Fuqua (Duke) Class of 2016: Calling all applicants!

FROM Fuqua MBA Blog: Random Things About Me

We’re in the midst of application season and seeing the prospective students touring Fuqua and visiting classes brought back memories of when I applied to school. Fuqua’s random facts application essay is one of the greatest questions I’ve seen. It’s unique, and you may be wondering how to respond, so I thought I would share some random things about myself. So here they are, in no particular order: In 2008, I finished my first and only marathon in a time of 3 hours, 46 minutes. While I haven’t ruled out running another, it hasn’t happened yet … I’m an amateur competitive eater. Career highlights include demolishing a 4-pound burrito in 13 minutes and nearly finishing a 10,000-calorie, 9-pound burger in 1 hour. I’m a lifetime member of the Clean Plate Club. In sixth grade, I finished third place in my hometown spelling bee, but … there were only 3 contestants. I love tennis. I played in high school and continued playing competitively during college. I co-founded the Iowa State tennis club with some friends and over 10 years later, the club is still thriving. My wife, Julie Ryan, is also a first-year student at Fuqua. One of my favorite experiences was studying abroad in France during undergrad and spending the summer backpacking throughout Western Europe. I didn’t step foot on a plane until I was 21 years old, but on my 28th birthday, I jumped out of one. I don’t own a television or DVD player, but 2 of my favorite shows are “Lost” and “Breaking Bad.” As a pre-teen, I was very overweight. During the summer between seventh and eighth grade, I lost 50 pounds and when I returned to school, no one recognized me. They thought I was the new kid in school! I lived for more than 2 years without electricity or running water in an African village as a Peace Corps volunteer. I met former Vice President Al Gore (author of “An Inconvenient Truth”) and country music star LeAnn Rimes. As I’m writing this, I’m procrastinating on studying. My only brother is 3 years younger than me and at various stages of our lives we’ve been mistaken for twins. My undergraduate career spanned 5 1/2 years, two schools, and more than 200 credits. In 2004, I was the Iowa State University Intramural ping pong singles and doubles champion! My first part-time job was stringing tennis rackets. My favorite job to-date was with the Peace Corps where I worked as a small business advisor and helped entrepreneurs launch new businesses. My favorite movies growing up were the “Back to the Future” trilogy. Nerd alert! I’ve always enjoyed board games, and about a year ago I fell in love with Settlers of Catan – especially with the Cities and Knights expansion. I also enjoy Acquire, a rare property investment game made by 3M in the 1960s. I can’t really swim and I’m the worst golfer you’ll ever see. I’m currently writing a humorous travelogue about my adventures in Africa, similar to one of my favorite books “Sex Lives of Cannibals.” Camembert Apple Chutney Quesadillas. I’m a self-proclaimed foodie and when time allows, I enjoy cooking. The aforesaid dish is one of my specialties. I love traveling. At the top of my must-see list is Southeast Asia. I created and dressed as a superhero named Moringa Man to teach the population of Burkina Faso about the health benefits of cooking with moringa, a super-nutritious plant. I inherited my love for outdoor activities from my parents, who both hold graduate degrees in geology. During my childhood, we spent many summer vacations hiking and backpacking in the Rockies. I once permed my hair because I liked the way the style looked in a Taco Bell commercial.

