MBA Student Profile: Tuck School of Business

TopMBA.com talks to Pauke Corstens about his decision to do an MBA, why he chose Tuck School of Business and his career plans. 

What were you doing before your MBA?

I studied Mining and Petroleum Engineering in Delft, The Netherlands and worked three and a half years for Bain & Company (consulting) in the Netherlands before coming to Tuck.      

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

Make a career switch and enhance my business knowledge/skills.      

What research did you undertake in selecting your school? 

Talked a lot with alumni and attended one or two business school presentations in Amsterdam.      

What were the main criteria in your selection? 

- top tier school,
- strong Alumni Network
- size
- community feel and student housing culture
- fun place to live
- multitude of Outdoors activities      

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

I wanted to learn more about American culture. Therefore European business schools were less attractive to me.      

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

Highly regarded by people who know Tuck, but that is a select group of people. Over time I am convinced Tuck will increase its brand awareness in Europe and I will help them in doing so. I already had a strong network in the Netherlands before going to Tuck. I will build my European network via friends who graduated from European MBAs.      

How are you financing your studies? 

- Scholarships
- Savings
- Family loans
- Tuck tree loan      

Were you successful in obtaining a scholarship? 

Yes, Fulbright Scholarship      

Are there any well-known and/or successful entrepreneurs that are alumni of your school? 

Yes, girl in the class above me (www.laurieweber.com) and many, many  others.      

How much do you expect to earn on graduation? 

$90,000~$100,000 annually      

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

Manager Inventory Optimization for Gap Inc. in San Francisco      

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

If I am dedicated, maintain my network, manage my work-life balance properly and - most importantly I enjoy what I am doing I will get where I want to be. I have some sense of direction and will work out the details when necessary. How long it will take to obtain specific miles stones I don't know. I rather enjoy the ride than rush through life.       

Any other comments?

I think Tuck is an amazing school and most people at Tuck are very authentic. Tuckies have the courage to choose for what suits them best instead of following the masses. It's a fun environment.