am confident that you will come to the same conclusion as I did a year ago: No school does social impact quite like Tuck.