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ConsultingOrBust
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 22 Dec 2014, 16:07
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I just finished analyzing Duke MBA acceptance rate. Good news for all you second round applicants, Duke has no preference for first round applicants unlike Harvard and Stanford. Good luck with you applications.
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 23 Dec 2014, 01:28
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Application summary of Fuqua Early Action and Round 1 applicants. (Based on applicants’ profile updates)

Early Action
Total Applicants: 131
Admitted: 24
Waitlisted: 6
Denied: 8
Unknown Decisions: 93

Round 1
Total Applicants: 196
Admitted: 40
Waitlisted: 28
Denied: 14
Unknown Decisions: 113


A humble request to all round one applicants, please update your GMATClub profile status.
Mention your profile and application updates in the compilation of all 2015 applicant profiles 2015-profiles-w-admit-dings-results-no-discussion-176967.html
Admitted applicants’ discussion thread calling-all-duke-fuqua-accepted-applicants-2015-intake-class-of-187772.html
Waitlisted applicants’ discussion thread fuqua-duke-class-of-2017-calling-all-waitlisted-applicants-190421.html
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 23 Dec 2014, 20:07
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What are the chances of being admitted from the WL at Fuqua? Last year there were only 4 for all rounds.
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 23 Dec 2014, 20:10
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I'd guess very low. At most schools it seems as if ~5 get in out of 100-150 or possibly more. The odds just aren't very good unfortunately.
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 23 Dec 2014, 23:00
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ConsultingOrBust
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Wait listed at Kellogg & Duke.. Not sure who to apply to for round 2. I guess Tuck and Yale are out of reach. Looks like I'll have to retake the GMAT..congrats to all who were accepted.


After my dings from HBS and Wharton , I felt the same way. I started blaming my GMAT .Its funny that my GMAT #2 is scheduled for next tuesday. I cant get a refund now so I might take it just for kicks :lol: Things changed drastically in the past two days though.kellogg and duke were far too kind ...Was totally unexpected. My two cents:
Take the GMAT but not at the cost of you round 2 apps . GMAT may seem as the only thing you can improve before round two , but trust me that is not true. There is always room with essays/recommedations-- aim golden ! . 700 is not a bad score , especially if you dont belong to an over represented pool of candidates( I do!). Tuck and Yale are both awesome schoos if you were to pick one. Keep your hopes high brother. Onwards now !

Even if you are already accepted into a school, you might as well take the extra GMAT test seriously. When you apply for job interviews, a lot of the top companies ask for your GMAT. I think that the fact that I got a 770 helped me get 14 summer internship interviews with all of the top consulting companies other than BCG. A lot of the companies even asked for SAT scores, which is crazy, I took them 12 years ago!
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Wow - SAT scores? Do they (MBB) have a cutoff for interviews for GMAT or even SAT? What other kind of companies beside MBB care about your GMAT/SAT?
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 24 Dec 2014, 02:29
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Hey guys! Congrats to all that have heard positive news, and fingers crossed for all you waitlisters!

I've just finished my application and have my finger on the 'Submit' button. As I was about to pay the fee, I noticed that members of the Forte Foundation may be eligible for a fee waiver so I am waiting for word from the admissions office. Looks like I'll submit on 3rd or 4th Jan now....
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 24 Dec 2014, 08:57
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Wait listed at Kellogg & Duke.. Not sure who to apply to for round 2. I guess Tuck and Yale are out of reach. Looks like I'll have to retake the GMAT..congrats to all who were accepted.


After my dings from HBS and Wharton , I felt the same way. I started blaming my GMAT .Its funny that my GMAT #2 is scheduled for next tuesday. I cant get a refund now so I might take it just for kicks :lol: Things changed drastically in the past two days though.kellogg and duke were far too kind ...Was totally unexpected. My two cents:
Take the GMAT but not at the cost of you round 2 apps . GMAT may seem as the only thing you can improve before round two , but trust me that is not true. There is always room with essays/recommedations-- aim golden ! . 700 is not a bad score , especially if you dont belong to an over represented pool of candidates( I do!). Tuck and Yale are both awesome schoos if you were to pick one. Keep your hopes high brother. Onwards now !

