When you select an MBA program, you are not just choosing your learning environment, but are also committing to becoming part of a community. Each Thursday, we offer a window into life “beyond the MBA classroom” at a top business school.
Any applicant considering the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College should know that, according to a recent graduate mbaMission interviewed, “Hockey is a big deal here and is passionately supported.” Close to 150 students participate in the games organized by the Tuck Hockey Club every year, and students can choose from various teams to join, depending on their skill level. An alumna told mbaMission that although she had never played hockey before, she gave it a try while at Tuck because everyone else was involved in the sport. Alumni from the 1960s even recount their Tuck hockey experiences on the Tuck Hockey Club’s Web site. On the Tuck admissions blog, one first-year student wrote, “As a completely new skater, I was nervous about signing up to play women’s hockey at first. But it’s one of Tuck’s greatest traditions, and it sounded like fun. Plus, one of the women’s team captains assured me that women’s hockey is not about skill—it’s about effort and having fun. And she was right.”
The school’s hockey teams play in various venues around town. Thompson Arena at Dartmouth is the main facility, and Campion Rink near Sachem Village has hosted tournaments, intramural games and skating sessions. In the winter, Occum Pond freezes over, providing yet another spot for Tuckies to enjoy hockey. And for those who like to compete, opportunities abound to do so. The school’s advanced teams compete against teams from other business schools across the country, including Wharton, Harvard, Michigan, Babson and Cornell. Intermediate players play pickup games against students from the Vermont Law School, local teams and intramural clubs. The beginner teams compete against each other and in Wharton’s Annual Cheesesteak Chalice Tournament. And those who are not quite ready to play hockey can always get in the game by cheering on their classmates! A non-hockey-playing second year told mbaMission, “Every school needs one thing that binds everyone together. Here it is hockey, and I like the fact that it is something physical, not just business or academics.”
For in-depth descriptions of social and community activities at Dartmouth Tuck and 15 other top MBA programs, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides.
