MBA at Tuck School of Business: Student Profile

Barel Francis talks to TopMBA.com about his decision to do an MBA at Tuck School of Business, and his future career plans. 

What were you doing before your MBA?

I was an internal consultant for BNP PARIBAS Corporate & Investment Bank. Based in the Paris office, I managed the implementation of a new cross-selling strategy in 18 international subsidiaries.      

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

I wanted to start learning again and I wanted to get into strategy consulting. After almost 3 years at BNP PARIBAS, I felt that I was not learning enough anymore. In addition, I knew that to get into strategy consulting, the Tuck MBA would be the best addition to my resume I could possibly hope for.      

What research did you undertake in selecting your school?

- I looked at the rankings (Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, U.S. New & Wolrd Report, Forbes).
- I also looked at each school's website,
- visited the World MBA Tour,
- talked to some alumni,
- and finally visited the school during the Admitted Student Weekend.      

What were the main criteria in your selection?

I chose Tuck because of its reputation, tough curriculum, fierce network and perfect job placement statistics.

But above all, I decided to go to Tuck because of its unique community: professors, students, the MBA Program Office, the Career Department Office, the Alumni, the staff, all of them form a strong culture and community like no other.      

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

An American experience was the only international part that was missing on my resume. Furthermore, I wanted to go to the country and the school that created the MBA. Finally, I felt that coming to study in a new environment removed from my usual surroundings was the perfect place to go to.      

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

In the best strategy consulting firms and the most prestigious investment banks in France, Tuck is one of the most highly regarded MBA. Outside of these firms, Tuck is not yet well-known.

How are you financing your studies?

Partly through a loan arranged by Tuck, and partly through my own savings.      

Have you already been, or do you intend to become an entrepreneur?

I have not been an entrepreneur yet, but I easily see myself become one, either by myself or with some fellow friends from Tuck.      

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

Didier Pineau-Valenciennes is the most famous French alum. Jack Callahan was the CEO of Frito-Lay international and Lincoln Spoor is the owner of the Krispy Krem franchise for 4 states, including Nevada.      

How much do you expect to earn on graduation?

At least twice my pre-MBA salary, i.e. around USD 100,000      

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

I will probably be working for a strategy consulting firm, exactly as I had hoped to. I don't know if it will be in New York or in London, though.  

Where do you see yourself in ten years time:

I will probably have created my own business after 5 or 6 years of experience post-MBA, There are so many Tuck 05 that I see myself working with that I would love to create my own firm just to work with them or apply everything that I've learned to become my own boss.      

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

None of the projects that I have in mind will be easy to achieve. However, I know that I will easily get the support from the Tuck community to find financing through Tuck alums, advice and potential partners in my class, and constant encouragement from the Tuck administration.