What Is the First Year Project?
The First Year Project (FYP) course is truly unique. It is offered at the Tuck School of Business, part of Dartmouth College. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, US, the Tuck School of Business is known for its small class sizes, individualized learning approach, extensive career services, and engaged alumni network. The elements that make Tuck special are also reflected in the FYP.
But what distinguishes the FYP from other courses? We spoke with Becky Rice, the Executive Director of the FYP course, to find out.
Director Rice explains, “The First Year Project is part of the Tuck core curriculum… we are an experiential learning project course, with the intention of utilizing the core experience that students have to apply it to a real business problem for a client.” (00:18)
First-year students work on their FYPs in small groups of five throughout the nine-week spring term. They can choose between the traditional FYP and the entrepreneurship FYP (eFYP).
In the FYP, students work with an organization to solve a business challenge. Students can work with organizations in various sectors and industries, including non-profit, start-up, and scale-up companies. They have the opportunity to showcase their classroom learning and deliver a solution with real-world impact.
Alternatively, students can participate in the eFYP. The eFYP is an entrepreneurship FYP in which students work on their own entrepreneurial projects alongside four peers. They are tasked with testing a business concept within a real-world context. These student teams work together with the Tuck Center for Entrepreneurship.
The FYP is strategically placed in the spring term, as most students have completed their foundational courses by then. Director Rice notes, “They have most of the core foundational business classes by the spring term and [can] apply that knowledge, that new learning, that experience that they bring to a project.” (07:40)
The FYP offers an excellent opportunity for students to showcase their new knowledge and skills within a real-world context.
Current, Connected, Transformative: The Tuck Philosophy Behind the FYP
Experiential learning, hands-on application, and student experience are at the core of the FYP. Director Rice highlights, “First and foremost, we are a course, so student learning is our primary goal.” (10:08)
When describing the Tuck philosophy, she emphasizes, “We always want to make sure that the FYP is current, connected, and we hope at the end of the day for an individual student, transformative.” (10:26)
The FYP aims to help students get the most out of their first-year experience using these guiding principles.
An Individualized Approach: Keeping the FYP Current and Relevant
A significant advantage of the FYP is that it is highly individualized and flexible. Students can source projects, bringing in topics, themes, and organizations they most want to work with.
Director Rice remarks, “A third of what we did last year was driven absolutely from what students wanted to do, so that makes it current because students are bringing in what is new and happening out in the business world.” (11:16)
The course directly reflects the interests of each new cohort. The themes, projects, and companies change yearly, allowing for a highly individualized approach.
Staying Connected
The FYP also offers students an excellent opportunity to make new connections. The Tuck School of Business and Dartmouth College both have an extensive and engaged alumni network, and alumni often help current students find projects and industry connections for the FYP.
In addition, the research centers at Tuck are also heavily involved in the FYP. Many students choose to work in partnership with the school’s research centers. Students can also connect with content experts at the research centers to gain further insight and expertise on their project research.
Director Rice underlines that students have the chance to “make that connection with someone that you maybe have never connected with before because of the opportunity that the course presents.” (12:17)
A Transformative Student Experience
The FYP also aims to be a transformative experience for students. It often acts as a catalyst for them to discover something new—whether about themselves, their career goals, or a new industry or organization.
Director Rice recounts, “Student learning, advancing their MBA knowledge, is where we start. But the FYP, I believe, in most cases, brings a student something that they didn’t expect. Some new learning. It might be the role that they played on the team with their peers, it might be the relationship that they develop with the client. We hope that the FYP is a great learning experience but is also a transformative experience for a student.” (12:34)
The guiding principles of being current, connected, and transformative shape the FYP every year to make it as beneficial and impactful for students as possible.
Success Stories of Past FYPs
After exploring the FYP and its philosophy, let’s examine the topics, clients, and organizations students have worked with during the FYP.
Some previous clients students have worked with include Under Armour, Brooks Running, Irving Energy, and more. Students have also worked with non-profit, start-up, and scale-up companies in technology and healthcare.
In recent years, students have also focused on topical themes such as sustainability, Artificial Intelligence (AI), DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), and social justice.
One particularly striking example of an impactful First Year Project is a student group that decided to work with the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) two years ago. The student group focused their FYP on helping UCU find tangible ways to better cope with the challenges of the war and aiding Ukrainian recovery.
Director Rice reflects on the project, saying, “This is where the FYP can be so transformational. What an amazing experience to work with UCU… the value for that team goes beyond just answering that business question, [but also includes] the impact that they had being able to work with this organization and feel that they’re really providing so much good through the work that they’re doing.” (04:58)
The FYP offers students a distinctive chance to implement their skills, knowledge, and personal passions to make a real-world impact that drives change.
Next Steps After the FYP
The FYP can act as a great stepping stone for students looking to make a career transition. It can also be a valuable tool for students to explore new industries, career directions, and companies. For those doing the eFYP, it is an excellent opportunity to test a potential business venture.
Ultimately, Tuck aims to make the FYP as meaningful and individualized for each student as possible. The FYP offers students a platform to gain experience in an area that interests them, showcase their skills and knowledge to potential future employers and partners, and drive meaningful change through real-world impact. The FYP leaves a lasting impression on first-year students, who carry the experience throughout their time at Tuck and into their future careers.
Discover more about Tuck School of Business via their school profile page.