Even if you are already accepted into a school, you might as well take the extra GMAT test seriously. When you apply for job interviews, a lot of the top companies ask for your GMAT. I think that the fact that I got a 770 helped me get 14 summer internship interviews with all of the top consulting companies other than BCG. A lot of the companies even asked for SAT scores, which is crazy, I took them 12 years ago!
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Thanks "ConsultingOrBust" .I was able to raise my score by 20 points(to 740). I did read about the consulting firms looking at GMAT scores to filter interview candidates on another forum too. I appreciate you sharing the info . I wonder if diff companies have diff cutoffs though. If so how far apart are they?(specially M/B/B)
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 24 Dec 2014, 15:24
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EndGame
usmabama
Wait listed at Kellogg & Duke.. Not sure who to apply to for round 2. I guess Tuck and Yale are out of reach. Looks like I'll have to retake the GMAT..congrats to all who were accepted.


After my dings from HBS and Wharton , I felt the same way. I started blaming my GMAT .Its funny that my GMAT #2 is scheduled for next tuesday. I cant get a refund now so I might take it just for kicks :lol: Things changed drastically in the past two days though.kellogg and duke were far too kind ...Was totally unexpected. My two cents:
Take the GMAT but not at the cost of you round 2 apps . GMAT may seem as the only thing you can improve before round two , but trust me that is not true. There is always room with essays/recommedations-- aim golden ! . 700 is not a bad score , especially if you dont belong to an over represented pool of candidates( I do!). Tuck and Yale are both awesome schoos if you were to pick one. Keep your hopes high brother. Onwards now !
Show more

Sorry for the late response been in Punta Cana, DR and didn't have much internet.

Thanks for the kind words. I think one flag is 5/8 on IR & one recommender I chose; I'll apply to a couple of safer schools that only require one recommender for round 2 (maybe Texas/Tepper), but I'm not sure if I should apply to Yale/Tuck in round 2 and try to submit an updated GMAT afterword or apply in round 3...both seem risky.

I'm also considering a "ding/waitlist" review from a consultant and I might use one for Yale/Tuck in round 2 - it's just such a short timeline to make too many improvements & brief a new recommender around the holidays.
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 24 Dec 2014, 15:34
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flewbye
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Wait listed at Kellogg & Duke.. Not sure who to apply to for round 2. I guess Tuck and Yale are out of reach. Looks like I'll have to retake the GMAT..congrats to all who were accepted.

I don't think your GMAT is the correct route to go. 700 is good enough for the military demographic. If your profile is a West Pointer, with a 700 GMAT, and a 3.5 GPA there was something else that rubbed the Adcoms the wrong way. Did you get any current students to proof read your essays for story/content? Did you study the usual questions for the interview or get a current student to do a mock? Your profile is a lot better than mine so there is something in the essays or interview that wasn't working. Have you looked at Cornell?
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Thanks for the input- I think some of the red flags were 5/8 IR and maybe one of my recommenders. I spent a month or more on Kellogg and had a West Point classmate/Kellogg student read my essays. I used much of the same information for Duke, but I tried to tailor it to their program. I spent some time preparing for all the questions that Duke ask and thought the interview portion went well. I had a unique long term career goal - I said I wanted to go into strategy consulting short term to understand business across a broad spectrum and then move into sports marketing long term because it's something I'm passionate about (put a little better spin on it and talked about global nonsense, but thought it was decent...maybe I didn't cross the bridge for them between the two). I really can't put my finger on it and thought I had a great chance of being accepted at Fuqua.

One of my best friends from West point is currently at Cornell and actually works with admissions as a 2nd year - I'm going to talk with him after the holidays.
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 24 Dec 2014, 16:12
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Have any Round 1 admitted applicants received their admit packages in the mail yet?
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 24 Dec 2014, 16:44
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nowmbanow
Have any Round 1 admitted applicants received their admit packages in the mail yet?
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I was told by adcom that they'd post it around today, and we'd receive it early next week. Do you know what we're supposed to see in it? Is it just a acceptance letter/misc info hardcopy or anything else with it?
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 24 Dec 2014, 17:39
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Have any Round 1 admitted applicants received their admit packages in the mail yet?

I was told by adcom that they'd post it around today, and we'd receive it early next week. Do you know what we're supposed to see in it? Is it just a acceptance letter/misc info hardcopy or anything else with it?
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Great. thanks for the info! Pretty much just acceptance letter and misc stuff, and some Duke goodies. Makes the acceptance more realistic than just an email :)
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 26 Dec 2014, 00:04
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usmabama
EndGame
usmabama
Wait listed at Kellogg & Duke.. Not sure who to apply to for round 2. I guess Tuck and Yale are out of reach. Looks like I'll have to retake the GMAT..congrats to all who were accepted.


