MBA Student Profile: Frank Hermelink, Tuck School of Business

TopMBA.com talks to Frank Hermelink about his decision to do an MBA, why he chose the Tuck School of Business and his future career plans. 

What were you doing before your MBA?

Senior Equity Analyst at Kempen & Co, a Dutch merchant bank 

What were your main reasons for deciding to attend business school?

In the last year as an analyst I was increasingly uncertain whether I would like to continue in equity research. Moreover, I sensed that after six years of working that I lost a large part of my enthusiasm for my work and that my career opportunities within Kempen were fairly limited.

Another issue that played a part in my decision to pursue an MBA was that I felt that my professional development was rather one sided (almost entirely financially) and that key managerial skills such as strategy, negotiations and leadership were underdeveloped.

An MBA was therefore for me the right choice as it has allowed me to think about in which direction to continue, it has strengthened my non-financial skills and it has rejuvenated my financial skills. Moreover it has enabled me to take a break from the work process for two years and to receive a great education at the same time.      

What research did you undertake in selecting your school?

I went to two MBA fairs and attended several presentations of various schools where I met with the alumni of the school.      

What were the main criteria in your selection?

I only focussed on the top-10 schools (hence rankings were important for me) as I had (and still have) the impression that it would otherwise not be worth the investment.

Next to this criterion I had only two other criteria. First of all if I liked the alumni I met and if I could see myself being one of them. Secondly if I could see my girlfriend (now wife) and I build a life at that school. Only Tuck fulfilled these two criteria and therefore I only applied to Tuck.

Why did you decide to study either in your own country or overseas?

As there is no top-10 MBA in the Netherlands the decision to study abroad was easily made. Moreover, I really wanted to have the international experience and an MBA is an ideal opportunity to live abroad for a while.

How well do your think the MBA is regarded in your home country?

I have not given this much thought as I am not returning to the Netherlands anytime soon. Still, I realise that Tuck is not the most well known MBA for the general public in the Netherlands, but people who need to know (recruiters etc.) do know the school and think highly of it.

How are you financing your studies?

Predominantly through my own funds, although I also received a loan from Tuck.

How much do you expect to earn on graduation?

Between USD 150,000-200,000      

What do you expect to do on graduation and where do you expect to be based?

I will be working for Morgan Stanley in their London office      

How easy or difficult do you expect it to be to achieve these objectives?

I think it is never easy to achieve career objectives, because if it was it would not be challenging and consequently not worthwhile pursuing. Hence, I think that as long as my career will challenge me to get the best out of me, I think I will progress in my career and my personal life.    

Any other comments?

Now that I am reaching the end of my MBA I can honestly say that I never once have regretted the decision to quit my job and to go do an MBA. One reason for my positive experience is the education I received here at Tuck which undoubtedly will help me throughout my career. Although I have decided to go back to Investment Banking, I do this after really carefully weighing all my options. If I had stayed in my old job I would never ever had that luxury.

However, far more important for my positive experience are the people I met here at Tuck. They really made the education as well as the life next to school an unforgettable and very rewarding experience, which I can recommend to anyone.