Posted by Clear Admit on July 7, 2011, at 8:00 am
Posted in:  Essay Topic Analysis , School: Duke / Fuqua Fuqua’s essay topics for the 2011-2012 admissions season remain identical to last year’s, retaining a strong interest in applicants’ interest in and potential contribution to the Duke MBA program and broader community. Moreover, the preamble/introduction that has prefaced the program’s essays for the past several years suggests that the program is seeking students who are both natural leaders and collaborators, able to work with diverse teams of people, and who hope to make a lasting impact through their post-MBA career pursuits. Further, Duke values students who can express themselves in a personable manner through their essays, so applicants should also strive to infuse their writing with personality and passion.
Although there is no specified word limit, Duke does require that all essays be no more than two pages in length, written with 1.5 line spacing and a minimum 10 point font size. Let’s take a closer look at each essay: » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on July 4, 2011, at 12:00 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: Duke / Fuqua Why Duke? (If you are interested in a specific concentration, joint degree, clubs or activities, please discuss how you would contribute to these in this essay.) (2 pages maximum with 1.5 line spacing and a minimum 10 point font size)
Asking applicants about their interest in the school to which they are applying is standard practice among MBA programs , and Duke’s parenthetical comments provide applicants with a clue as to the topics they should cover in responding to this essay. The important thing to note is that Fuqua asks how applicants would contribute to the school, so in addition to explaining what academic and extracurricular programs you want to become involved in, it’s important to show how this involvement would benefit the Duke community.
One thing to be aware of is that your answer to this question is not merely a reiteration of the points made in your second essay, as both prompts ask applicants to explain how they would contribute to the school. One way in which you can approach this challenge is by using Essay 2 to focus on who you are and how you are unique: with this as your foundation, you can then use specific examples of planned participation to explain what you would bring to Fuqua and how you hope to contribute to the class. Meanwhile, in responding to Essay 3, you might focus on what you hope to get out of Fuqua and why you want to be there. In explaining how you are a cultural fit with the program and how the school would help you achieve your career goals, you should support your argument with specific examples of how you would contribute to, as well as benefit from, specific courses, clubs, and events.
To read our analysis of all of Fuqua’s essay questions, click here.
Posted by Clear Admit on July 3, 2011, at 12:00 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: Duke / Fuqua How will your background, values, and non-work activities enhance the experience of other Duke MBA students and add value to Fuqua’s diverse culture? (2 pages maximum with 1.5 line spacing and a minimum 10 point font size)
This question reflects Duke’s interest in identifying students who are in a position to contribute meaningfully to the diversity of the school’s community. The prompt is fairly broad, covering just about every possible dimension of one’s candidacy, experience and perspective; subsequently, it issues a general invitation for the applicant to imagine how his or her unique characteristics might map onto involvement in ‘Team Fuqua.’ This response is a great place to showcase specific knowledge of the student culture at Duke – even linking aspects of your background to contributions to discussions in specific courses or participation in conferences and campus events – as well as to introduce information that will help you stand out from the applicant pool.
To read our analysis of all of Fuqua’s essay questions, click here.
Posted by Clear Admit on July 2, 2011, at 12:00 pm
Posted in: Essay Topic Analysis , School: Duke / Fuqua Describe your vision for your career and your inspiration for pursuing this career path. (2 pages maximum with 1.5 line spacing and a minimum 10 point font size)
This is a variation of the standard career goals essay. Because Duke is asking about applicants’ career vision, however, this particular question lends itself to a long-term, big picture outlook in addition to the typical description of one’s immediate post-MBA career goals. Responding to the second part of this prompt provides candidates with the perfect opportunity to outline their career histories. Applicants should also consider including information about any academic or extracurricular experiences that have motivated them to pursue their intended careers. With two pages to respond to this prompt, applicants should have ample space to describe both their career visions as well as the factors and experiences that inspired their plans.
It’s important to note that this career vision question does not ask applicants how Fuqua would factor into achieving their professional goals. Therefore, all discussion of applicants’ academic and professional interest in Duke should be reserved for the response to the third prompt.
To read our analysis of all of Fuqua’s essay questions, click here.
Posted by Clear Admit on July 1, 2011, at 9:23 am
Posted in: Essay Topics , School: Duke / Fuqua The Fuqua admissions office released the 2011-2012 deadlines and essay topics before the holiday weekend. The three prompts for first time applicants are as follows:
Essay 1: Describe your vision for your career and your inspiration for pursuing this career path.
Essay 2: How will your background, values, and non-work activities enhance the experience of other Duke MBA students and add value to Fuqua’s diverse culture?
Essay 3: Why Duke? (If you are interested in a specific concentration, joint degree, clubs or activities, please discuss how you would contribute to these in this essay.)