FROM Fuqua MBA Blog: I Chose Fuqua to Find My Dream Job

One of my passions is contributing to the development of others. I am driven by the opportunity to show someone who thinks they are “average” how much potential they have to achieve more, and ways in which to improve themselves. I didn’t realize I could make a career out of doing what I love, but through researching business schools and potential career paths, I realized it was possible. My short term plan is to get into human resources, or a role in human capital management, where I can drive a company’s performance through the strategy behind their people. Long term, I envision myself leveraging my experience in a non-profit industry, like education, because I believe our education system can be transformed with great leaders. Of course, like my peers, I’m also open to learning about different careers and industries while I am at Fuqua. Waking up to do something you love is not working, it’s called living a dream, and Duke seemed to be the perfect choice to help me get to my dream job. Why was Duke the right choice and how would it help me? Well, one of the reasons I applied to Fuqua was because of its many concentrations. These concentrations, specifically Leadership & Ethics, Management and Social Entrepreneurship, cover all the information I hope to learn to achieve my short-term and long-term career aspirations. Also, the 6-week terms provide flexibility to study multiple concentrations and to take more classes than at many other business programs. Through business school, I want to learn about managing others, developing myself, and becoming a better leader. Leadership training is interwoven in the Fuqua curriculum and extracurricular activities, for both years of the MBA. Two other big factors that drove me to choose Duke is their Net Impact Club and Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE). They both offer so many programs and opportunities that I want to take advantage of. The Net Impact Club is the largest on campus. They also won the best club of the year last year, which goes to show you how strong their commitment to the community is. Within my first month of being here, I was able to experience Durham through their signature Day in Durham event. I met leaders in non-profit organizations and learned how I could become involved. COLE provides lots of leadership training. Each study team is assigned a COLE Fellow — someone to serve as a ‘leadership facilitator’ for lack of a better term. I love my fellow. I value the insight he provides to our group with respect to team dynamics, stress management, and creating the best two years of our lives. I didn’t understand the role or impact COLE would have on me, but our mandatory PDP (Personal Development Plan) and COLE Fellow, have allowed me to question how I define leadership and success, and how I want to transform myself as a person, and my community, from being a part of it. There’s so much that I plan to accomplish in two years here. I’ve tried emphasizing to my family just how much I plan to do, and I know they think I’m crazy, but I actually have a spreadsheet to keep track of my activities, and prove just how much can be done! Feeling At Home at Fuqua On top of everything I felt that I would learn at Fuqua and finding a path to my dream job, another main reason I chose to attend Fuqua was because I felt at home here. I knew I wouldn’t have the luxury of 4 years to find my niche, so I sought out a place where I felt I would be surrounded by extended family — a strong support network. Team Fuqua is where it’s at. Team Fuqua is so awesome that on my first day here, I felt comfortable enough to send the people responsible for admitting me this note: Subject: I am officially a North Carolina resident! Hello new family, I wanted to update you all that I had a wonderful 4 hours + breakdown yesterday as I said goodbye to my mother – of course, not in front of her, because that would’ve delayed my arrival. The reason I am sharing that is because I want you all to know I made the decision to come to Duke primarily because I felt the safest and most comfortable in this community, thanks to you all, who represent the school so well. I am confident I’ll be too busy to even remember being homesick and that this is the right decision for me today, and for my family’s future trajectory… I’m sure other schools have almost as amazing admissions officers, but the team here at Fuqua is incomparable. Here are some facts about the admissions officers — the Queen, Liz Riley Hargrove knits. We chatted about knitting one day, for over 10 minutes, because she found me knitting in the hallway. Willie Green is currently in the Cross Continent MBA program — so trust him when he says he knows the curriculum — he really does! Sharon Thompson helped coin the term Wellness Wednesdays for the folks up in admissions, and it spread to the students. Each Wednesday they host a PiYo class (it’s a combination of pilates and yoga). We hang out, even when we don’t have to. That’s love. I can’t put into more words how welcoming this community is, and how excited I am to be here. Go Team Fuqua!

FROM Fuqua MBA Blog: Social Impact Meets Business Conference

I have a confession to make — I like the taste of insects. OK, so it’s not quite the same thing as eating an ant off the ground, but I recently had a snack bar made of powdered cricket flour, and it was actually pretty good. The company that produces it, Chapul, wasn’t the only bug-based cuisine company represented at the recent 2013 Net Impact Conference, either. Hult Prize winner Aspire Food Group fosters the production of grasshopper snacks in Mexico, and was also at the conference. Both companies discovered that the protein and micronutrient benefits of insects could be a powerful way to fight hunger and malnutrition, and at a fraction of the proportional water usage that traditional livestock require. A rep from Chapul sells snack bars made from dried cricket flour during the conference expo. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would not be surprised that attendees of a social business conference were standing around eating bugs, but prior to attending the Net Impact Conference in San Jose, California, from October 24-26, I wouldn’t have guessed that crickets would be on the menu. At the conference, dozens of companies were present, each highlighting a better way of doing things — for example, a better way to nourish people (Chapul and Aspire Food Group), a better way to monitor a telecom supply chain (Sprint), a better way to address traveler’s housing needs (Airbnb), and many more. Fuqua Represents Michelle Kirby (left) and Jen Fluder (right) are co-presidents of the Fuqua Net Impact chapter, which was named top 3 in the country! Despite the fact that the conference was held across the country in California, Fuqua proudly fielded the largest number of attendees from any graduate program. This plucky bunch included many of the Fuqua Net Impact cabinet members, as well as first-years who had attended this year’s social impact Week-in-Cities in San Francisco. I actually attended the conference for the second time (read about last year’s experience). The Fuqua crew also had the added bonus of learning that Fuqua Net Impact was named one of the top 3 graduate school Net Impact chapters in the nation, for the second year in a row! After the conference, we now have hundreds more examples of how to make a positive impact on the world through whichever sector we may end up in when we graduate. And since I learned at this conference that millennials are likely to change careers 3 times, let’s shoot to have impact in whatever sector we’re in 5 years after graduation, as well.

