With autumn just around the corner, the New England state of New Hampshire, where I am about to begin my MBA, is preparing to look its best.

I have moved to Hanover, to Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business for a two-year programme. Although remote,Dartmouth is beautiful– red bricked buildings with manicured lawns and the majestic White Mountains surround the town. There is a main street that is very much “small town America” – Lou’s Diner is an institution here as well as Murphy’s pub, serving local beers and a large heaping of pub fare to generations of Tuck students. Orientation is about to end and classes will start in a few days, so it’s a good time to think about how I, at thirty years old, have arrived at Tuck and what I plan to do at the school.