Dartmouth Tuck Letter of Recommendation Questions

Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business cultivates a uniquely intimate and collaborative learning environment, with one of the smallest class sizes among top MBA programs. That means the school is deeply invested in understanding who you are and what positive impact you’ve had on the communities you have been part of. 

Tuck's AdCom looks for leaders who are accomplished, self-aware, and encouraging to those around them. So when you guide your recommenders to write your Tuck references, keep these values in mind. 

How Many Letters of Recommendation Does Tuck Require?

Tuck requires 2 letters of recommendation (LORs). For reapplicants, only 1 new LOR is required, and it must come from someone who did not write on your behalf in your previous application.

Like most leading business schools, Tuck uses the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation framework to structure its recommendation questions. Notably, Tuck does not ask your references to complete the GMAC Leadership Assessment Grid.

The strongest Tuck LORs are professional in nature and come from someone who has directly supervised you, ideally your current direct supervisor. Your recommender should be someone who can speak in detail to your performance, the behaviors you demonstrated to achieve results, and the feedback they gave you along the way. Remember that seniority alone does not make for a strong recommendation! A C-suite executive who has not worked closely with you will offer far less value than a direct manager who can cite specific, compelling examples of your impact.

If your current supervisor is unaware of your MBA plans, Tuck accepts alternatives: a former direct supervisor, an indirect supervisor, a senior colleague, a client, a board member, or a contact from an extracurricular organization. 

If you are not providing an LOR from your current direct supervisor, you will need to include a brief explanation in the Other Employment Information section of your application.

Tuck actively discourages LORs from friends, family members, coaches, or professors who did not supervise your professional work. If you work in a family business where your supervisor is a family member, consider asking a client, customer, or non-family member within the organization instead.

Tuck MBA Recommendation Questions

Tuck has adopted the essay questions posed by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) Common Letter of Recommendation. Respond to all of the following questions in the space below. If you have written your reference letter in a Word document, please copy and paste your letter into the space below.

1. Provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant's role in your organization.

   
   

2. How does the applicant's performance compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Provide specific examples.

   
   

3. Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant's response.

   
   

4. Is there anything else we should know? (Optional)

Jasmin

Harsh

Vibhav

Piyush

Chinenye

Sejal

Elie

Analysis

Q1: Provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant's role in your organization.

Your recommender should succinctly establish the nature of your professional relationship, how long they have known you, in what capacity, and what your role entailed. This provides the admissions committee with the context needed to weigh the rest of the letter.

Q2: How does the applicant's performance compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Provide specific examples.

Here, your recommender is asked to benchmark you against your peers, not in vague terms, but with precise, illustrative examples. Guide your recommender to offer two to three examples that each illuminate a distinct strength. 

Use the SCAR framework (Situation, Challenge, Action, Result) to structure these examples, and encourage your recommender to quantify outcomes wherever possible. Make sure the strengths highlighted align with what Tuck values: intellectual curiosity, collaboration, leadership, and the drive to create positive change.

Q3: Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant's response.

This question trips up many recommenders, who instinctively want to present you in the most flattering light. But Tuck is not looking for a weakness disguised as a strength. They want evidence that you are self-aware and coachable. Draw from real performance conversations with your manager. 

The most effective answers describe a genuine developmental area, the specific feedback your recommender shared, and, crucially, the tangible steps you took to grow. This demonstrates intellectual humility and a growth mindset, two qualities Tuck values deeply.

Q4: Is there anything else we should know? (Optional)

This question is optional. Your recommender can use it if there is meaningful context that did not fit naturally into the earlier responses, like addressing a career transition, speaking to a dimension of your character that the other questions did not capture, or reinforcing a particular theme in your candidacy. 

Given that the other questions cover ample information, most recommenders leave this blank.

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