FROM Fuqua MBA Blog: Weekend for Women Event Reaches 10-Year Anniversary

A year ago, my life was very different: I was living in New York City, putting in long hours at work during the day, and working on B-school applications and studying for the GMAT at night. I know just as well as the next guy or gal the stress that comes with applying to a top tier business school — for the period of August through December of last year I took what felt like a permanent hiatus from friends and family as I worked towards my B-school goal. However, one experience in particular helped me to remain focused and keep my eye on the prize during times when it felt like I was swimming against the current: in early November of last year, I attended Duke’s annual MBA Weekend for Women. The event was a turning point for me last year because it helped me realize that Fuqua was THE place for me. Earlier this month, I was fortunate to participate in the event, again, but from a different perspective, as a current student and organizer. The Duke MBA Weekend for Women The Weekend for Women (W4W) is an annual invitation-only diversity event that brings female prospective students to campus for a chance to experience life at Fuqua. The weekend is filled with leadership discussions, career panels, introductions to Fuqua’s curriculum and clubs, and networking events with current students and alumni. Alumnae celebrate the weekend event’s 10-year anniversary. Celebrating 10 Years This year marked the 10-year anniversary of the W4W. The event included over 80 prospective students, representing various geographic locations and with professional backgrounds ranging from engineering to non-profit. Over 30 alumnae also attended, providing prospective students an opportunity to hear first-hand about the value of the Fuqua network throughout the trajectory of one’s career. Some of the alumnae have returned to Fuqua for the W4W for multiple years, and they have helped to make it a success for 10 years. The visiting alumnae were an incredible resource: throughout the weekend, over lunches and coffee chats, we (prospective and current students) had the opportunity to engage with the incredibly successful women from many professions. With all of the transparency, jokes, and laughter throughout these conversations, it didn’t feel like I was networking — but I certainly came out with great new contacts and an interest in several new functions and industries. That’s the power of the Fuqua network. Event Highlights Buddy Wine Night: Each W4W attendee is paired with a current student “buddy” to act as a point of reference throughout the weekend and during the application process. Last year, my relationship with my buddy was incredibly useful, and now that I am on the other side of the fence, I was more than happy to be paired with a few wonderful ladies who attended the W4W! We met over a glass of wine (what better ice breaker is there?) and we discussed everything from nuances of the application process to our favorite New York City restaurants. Women in Leadership Discussion: Management & Organizations Professor Ashleigh Rosette has earned many accolades both in and outside of Fuqua (she’s feature in Poets & Quants as a 40 best professor under 40). During the W4W, Ashleigh discussed her research on women and their path to leadership, incorporating hot topics such as Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” movement and recent reactions to the HBS gender and leadership initiatives. Taste of the Core: No MBA weekend is complete without a taste of our world class education. Attendees had the exciting opportunity to attend “mock classes.” In a typical class visit visitors sit silently at the back of the room during an actual MBA class, but not during W4W. Accounting Professor Shane Dikolli and Finance Professor Michael Brandt graciously taught mock classes over the weekend, utilizing actual cases and materials from MBA courses. This offered prospective students an opportunity to engage, participate, and get a true taste of what sitting in a Fuqua classroom entails. The weekend was a huge success and being on the other side of the fence this year, I couldn’t help but remember attending the event last year. The W4W is what made me realize that Fuqua was my top choice. Experiencing the beautiful campus, the quality of education, the inclusiveness of Team Fuqua — all of this drove my aspirations and encouraged me to push through impossibly hard GMAT questions and tedious application nuances in an effort to reach my goal of becoming a part of Team Fuqua. I hope this year’s attendees left with the same feeling!

