By Emma He T’17
Tuck has become my home away from home. My first fall at Tuck was full of challenges and fun—here are five experiences I enjoyed the most.
Ice hockey is a key tradition for students at Tuck. Hockey is separated into three sections: the A team (professionals), the B team (semiprofessionals), and the tripod team (amateurs). In between the Fall League and the Winter League, there was mini league, where all players got drafted randomly into a team. It’s no surprise that we were all at very different skill levels. Mini league gave me the opportunity to get to know my classmates in a very different setting. One week, we played games on four consecutive nights—a team record.
Study group is your family away from family—the people with whom you get to spend most of your time with during the fall semester. And I mean a lot of time. You study together, you eat together, you go to parties together, you get cold-called together. During our Decision Science course, our professor sometimes randomly generated a name to answer a group assignment. Your study group helps you and acts as your sounding board, your biggest fan, and your 
best friends.
Hanover, situated in the Upper Valley, is surrounded by beautiful nature. Leaves begin changing color in early October every year. While people from the Northeast and elsewhere flock to Vermont and New Hampshire for leaf peeping, we have easy access to hikes in the mountains which offer a spectacular fall view. “Outdoorsiness” is a key characteristic of Tuck students. Getting outside together promotes community, adventure, and authenticity.
SafeRides is essentially a student-organized Uber, but it's free. Typically, two people pair up as partners. Not only do they pick you up and bring you home, they also make sure your car gets home with you. SafeRides operates four nights per week (Wednesday – Saturday) from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. to make sure all classmates get home safely, even despite rain and snow. I always look forward to receiving the weekend SafeRides e-mail which is usually filled with humor and wit.
Case competitions were definitely another highlight of my fall. I participated in the 2015 Women in Investing Conference at Cornell and the Deloitte Case Competition. Case competitions definitely challenge your time management skills and allow you to put your classroom learnings into real practice. They’re a great way to get a real-world sense of the area that you are interested in.
Emma is a first-year student at Tuck who is originally from Beijing. She previously worked in consulting for SMS Management Consulting and Deutsche Bank.
(Main photo above: Emma with her fellow case competition group; Photo at left: Emma with her study group; Photo at right: Emma with fellow Tuckies on a fall hike in the Upper Valley.)