The Duke admissions committee states that applicants should respond to each question in no more than 2 pages using 1.5 line spacing and font size that is at least 10 point.
The school also released this year’s optional essay question and re-applicant essay topic:
Optional Essay: If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application).
Re-applicant Essay: All re-applicants are required to complete the Re-applicant Essay. Please limit your response to two pages. Write an essay describing how you are now a stronger candidate for admission compared to the application you submitted the previous year.
For more information about how to apply to the Duke MBA class of 2014, visit the Fuqua admissions website.
Posted by Clear Admit on June 30, 2011, at 4:40 pm
Posted in: Deadlines , School: Duke / Fuqua The Fuqua deadlines for the Class of 2014 are now available online. The four rounds are as follows:
Early Action:
Application Deadline – September 29, 2011
Interview Invitations Sent – October 24, 2011
Interview Dates (expect Durham) – November 11-12, 2011
Decision Notification – December 5, 2011
Tuition Deposit ($3,000) – December 20, 2011
Round 1:
Application Deadline – November 1, 2011
Interview Invitations Sent – December 16, 2011
Interview Dates (expect Durham) – January 7-8 & 14-15, 2012
Decision Notification – February 1, 2012
Tuition Deposit ($1,500) – May 1, 2012
Round 2:
Application Deadline – January 4, 2012
Interview Invitations Sent – February 8, 2012
Interview Dates (expect Durham) – February 17 – 18 & 24-25, 2012
Decision Notification – March 20, 2012
Tuition Deposit ($1,500) – May 1, 2012
Round 3:
Application Deadline – March 8, 2012
Interview Invitations Sent – March 30, 2012
Interview Dates (expect Durham) – April 17-21, 2012
Decision Notification – May 4, 2012
Tuition Deposit ($1,500) – May 15, 2012
For more information, visit the Fuqua admissions website.
Posted by Clear Admit on May 24, 2011, at 3:00 am
Posted in: School Guides , School: Duke / Fuqua , Trivia Tuesday It’s time again for Clear Admit’s weekly Trivia Tuesday column! Today, we’re taking a look into the Clear Admit School Guide to Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in order to share with you some insights about the school’s globally oriented GATE program.
For those who are interested in gaining international exposure but who are unwilling or unable to spend a full term abroad, Fuqua’s Global Academic Travel Experience, or GATE, offers a strong alternative. Through GATE, participating students examine the business environment, politics, economics and culture of a particular country or region for six weeks, following this study with a 12- to 14-day trip to the region. During these trips, students visit local businesses, government agencies, and any alumni or exchange partner schools in the area. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on April 9, 2011, at 1:05 am
Posted in: Interview Tips , Interview: Duke / Fuqua , School: Duke / Fuqua If you are preparing for an MBA admissions interview, be sure to check out the Clear Admit Wiki! It’s chock full of firsthand accounts of interviews, as reported by MBA applicants themselves. This Round 2 applicant to Duke / Fuqua shared the following interview experience with a second-year student:
“I had my interview with a 2nd year on campus doing one of their recruitment weekends. Most of the other students interviewed had 2nd years as well and I had been told that the interview was very laid back and a lot like a conversation. I did not feel that way. I will say that after the interviews, a lot of other prospectives felt like theirs was very laid back but this was not the case for my interview. He seemed to just go down a list of questions and wrote down my answers. All of the questions except for one (the last one listed) were exactly like you will get at any other business school. Some of my questions were:
- Tell me about yourself/walk through the resume
- Why an MBA? Why now?
- Why Duke?
- What are your future career aspirations? » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on February 24, 2011, at 1:00 pm
Posted in: MBA News , School: Duke / Fuqua , School: Indiana / Kelley The healthcare industry is attracting increased interest from today’s business school students, especially as more traditional sectors such as finance are still recovering from the credit crisis and the recession and as healthcare reform factors prominently on political agendas in the United States and the United Kingdom, the Financial Times reports.
The idea of working toward the public good in a stable career with substantial pay is also a draw for MBAs, career counselors from top MBA programs told the FT. “Healthcare reform is one of the catalysts but [MBA interest] started before that,” George Telthorst, director of the Center for the Business of Life Sciences at Indiana’s Kelley School of Business, said. “Healthcare is a social good and I think a lot of young MBAs realize they can do good but also have a more stable career in the future.” » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on February 21, 2011, at 1:00 pm
Posted in: Career Services Director Q&A , School: Duke / Fuqua This week we’re learning about career services at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. We had a great interview with Sheryle Dirks, associate dean of career management, who leads Fuqua’s Career Management Center (CMC).