(apologize for side tracking)
via Cricinfo: "A special screening of Sachin's last innings here by Duke University students in USA."

I have a new found respect for Fuqua. It might be the deciding factor if I have to choose between multiple schools. No kid!

Invited as well!!!

Indian_MBA_aspirant86 tahnks for the company! LOL

Now you can sleep man!

Good luck!

INVITED!!! whooo...almost had a panic attack because my status did not change when all the rest of yours did....but received an email invite about 30 mins ago! DUKKKKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Congratulations to all invited to interview! Being selected for the interview means the adcom liked something in your application. This is a good time to review your entire profile again to make sure that if there are any potential gaps then to emphasize the countering strength in your interview. Lets bring it home!

For all not invited, there is a chance that you might be waitlisted without an interview. I believe there were 3 or 4 candidates last year who were brought in for round 2 or round 3 for interviews because the adcom probably felt they needed to round out the class a bit more in a certain category.

+1

If you see any gaps in your profile, make sure you have a plan to address them because you will be asked! But also, best thing to do to prepare for the interview is STICK TO YOUR STORY. Be genuine, be unique, and emphasize what you can give to Duke in a non arrogant manner.

The interview is done by second years and they are evaluating you as a potential teammate and classmate so remember that.

Good luck everyone!

Congrats all who got invited. Few tips I would like to share:

1) If your schedule allows, try to visit campus on a Friday and sign up for the "Fuqua Friday". You will truly get to see the camaraderie among current students and enjoy free dinner and drinks. It will also give you an opportunity to connect with current students in a more laid back environment.

2) Make sure you have your pitch ready on "Why Fuqua" and what you will bring to campus. As you may see, Duke is much more focused on "fit" than your numbers or pedigree - which explains why our average GMAT is lower than other top schools. For "Why Fuqua" question, make sure you say things which are specific to Fuqua only and will not apply to other top schools. You have to convince your interviewers that Duke and you are the best fit.

3) Have 2-3 examples ready for situations when you were in a team setting and faced adversity. They want to know if you are someone who is willing to step up or compromise during dire situations.

4) Be humble and friendly to student hosts. As you will see, current students will visit you in the lobby to answer any questions you may have or help ease your nerves. This is a great time to build some strong connections. If you get waitlisted, one of these students might be willing to write a nice recommendation letter for you.

5) Most importantly, be yourself. If you use humor, make sure to make your interviewer laugh, while being professional.

Feel free to ask any questions. Me, Jokesta and kple12 are willing to help you all.

