Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Jacob Roche was kind enough to share his story of being a veteran of the military at Tuck.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your military background.
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from the Naval Academy in 2011. I commissioned into the Marine Corps and became an artillery officer. After finishing training, I was stationed in Twentynine Palms, California. If you’ve never been there, don’t let the name fool you. Twentynine Palms is in the middle of the Mojave Desert, halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It was a great place to train, but not a great place to live as a young and single officer. Anyhow, I deployed once to Afghanistan as a forward observer with an infantry company. When I got back, I spent some time as a battery executive officer before I received orders to my next duty station.
In 2015, I moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to serve as an officer recruiter. For the next three years, I recruited college students in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. The job was totally different than anything I had done as an artillery officer. Instead of leading Marines, I spent hours talking to college students about what they wanted to do with their lives. It was a great opportunity to get better at talking to strangers (and civilians). I got out of the military in May of 2018 and started at Tuck in the fall of that year. Last summer, I interned at McKinsey in Minneapolis. I’ll be headed back there this summer.
As a recruiter in Minneapolis, I also started dating my now wife, Emily. We got married last August. We live in graduate student housing with our two dogs, Theo and Hudson. I’ve always loved the outdoors- depending on the season, I spend most of my free time hunting, mountain biking, trail running, or skiing.
How did you decide on pursuing an MBA?
I loved most of my job as a Marine. I loved the sense of mission and purpose- even if I was doing something menial, I knew that I was part of an organization that was doing good for the world. As my time as a recruiter was wrapping up, I looked at what was ahead in my career: captain-level career school, maybe six months as a battery commander, then years of work as a staff officer. None of this really excited me. On recruiting duty, I had grown to enjoy my freedom in both my personal and professional life. I met with my boss once a week and was given wide latitude to do my job. I didn’t see any of that freedom ahead of me if I stayed in the Marine Corps. This realization pushed me to look at my options if I were to get out.
An MBA makes a lot of sense for veterans. We have management and leadership skills, but we don’t have experience in business. It can be tough to transfer directly to industry because without context, those leadership skills don’t have a lot of value. For me, an English major and artillery officer, I knew I needed to learn a lot before I could contribute to the business world in the ways that I hoped. I also didn’t know what industry or function really interested me. I thought that a couple of years immersed in an academic environment would both expose me to those with a variety of experiences and allow me to reflect on what I wanted out of civilian career and what I would be good at.
What attracted you to Tuck?
When I started my MBA search, I honestly didn’t even consider Tuck. I had no idea where Dartmouth was, and I knew I wanted to stay in the Midwest after graduating. In an early conversation with my Service 2 School mentor (Author’s note: coincidentally, this is how Jacob and I met), I explained what I wanted out of an MBA:
-A collaborative community to learn
-An immersive experience
-If possible, access to the outdoors
He told me to look into Tuck and I immediately realized that it was the perfect place for me. The vets club was incredibly helpful. When I visited, all of the students were excited to talk about how much they loved Tuck. I could see that the remote location (Tuck is two hours North of Boston) created a truly immersive experience. No one comes to Hanover, New Hampshire with friends already in the area. Because of this, I think students at Tuck form stronger bonds than students in urban campuses.
Finally, Tuck is surrounded by natural beauty. Yes, it’s less than an hour from some of the best ski resorts on the East Coast, but it also has great outdoor access right near campus. I can hunt, mountain bike, and backcountry ski literally out my back door (I step into my skis when I step off my porch). Being able to access the outdoors so easily has allowed me time to reflect on what I want out of my life.
Is there anything you would have done differently in applying to MBA programs?
The biggest mistake I made was holding back on researching MBA programs until after I took the GMAT. I felt like I shouldn’t be shopping around and reaching out to vets at prestigious programs unless I had a decent GMAT score. In reality, none of the vets I spoke to cared about my GMAT score. They just wanted to help find the right school for me. If I were to do it again, I’d start reaching out to vets at various schools very early in the process. It would have helped me realize which programs were right for me, and which were not.
When I was deciding between business schools, I also made the mistake of getting too hung up on rankings. I knew Tuck was the right place for me, but I had gotten into a better-ranked school as well. After much agonizing, I ended up making the right choice. Now, I can see that a few spots in the rankings just don’t matter. A top MBA program is going to get you almost any interview you want. From there, it’s on you, not the pedigree of your school, to get the job. You should pick the school that fits what you want from your MBA experience, not the highest -ranking school you get into.
What have you found the most challenging as an MBA student?
Arriving at business school, I quickly realized I had little to contribute to the discussion. In every nearly subject, my classmates had more experience and more knowledge than I did. I remember wondering, at what point will I be able to contribute to the conversation? In those first few months, I wasn’t afraid to ask my classmates for help. I found that the learning curve is steep. After the fall terms, I felt that I had developed enough context to contribute meaningfully to group and class discussions. Most of my veteran classmates say the same: at first, you like you’re in over your head, but that changes quicker than you think.
A morning of surfing in Ventura, California with my First Year Project group. We spent a term working with Patagonia on a real-world problem. At the end of the term, we flew out to California and presented to Patagonia’s management. The company took us all out surfing the morning of our presentation.
What are your plans post-MBA?
I’ll be heading to McKinsey, a global management consulting firm. I’ll be based out of the Minneapolis office. Management consulting excites me for a few reasons. First, the industry attracts really smart people. As an intern last summer, I was continually impressed by the intelligence and drive of my colleagues. Second, management consultants are solving the toughest problems that companies have. I can’t wait to be doing challenging work for some of the biggest companies in the world. Finally, as a consultant, I’ll be moving from project to project, company to company, industry to industry, for my first few years. I won’t get bored, I’ll learn a lot, and I’ll gain exposure to industries and functions across the spectrum.
Looking back on your transition, what would you have done differently?
Honestly, transitioning to the civilian world has been much easier than I thought it would be. I went on terminal leave in May of 2018, knowing that I would start school in August. With so much time off, I decided to ride my bicycle from Portland, Maine to the Oregon Coast. The hours of solitude gave me time to reflect on my experiences in the Marine Corps, and what I wanted out of this next phase in my life. It turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had. I would encourage anyone who can to take some time off after they get out of the military and do something special.
What were some unexpected challenges in the transition process?
I think the biggest adjustment is just cultural. Spending 5-10 years in the military indoctrinates us to a way of interacting with others and approaching problems. Some of this is good, but some of it is not terribly effective outside of the military.
Most importantly: where’s your favorite outdoor spot around Hanover?
The best part about going to Tuck is just how easy it is to get outside. Two weeks ago, I went backcountry skiing with a friend who had a morning class and an evening class- he still managed to get a few hours of skiing in between classes.
Dartmouth owns and manages a network of cabins throughout the state of New Hampshire. These cabins are available for students to rent. In the far north of the state, a few miles from the Canadian border, Dartmouth owns 27,000 acres of land endowed to the college over 200 years ago. There are 4 cabins available for students to rent on the land grant. Last fall, about six of my classmates and I rented it for a weekend. We hunted grouse during the day and sat by the woodstove in the evenings. It was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had at Tuck. I just can’t imagine having the same opportunity anywhere else.
Related:
Military to MBA (Part 1/7): Is It for You?