solaris1 wrote:
Ok, and what's the typical Fuqua student like, kidderek? Just curious.
I'm hoping to learn more about Duke in the coming months, the school sounds great on paper but I am yet to meet any current students/alumni to get first hand perspectives on what life there's all about. Not a huge sports fan and I'm not crazy about Durham either, but I do believe Duke is a bit underrated at least in terms of the recruiting opportunities and strong alumni network its graduates enjoy even outside of the South - I'm referring specifically to the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic.
I'm possibly in for R2.
Well I don't necessarily want to bash Duke but I guess it already started. I bashed Duke for 4 years during UG so I guess I'm a pro at this. I was considering adding Duke to my roster, but I have decided against it. There are a few things that keep me away from Duke:
1) I know 2 people who are in the Class of 2010. They are both very mediocre guys and Duke was the only school that accepted them. I would hate to be around them and have them as 2nd years when I am a 1st year.
2) The ethics scandals have brought down my view of the school - even if it may be behind them.
3) The brand name does not hold very much weight on the West Coast.
4) Duke has an astromonically high acceptance rate - this doesn't make for the highest quality student body.
5) It seems more like a marketing/GM school than a finance school. The banks recruit there but they don't seem to take Fuqua students as seriously as students from Columbia/Wharton/Chicago.
6) I'm a TERP.
7) A lot of people despise Duke and Duke students. This applies more to the UG institution than Fuqua, but UG reputations certainly carry forward to the graduate schools as well.
And I leave you with the stereotype:
11.) Duke - Pros: Maybe the best health care management program in the
country. Great brand name, especially in the south. Strong team culture.
Cons: Relatively young MBA program, so alumni network is small. As such, the
brand cache just isn't there yet. People that come here seem very cookie
cutter to me, not in a bad way, just very comfortable and relatively
unambitious.
Office Space Character: Samir (Peter's co-worker and friend). Samir is a
nice guy, very practical and unassuming. You get the feeling that he's happy
as long as he has a job in hand. Won't make waves, won't screw up, and won't
take any risks. But he's a happy guy, and will have a house with 2.2 kids
and a dog in a suburb somewhere (probably Durham).