FROM Fuqua MBA Blog: MBAs + Military Training = Operation Blue Devil

Guest blogger: Paul Escajadillo, first-year Daytime student. He served as a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, deploying to Ecuador, Colombia, and twice to Afghanistan. Integrity. Courage. Perseverance. Personal Responsibility. Professionalism. Adaptability. Team Player. Capability. What do all of these values have in common? They are the Army’s Special Operations Forces attributes, which define the military volunteers who become key fighters and influencers in the global fight against terrorism. Their experiences and leadership lessons could fill volumes of management textbooks. Authentic engagement. Loyal community. Collective diversity. Supportive ambition. Uncompromising integrity. These are the paired principles which form the values held by the Daytime student body. Pretty standard, but what truly sets Fuqua apart is that it provides more than a transactional experience. Fuqua students are challenged to create a transformational experience in which they grow as individuals and become “Leaders of Consequence” who become positive agents of change within their communities and professions. Fuqua’s mission sounds quite similar to how Special Operations Forces are trained to quickly adapt to complex environments while considering long-term effects in order to effectively accomplish their mission. If only there was a way to challenge these MBA candidates with the real-world leadership assessing scenarios that Special Operations Forces undergo … MBA students pushed their limits at one of Ft. Bragg’s training sites. Enter Operation Blue Devil. For the second year, the Duke Armed Forces Association (DAFA) organized Operation Blue Devil to provide Fuqua students with the ability to experience leadership outside of the classroom from some of the most well-versed practitioners in the craft: the elite men and women of Special Operations Forces. Much like Wharton’s Quantico Venture in which the University of Pennsylvania partners with the U.S. Marine Corps, DAFA is creating a partnership with Army base Fort Bragg that will assist in creating our intended “Leaders of Consequence.” The idea started with Duke student veterans who were stationed at Fort Bragg prior to their transition to Duke University. For many of us veterans, returning to our old stomping grounds in order to provide a unique experience to our peers is something we wholeheartedly believe in. Students went through Army training obstacles. For a weekend in November, several student veterans acting as observers (myself included) took 19 Daytime MBA students to Fort Bragg. These 19 students’ military experience was limited to movies like “Black Hawk Down.” They volunteered to participate in Operation Blue Devil in order to push their boundaries and exit their comfort zones. They boarded a bus on a Friday evening and over the course of two days, slept in both a barracks room and in sleeping bags underneath ponchos in the woods of one of Fort Bragg’s premier training sites. They ate military Meals Ready-to-Eat (MREs), and experienced the life of a Special Operations Soldier in training. For many of them, it was the first time they attempted to lead diverse groups amidst foreign, dynamic, and ambiguous environments. They attempted to complete “missions” with incomplete information, limited time, and no clear “right” answers. Some obstacles were higher then others (literally and figuratively). Starting at 6:00 a.m. Saturday and finishing by 12:00 p.m. Sunday, these brave Fuquans conducted an Army physical fitness test of 2 minutes of pushups, 2 minutes of sit-ups, and a 2-mile run. This was followed by team events which challenged them mentally as well as physically, including exercises in adapting random pieces of equipment (such as wheels, boxes, pipes, and rope) that could serve intended purposes such as transporting 200-pound sand bags, which represented fallen comrades. They also sat in on multiple survival classes, and the event culminated with an after action review that provided invaluable feedback on their overall performance, before boarding a bus and returning to Durham. Hiking with a 35-pound military backpack. Physical challenges in a military setting may seem quite straightforward, but it was the mental challenges that were more applicable to future business leaders. It was fascinating to see what happens to a group of high-performers when you deprive them of simple comforts and tire them out with physical activities: reaction times lessen and complex problem solving skills decline. Solving simple math problems may seem beneath these MBA students with high GMAT scores. But after sleeping for only 4 hours, then hiking through the woods with a 35-pound rucksack (military backpack), it can become as complex as differential equations. From this environment, true leaders arose. Ultimately, the participants emerged with a better grasp of their strengths and weaknesses. And while studying for midterms and preparing casework is important, they are more likely to remember Operation Blue Devil than the particulars of a class they took as the years go by. What matters now is whether they take time for reflection and apply what they’ve learned or allow it to become a simple memory. Were the links between the Special Operation Force’s attributes and Fuqua’s paired principles established in their minds? Could they take a lesson from the experience and apply it to their Fuqua teams or beyond? Did it become one of those transformational events we should all aspire to obtain during our stint at Fuqua? Deep down, after some careful and honest evaluation, only those 19 students will know.

newsFuqua, newsKellogg, newsBooth, etc. were created by GMATClub specifically for the purpose of posting school blogs so that people didn't have to go searching for them. It is not spam.

Jonathan Bush, CEO of athenahealth, recently spoke at Fuqua's Distinguished Speaker Series. Very inspiring and entertaining!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwuQ2QFs ... 3q&index=1

You will get a call from the member of Adcom on the day of the decisions. Duke is pretty good with calling everyone within a 2-3 hour time frame, so you won't have to wait much. And calls go geographically, so international, east coast, midwest, west coast and then south and south america. Good Luck!

Look out for a 919 area code.

I just spent about 20 minutes stalking last year's thread for R1 decision notifications. I am now so. nervous. I thought my interview went well initially but then the more I thought about it the more I realized how nervous I was and that I might not have answered the questions!! These next 9 days are going to be TUFF.

I feel your pain. I walked out of the interview feeling very confident but in the subsequent days started second guessing some answers and the overall impression I gave to the interviewer. There's not much you can do now so if you're finished with all your apps like I am then just enjoy the breather. Between our careers, the GMAT and countless hours working on apps, we all deserve a break and a drink or two... or three haha.

haha, it's a human feeling. I was on wait list for 7 months last year at Fuqua, and doubted my every single interview answer for 7 months - probably aged 70 months in 7

Good Luck Guys! I am excited to meet my classmates.