After my dings from HBS and Wharton , I felt the same way. I started blaming my GMAT .Its funny that my GMAT #2 is scheduled for next tuesday. I cant get a refund now so I might take it just for kicks :lol: Things changed drastically in the past two days though.kellogg and duke were far too kind ...Was totally unexpected. My two cents:
Take the GMAT but not at the cost of you round 2 apps . GMAT may seem as the only thing you can improve before round two , but trust me that is not true. There is always room with essays/recommedations-- aim golden ! . 700 is not a bad score , especially if you dont belong to an over represented pool of candidates( I do!). Tuck and Yale are both awesome schoos if you were to pick one. Keep your hopes high brother. Onwards now !

Sorry for the late response been in Punta Cana, DR and didn't have much internet.

Thanks for the kind words. I think one flag is 5/8 on IR & one recommender I chose; I'll apply to a couple of safer schools that only require one recommender for round 2 (maybe Texas/Tepper), but I'm not sure if I should apply to Yale/Tuck in round 2 and try to submit an updated GMAT afterword or apply in round 3...both seem risky.

I'm also considering a "ding/waitlist" review from a consultant and I might use one for Yale/Tuck in round 2 - it's just such a short timeline to make too many improvements & brief a new recommender around the holidays.
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I don't think the 5/8 IR is the probelm. I had 3/8 (23rd percentile), I also had almost the exact score as you do (700 Q50 V35). I didn't think twice about taking the GMAT again (eventhough I had plenty of time to do so, I took my only GMAT last february and I wasn't intending to apply last year's late rounds, only applied round 1 this year). I got admits from Fuqua (with $), cornell and darden and got waitlisted at Stern. So, yes, the "schools don't really care about IR" hypothesis is true.

All I'm trying to say is, try to focus on something else and don't waste your time on the GMAT. It's really just a reference for schools to know if you can handle the rigor of the program. It's all about your story, employment, recom. letters, etc.. and you'd be surprised how much room for improvement you have in these!

just a small note so I don't seem like someone who can't crack a simple exercise in the IR :P. I really went to the test with no idea of what IR is, so I didn't have enough time to go through all the questions! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Good luck!
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 27 Dec 2014, 00:33
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Hey guys! I just submitted my application. Now for the waiting game...
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 27 Dec 2014, 14:02
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Anyone know where you can find the application proof on Duke's website? I know Kellogg and HBS both had links to application proofs that had all submitted application information on one page. Thanks.

Edit: never mind- I just figured it out.
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 27 Dec 2014, 23:52
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usmabama
Anyone know where you can find the application proof on Duke's website? I know Kellogg and HBS both had links to application proofs that had all submitted application information on one page. Thanks.

Edit: never mind- I just figured it out.
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How do you do it?
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usmabama
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 28 Dec 2014, 06:49
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You have to go on your application homepage (not SISS) and use the "print forms" link at the bottom...then you can save the entire application in a PDF form that resembles other schools "proof"..hope it helps.
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 29 Dec 2014, 10:00
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FROM Fuqua Current Student Blogs: So You’re on the Waitlist…
Ah, December: the most wonderful time of the year. Because of the holidays, right? You may be thinking that. No, I’m talking about that magical month when first-round applicants to MBA programs receive the news they’ve been waiting months for. If you’re like I was a year ago, all you want Santa to bring you is an acceptance from Fuqua, and the only visions dancing in your head are of Blue Devils and North Carolina BBQ. But Santa’s gift took a little while to get to me, because when I applied to Fuqua first-round last year, my response was: waitlisted. If you’ve found yourself in the same boat, read on for my personal advice on how to navigate the uncertain waters that lay ahead.

I applied to Fuqua while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar, and when I got my waitlist notification last December, I remember sitting in the sweltering office of my partner organization, using the last of my monthly internet credit to Google “Fuqua waitlist” and figure out what to do next. As I’m sure many of you have done, the first thing I read was Admissions Officer and Daytime MBA Waitlist Manager Willie Green’s blog post with his waitlist tips. Willie provided a great admissions office perspective on the matter, but I thought it would be helpful for those of you finding yourself waitlisted to hear from a current student who’s been through the same thing. (Spoiler alert: I got in!)

