Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017

Good luck to all of the R2 Applicants!

Also a late "in for R2."

I'll be interviewing at UNC next week and might try to wander around Duke for a while first. Any admitted/current students have tips for what I should do while I'm on campus/in town? I won't be staying overnight but I'd probably have plenty of time both in the morning and early evening.

Go visit Duke Gardens (although it will be frozen gardens when you go), Duke Chapel, Fox Center Fuqua and play ping pong. You can also try to check-in to the admissions office and hang out with the adcom.

Try and talk with as many students/club heads/ adcoms as possible . Specially the ones who have the same Post MBA goals/industry preferences as you do. Doing so would help you understand how fuqua has helped them get closer to their goals(so far) . Additionally it will also give you a taste of the very distinct fuqua culture.If you are a fit , such interactions will invariably resonate with some part of your personality , which if leveraged properly can work wonders in your essays .

Hopefully you'll get a call, but if you don't you can check here to hear from the people who are checking every 30 seconds for an update. I was able to check before they sent out an email. But at the end of the day they do send out an e-mail telling you to check.

For those wondering about interview invites, in R1, all interview invitations were sent by email ("an application update has been posted" or something like that) about 2 days before the deadline on the website (in this case the deadline is Feb. 4 I think). They were sent all at once around ~1 p.m. EST. Waitlists/Dings were NOT sent until the final decision date. R1 was a bit weird because it also had the open interview period, and some people got "not invited to interview" after they had open-interviewed, which drove some people crazy.

Hi everyone, now that the Class of 2017 application cycle is one round from being over, I know many of you are debating between offers or just want to learn more about the Fuqua MBA. I'm a current second year MBA student at Duke and maintain a blog that focuses primarily on my MBA experience.

I'd like to "crowdsource" topics for future blog posts from readers of this thread.

I've had readers request I write about some topics in the past, and find that they are more relevant to what readers want to read about. I'd like to open this up to everyone who is reading this thread. I'm graduating in a couple of months, so now is a good time to reflect on what you all want to learn about the experience. You can find my blog here to see what topics have been covered in the past.

Please shoot me a PM and I would be happy to find out what you're curious to learn about the Duke MBA.

I imagine a handful of us are basically doing this, just with admissions:

That's both awesome and yet doesn't help me control my urge to constantly refresh the page.

They'll start in roughly one week.

Good luck. Think I am going to interview in London too - so fingers crossed for both of us!

Changes in volunteer experience, new projects/responsibilities at work, etc.

FROM Fuqua Current Student Blogs: Alumni Myth Busting: 4 Things About the Fuqua Experience

I’m baaaacck. You may remember me from such then-student blog posts as “What You Need to Know Before Starting B-School” and “The Unofficial 5-Step Path to Leadership Success at Fuqua.” While Fuqua made me move on (I still think a 3-year MBA would be awesome…although how about buy 2 years, get 1 free?), I am back to share my wisdom ramblings. I have been busy since we last virtually met. I graduated in May 2013, did an unpaid externship with the awesome KIPP organization, and re-joined Deloitte Consulting’s Human Capital practice. So what brings me back into your lives? I am here to answer the ever so important question—is it all worth it? You know…the MBA…Fuqua…? Short Answer: YES I am absolutely a better person and definitely a better business person as a result of the investment I made in myself to get an MBA and for choosing Fuqua. I think you will be too, however maybe not in the ways you expect. Given that I’m a few years ahead of where you are now, I wanted to clear up some myths that will hopefully make your MBA experience that much stronger: Myth #1 Fuqua is going to give me tactical skills, all of which I will use day 1 in my job and every day going forward. REALITY: I have probably forgotten 50% of what I learned at Fuqua due to lack of regular use and capacity to retain all of that information. I wish I could remember the 3-legged stool from Managerial Accounting and Professor Shane Dikoli or how to calculate IRR from Corporate Finance and Professor John Graham. However, Fuqua educated me on how to get smart quick. I haven’t had to use those two concepts for the past year, but I KNOW that I could quickly get back up to speed if and when I do. I am also now equipped with an army of former classmates who are using those skills on a regular basis, and I know they would happily spend 5 or 10 minutes helping me talk through a concept if I needed help. REMEMBER: You are getting a crash course in business concepts, not to make you an expert, but to make you educated holistically with the aptitude to become an expert if and when you need to be. Myth #2 I am never going to use anything from the Management Communications course Fuqua makes me take. REALITY: All business is show business. Your career will move as quickly as you can communicate the value you bring to an organization. You have to be able to tell a story through slides or through a presentation. I can assure you that you will constantly be on conference calls, meeting with clients, and giving impromptu presentations. There is no getting around it, no matter the career track you choose. REMEMBER: The more you practice your communication skills, the better you will perform when given those opportunities. Take each chance to build your communications skills in a safe environment at Fuqua seriously, or pay for it later. Myth #3 Once I leave Fuqua, I can toss my Personal Development Plan (PDP) and this whole goal setting nonsense out the window. REALITY: Time flies. The years will pass quickly once you leave Fuqua and it is super easy for you to get lost in your everyday work. In addition, no one is going to check in with you to see if the work you are doing or the career you are building is what YOU want. You have to make the time to think about your short and long term goals, and assess if what you are doing is getting you there and making you happy. You will have to speak up and be your own advocate to receive the type of work that most aligns with your goals and interests. REMEMBER: If you haven’t thought about your goals and personal development, then how will you know what you want? Build the habit while at Fuqua so you never hesitate with the question “What is it you want to be when you grow up?” Myth #4 You will never get gray hair REALITY: Gray hair starts right after you graduate. #OMG REMEMBER: Fuqua will likely be one the best experiences of your life. Take advantage of every opportunity Fuqua has to offer. It only gets real out here in the work world. #GRAYHAIR

Good luck everyone. I was a Round 1 applicant and I didn't even get a call. I found out I was accepted after I logged into the SISS portal later that evening. Same thing for another applicant I met at BDW... so be patient!

I will be on holiday in Oman. Will probably jump in the Arabian sea!

In the US on the east coast. The person that called me said that she just started calling and I was her first call.