Hello and Happy April, friends. I hope you’re staying safe and healthy as we all do our part to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month I answered several admissions questions just days before Tuck started its remote spring term. That term is now more than halfway complete, with encouraging reviews from faculty and students alike. As we look ahead to our summer and the start of the fall term, my colleagues and I are continuing to listen to you and hear your good questions.
What are the plans for the fall term?
We plan to welcome the Class of 2022 with Tuck Launch in August, as scheduled. If, for whatever reason, an incoming student is unable to join us in person this August, we will have a plan in place to allow students to begin their Tuck education remotely. This plan will cover all curricular, co-curricular, and career-related aspects of the MBA experience. As the success of our virtual learning environment this spring is showing, we have the capabilities, resources, and—importantly—the community to achieve this.
When will more decisions about the fall term be announced?
Given the continued public health uncertainty, Tuck’s senior leaders are exploring all options for how we can best achieve our mission in the upcoming academic year. Our Deans, along with an advisory committee comprised of members of the Tuck faculty, are meeting regularly and actively considering possible scenarios and contingencies. While the situation remains dynamic, we intend to resume in-person learning at Tuck as soon as it is safe for our community to do so, consistent with public health guidelines. We will continue to update you on this work as it progresses, and to inform you of plans as we make decisions.
Will Tuck offer deferrals to admitted students?
We consider all requests to defer on a case-by-case basis. We believe each personal and individual request deserves a personal response based on individual circumstances. Given that we will have a plan in place for all admitted students to join us, either in person or remotely, we do not expect to offer many deferrals. We empathize with those who choose not to enroll this year, and we will work personally with these admitted students to encourage their reapplications.
Why not offer more deferrals?
We at Tuck strive to consider and appreciate the perspectives of all of our applicants and admitted students. Even in these historic times, many applicants and admitted students express continued enthusiasm about joining the Class of 2022 – but only if we maintain our commitment to building a strong, diverse global class. Given Tuck’s distinct scale, granting mass deferrals significantly changes our class composition, more so than if our community was larger. Mass deferrals also dramatically reduce our available seats next year, and make applying for our Class of 2023 more artificially competitive. We want to ensure this year’s class is strong and next year’s seats are attainable.
Is Tuck modifying or waiving application requirements for Round 4 applicants?
We remain committed to both our criteria for a great Tuck candidate and the application materials where these criteria emerge. We continue to require a complete application, including in-person or online/at-home test scores, for Round 4 applicants to be considered for admission. Fairness and equity are paramount to the integrity of our evaluation efforts. We required a complete application for all applicants in our first three rounds, and we made admissions decisions accordingly. Changing or waiving application requirements now would introduce unfairness and inequity for candidates who applied earlier in this application year.
Will Tuck reconsider applicants who were not offered admission?
We stand by our admissions decisions made earlier in this cycle. We do not intend to reconsider or reverse decisions. We have asked a number of Round 1 and Round 2 applicants from our earlier rounds to remain on our waitlist, many of whom remain enthusiastic about enrolling in the Class of 2022. My colleagues and I empathize with those whom we have asked to wait -- the hardest decision to receive – and we will consider these applicants alongside our Round 3 and Round 4 applicants to fill our final seats in the class.
How are remote classes going?
We’ve used remote learning to deliver hybrid online/on-campus programs, such as Dartmouth’s Master of Health Care Delivery Science, for over nine years now. Leveraging that online teaching expertise, Tuck faculty jumped right into a remote-only format for the spring term and are keeping classroom discussions as interactive and engaging as possible for students. The feedback thus far from faculty and students: this new and different form of learning, while temporary, is going quite well.
How is the famously close-knit Tuck community staying connected?
The flexibility and commitment of students, faculty, and staff in co-creating a new and different learning experience has been essential and inspiring. We have encouraged students to honor and express feelings of loss or disappointment, but to also find empowerment in their resolve. Students responded by launching the Quarantuck Initiative, a series of social events and volunteer efforts to stay connected and strengthen our Tuck fabric. Students also continue to partner with Career Services on virtual recruiting efforts, attend faculty research chats, welcome visiting executives in remote discussions, and engage with our renowned alumni network.
How is recruiting going currently?
As of today, more T’20s have accepted a full-time offer than the T’17s or T’18s had at graduation. At this time, all companies plan to honor accepted offers for full-time employment. The number of first-year students who are finalizing internships remains typical for this point in the term, and Tuck Career Services continues to communicate with our recruiting partners. For summer 2020, some companies are rethinking what MBA internships look like in practice because of remote work conditions related to coronavirus.
Last week, Career Services reported a strong number of new internship postings and accepted offers for Tuck first-year students relative to last year. We’re encouraged to see T’21s successfully pitching project opportunities to career contacts and Tuck alumni. Finally, building on the infrastructure and expertise of the OnSite Consulting Team, Tuck is also creating a new project opportunity for the summer in which we will source projects with well-known companies to help them consider the ramifications of the COVID-19 crisis.
Given the pace of change, how can I stay informed on Tuck’s response to COVID-19?
You can see all of our community updates in one place on our website. You can also keep an open dialogue with me and my colleagues. We are personally leading recurring virtual chats for admitted students and applicants, multiple times per week, which will continue all throughout our summer months ahead. All of us on our team will gladly connect with you by phone and email, and I will continue to be active on social media. Finally, you can reach out at any time to our student ambassadors, all of whom are committed to representing Tuck amidst this historic time. Good communication matters more than ever in moments of uncertainty and ambiguity, so we want to hear from you!
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