Jul 25, 2013
Community, Community, Community: From Latin America to Hanover
By Blog Guest
Juan comes to New Hampshire from Argentina and is looking forward to life at Tuck as a member of the Class of 2015!
Last year, when I started doing research to find out about the different schools where I could do my MBA, I used this blog as a source of information and resources to get to know Tuck’s culture, curriculum, students, faculty and more. I was very attracted to some of the experiences that students and partners posted here, both at a professional and personal level, and I found myself coming back to this site almost every day. As a former journalist, passionate about communications, I thought to myself: “How remarkably well used this communication tool is! What if I ended up writing for this blog, too?” Well, here I am, a year later, happily writing to prospective MBA students at Tuck.
At that time, I had decided I would base my choice of MBA on two basic drivers other than academic excellence and prestige: community and collaboration. I was clearly seeking the old-time campus experience: a place where I could socialize, study and interact closely with students and professors – not only meeting them in classroom settings but also having dinner with them. I am convinced that being part of a small class is a big advantage since a small class setting provides the context for developing a closely-knit network of friends and relations – something that it is highly valued in Latin America, where I come from –, so when I got to review Tuck I was blown away.
My decisive click came with my Tuck interview. As it was Saturday morning and I had to drive 50 miles to the place where the Admissions representative and I had agreed to meet, my wife came with me. Once the representative from the Admissions team had led me through the basic questions (it was much more of a conversation than a cold interview), she surprised me with a request: she asked me if she could meet my wife, who was waiting for me at the coffee store in the building. I considered this request a very positive and caring gesture.
The Admissions representative approached my wife in perfectly spoken Spanish and tried to convince her about the positive aspects of cold weather (the main fear my wife has about living in Hanover). We continued talking for about 20 minutes more, while she answered all of our questions and concerns about the place and the school. I couldn’t believe that a member of the Admissions team was taking so much time of her agenda to give detailed answers in my native language about the school and to get to know my wife. It was the most awesome evidence of Tuck’s culture, something I didn’t experience in interviews with other schools. Nothing else was to be said, I already had my first choice in mind.
Later on, alumni I was able to get in contact with confirmed this approach. Everyone got back to my questions and concerns in just a few hours; I was amazed by the hospitality of these people! So when I received the Admissions notification call back in March, from a 11111111 number (international calls appear with that number in Buenos Aires), I closed my eyes and waited to hear “Tuck School of Business” at the end of the first phrase. I did, and the only thing I remember saying was: “Thank you”. I was so happy I couldn’t hear anything else… I still can’t remember the rest of the conversation!
This excitement is just about to materialize, as Fall is just around the corner. I can’t wait to start this journey and meet you all on campus!