Dirks has been at Fuqua since 1998 and in her current role as associate dean since 2005. She came to career services from the MBA admissions world, having worked in MBA admissions in the Chicago area. “I loved the intermingling between the corporate world and the education world” that career services offered, she says, so when she landed a job in career management at Fuqua she was thrilled.
Dirks manages a staff of 22 full-time career management officers as well as six contract coaches who work with Fuqua both locally and in areas where the school has a lot of alumni. The CMC provides career services to all of the degree programs that go through the business school, which include the full-time MBA program as well as three executive-style programs in which students continue to work while in school and a one-year degree program for slightly younger students. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on February 9, 2011, at 1:00 pm
Posted in: MBA News , School: Duke / Fuqua , School: Yale View the glass as half full and you’ll get a job out of business school more quickly and with less effort, according to recent research out of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. And once in the working world, an optimistic outlook promises to get you promoted faster in the first two years on the job than your pessimistic peers.
Fuqua researchers Ron Kaniel and David T. Robinson, in collaboration with Cade Massey of the Yale School of Management (SOM), surveyed 232 MBA students between 2005 and 2007 about their dispositional optimism – that is, a general belief that good things tend to happen more often than bad things. They then correlated the students’ relative dispositional optimism against their job-search outcomes. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on February 2, 2011, at 3:28 pm
Posted in: School: Duke / Fuqua , Wiki Wednesdays Welcome to February’s first installment of Wiki Wednesdays, in which we feature the latest additions to the Clear Admit Wiki, an online repository where MBA applicants can share their admissions interview experiences. Round 2 interviews are well under way now and over the past week we’ve received interview reports from schools including INSEAD, Northwestern / Kellogg, NYU / Stern, USC / Marshall, and UT Austin / McCombs. Recently, a candidate for Duke / Fuqua shared this account of a Round 1 interview with an alum:
“I interviewed in the beginning of January at a local coffee shop with an alum who had done quite a few business-school interviews for Duke. The conversation lasted an hour, was conversational but on-point with little chit-chat in between. The questions were standard and straight-forward, a mix between behavioral and personal; no trick questions or curveballs (such as: define success). The most important question for my interviewer was why Duke, specifically, as opposed to any other top school. I had read earlier that if you can answer this question successfully, it increases greatly your chances of getting in, b/c Duke is usually seen as a backup school to other top-tier schools despite being top ten in rankings. (Hence their early admission program.)
Questions were:
- Walk me through your resume.
- Why MBA? / Why Duke? Why Duke as opposed to the other schools you applied to?
- What are your career goals and how will Duke get you there? » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on February 2, 2011, at 1:45 am
Posted in: Interview Tips , Interview: Duke / Fuqua , School: Duke / Fuqua Check out this Fuqua interview account, as posted to the Clear Admit Wiki, a free resource for MBA applicants to share their experiences about the admissions process. This post spotlights the interview experience as shared by Fuqua candidate, who spoke with alumni.
“I was invited for interview in December and interviewed on January 8 in SFO. There was a group of students and a group of alumni conducting the interview at the location. A bunch of alumni and students were also present who made us feel very much comfortable and relaxed. Also, there was a panel discussion with alumni and a current student after my interview, which was great.
My interview started off with an extracurricular activity from my resume. My answer brought in my background and my inspiration for making a positive difference on society, which in turn, led to the essential Why MBA, Why Now and then Why Duke? Honestly, there was no specific question other than the first one. After that, it just kept flowing very smoothly from one topic to the next. The interviewer showed very obvious body expressions and also took serious interest in what I was talking about. As long as you are clear and detailed about your own stories, you should be all right. » Continue reading
Posted by Clear Admit on February 1, 2011, at 3:45 am
Posted in: Interview Tips , Interview: Duke / Fuqua , School: Duke / Fuqua Take a peek into these Fuqua interview questions, as posted to the Clear Admit Wiki, a free resource for MBA applicants to share their experiences about the admissions process. This post spotlights the interview experience as shared by Round 1 candidate, who spoke with an alum.
“I interviewed in the beginning of January at a local coffee shop with an alum who had done quite a few business-school interviews for Duke. The conversation lasted an hour, was conversational but on-point with little chit-chat in between. The questions were standard and straight-forward, a mix between behavioral and personal; no trick questions or curveballs (such as: define success). The most important question for my interviewer was why Duke, specifically, as opposed to any other top school. I had read earlier that if you can answer this question successfully, it increases greatly your chances of getting in, b/c Duke is usually seen as a backup school to other top-tier schools despite being top ten in rankings. (Hence their early admission program.)
Questions were:
- Walk me through your resume.
- Why MBA? / Why Duke? Why Duke as opposed to the other schools you applied to?
- What are your career goals and how will Duke get you there? » Continue reading
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