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

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Who would be an ideal applicant to your program based on admissions, culture, and the program in general?

Steven:- There is no ideal applicant to Fuqua. We come from such a wide range of backgrounds and diverse set of cultures that makes it impossible to answer this question. What you may be asking is whether there is a set of qualities that make people successful in Fuqua's culture. Here are a few that I've noticed consistently:

A. Passionate. Fuqua students are very passionate about what they do. This is what drives them in pursuing career choices that are both traditional and less traditional for MBAs. Applicants who stand for something and want to make a difference in the world will find themselves very happy here.

B. Team player. Fuqua students want each other to succeed. We want to win, but only when the team wins as well. We are very authentic with each other and develop deep personal relationships in the two years that we are here. If you excel in a collaborative environment and enjoy trusting your team mates, then Fuqua is a great place.

C. Has consequential leadership potential. At Fuqua, we don't just teach leadership, we produce the consequential leaders of tomorrow. By consequential, we mean leaders who not only drive shareholder value, but also make the world a better place. We teach leaders to follow their moral compass and stick with their values. We view true leaders as those who decide to pursue the hard rights and not the easy wrongs. People who have this and #2 in their DNA will succeed at Fuqua.

D. Is excellent, but recognizes the need to grow. Fuqua students were excellent in their past careers, but were reflective enough to understand their developmental needs. Fuqua students have the capacity to identify their weaknesses and act on them during their two years here.




GPA, GMAT, Application Essays, Interview, Work Experience, and Extra Curricular. If you asked to arrange these parameters in the order of their importance at Fuqua – what would it be?

Steven:- Work Experience, EC, Interview, Essays, GMAT, GPA - in this order.


What advantage, if any, is there in applying in a specific round over another?

Steven:- Can't confirm for Fuqua, but generally for b-schools, EA>R2=R1>R3



Are the on-campus and off-campus interviews treated equally or there is any preference to one over other?

Steven:- I'd assume that they would be treated equally as Fuqua is looking to attract the best talent globally.



Do you recommend a school visit? Is it a must?

Steven:- A school visit is highly recommended, but not necessary. There are many other ways to learn about the school culture and classroom experience, such as speaking to current students.



Can you comment on the Employment process of the school? What support do students get from Career Services dept, peers, and alumni?

Steven:-

Recruiting preparation starts in the summer. Students begin having sessions on resumes, interviews, networking during Global Institute in August. Then in September students are matched with their career fellows (second year MBAs), who help them with their resumes, cover letters, and interview preps. In general, companies start coming to campus in Fall 1 and Fall 2, and those are the busiest terms for internship recruiting.

The Career Management Center (CMC): engages with Fuqua starting during the summer prior the the first year. The CMC mainly plays two roles: (A) They teach students how to optimize our resumes and cover letters, manage the off-campus recruiting process, and coach students for interviews. (B) They engage with companies and make sure the best companies come to campus and that students have access to recruiters at those companies.

Peers: Second years are actively involved in coaching first year MBAs. Student clubs host career events that are designed to help first years navigate the recruiting process and offer tips from those who went before them. Career fellows are actively coaching students. Second years in general are very open to having one-on-ones with first years who are interested in the firms they interned at or who just want to learn more about the industry, do casing/interview prep, etc. Fuqua is very student-run, as I've blogged about.

Alumni: In general Fuqua has a very active and engaged alumni network. We are given the tools to begin our off campus job search early and we start with alumni first. Many alumni serve as recruiters for companies that come on campus as well. Fuqua also has structured programs that match alumni with current students, offering formal mentorship opportunities, in addition to an endless amount of informal resources.



Which companies (and from which sectors) generally recruit in the school? How strong school’s alumni network is?

Steven:- Fuqua is a general management program and gets a wide range of sectors and a big list of companies that come on campus. I'd encourage prospective students to browse the employment reports from previous years and see if their target companies recruited on campus. https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/mba_recruitin ... tatistics/

I have not done an analysis on Fuqua's general alumni network, but I do have data that it is best-in-class for health care. An easy way for prospective students to do this would be to do searches on LinkedIn with their target schools and industries and get a sense of the quantities.



Which student clubs or groups are in the school? What social and philanthropic opportunities and opportunities to get involved in leadership roles one can get in these groups?

Steven:- List of clubs https://fuqua.campusgroups.com/club_sig ... _type=2176
First year MBAs can get involved through serving as cabinet members. Second year MBAs also form the leadership team and mentor first years. There are also leadership positions within the MBA Association and the 6 sections of the first year class that students can get involved with.



Is there anything related to Financial Aid worth a mention?

Steven:- Nothing out of the ordinary.



Can you think of a few good and bad reasons for applicants to reach out to current students? Esp. Before submitting an application?

Steven:- Good reasons:
A. Made good effort to do research but could not find the answer to a few specific questions relating to their career goals or a particular resource at the school.

B. Want to learn about specific examples of the school culture at play.

C. Want to learn about life, networking, and career options in RTP.

D. Debating between offers.

Bad reasons:
A. To ask for a student recommendation.

B. Ask general questions about the school and its culture. For example, what is Team Fuqua or what is consequential leadership are general questions and their answers can be found by going through the Fuqua website or reading student blog posts. A better question would be to ask about how Team Fuqua has made a difference in a current student's leadership development or future career goals.