My advice for handling a waitlist situation:
Be Communicative

Happy to receive my admit pack
The number one thing you can do to help your candidacy is communicate to the admissions office that you are sincerely passionate about attending Fuqua. I can’t stress this point enough. Fuqua knows that most applicants apply to lots of different schools, and that a student whom they place on the waitlist will probably get an acceptance from another school. Even if a waitlisted applicant elects to remain on the waitlist, that applicant may have already accepted a spot at another school. Or maybe Fuqua was the only school they applied to during round 1, and they’re planning to apply to a host of other schools during round 2. For all they know, the applicant is only on the waitlist to see what happens, but isn’t really that interested in Fuqua. The bottom line is that the admissions team won’t know your level of dedication to attending Fuqua unless you tell them. Reach out and explain your commitment to getting accepted, and talk about why Fuqua specifically—what is it about our school that makes you want to be a part of it so much?

When I first got waitlisted, I just figured I would wait and see what happened. But then I emailed the second year student who conducted my Skype interview, and she gave me the above advice, which I then acted upon…and the rest is history.

Be Active
I’m no authority on the mysterious workings of the admissions committee or the decision-making process behind who gets accepted, denied, or waitlisted. However, my perspective is that being on the waitlist generally means they think you have potential as a Fuqua student, but there was something about your application, or about it in relation to the greater the applicant pool, that made them unable to extend you a full acceptance offer at that point in time. If you’re still passionate about attending Fuqua, your task now is to make yourself into an even more desirable candidate.

This is different for every applicant, but it may mean taking extra courses; conducting specific volunteer work; retaking the GMAT, GRE, or TOEFL; or sending an additional recommendation letter or two. In addition to communicating your desire to attend Fuqua, the committee probably likes to see you taking active steps to improve your candidacy. While they won’t explicitly tell you why you were waitlisted, most of us can generally guess where our application gaps are, and take steps to address that. In my case, I was an English major in undergrad and had never taken any business courses, so I knew I had academic shortcomings there. During application season, I had started taking an online microeconomics course, so part of my communication to the waitlist counselor was updates on how I did in the course. Additionally, I sent in two extra recommendation letters, and specifically asked these recommenders to address examples of how I embodied some of Fuqua’s core values.

Be Thoughtful
Although I gave the advice above to be an active communicator with the admissions office, it’s also crucial that you strike a balance between sincerely demonstrating your interest and being overly communicative to the point of turning them off. Be respectful of their time, and cognizant of the fact that they handle a LOT of communication. So don’t bombard them with needless emails or check-ins; limit your communication to specific events, actions, or materials. And remember that the admissions team will be evaluating any action or communication you make to assess whether or not they want you representing the Fuqua brand. I ended up talking with a member of the team after I started at Fuqua, and she told me that one criterion they have to consider is whether they’d feel comfortable having that applicant meeting with campus recruiters if they were a student. If an applicant exhibits behavior during the process that the admissions department considers impolite, they will likely worry that the he or she will exhibit the same behavior when they represent Fuqua at conferences and recruiting events.

Be Flexible
If you’re on the waitlist, and are sincerely committed to attending Fuqua, flexibility is key. If you get that call, can you pack up your life, move to Durham, and be prepared to start school in time? Waitlisted applicants are considered alongside all other applicants in subsequent rounds, and oftentimes into the summer after round 3 decisions have gone out. A classmate of mine received his waitlist call in July, just weeks before orientation, and had to turn on a dime to move to Durham from San Francisco while completing all the necessary pre-enrollment paperwork and requirements. If you’re waitlisted past the round 3 decision deadline, getting a spot might be a matter of an already-enrolled student deciding to defer, or changing their mind—in which case you might get a phone call and will have to make a very quick decision.

In my case, I received an acceptance during the round 3 notification window. I had begun to give up on Fuqua so I wasn’t holding my breath, and had even forgotten the actual date of the round 3 notification day. So imagine my surprise when, in the middle of a road trip to Boston, the admissions office called me with the good news. I had just returned home from the Peace Corps and had begun to make other plans, but my level of commitment to Fuqua was high enough that I spent a hectic few weeks changing those plans and preparing myself to move to Durham. One hurdle for me was completing the supplemental calculus course I had begun in just 2 short months. However, I’m a firm believer in taking on challenges so I put my nose to the grindstone and spent my summer buried in equations—and looking back at it 7 months later, I can verify that it was totally worth it.

The moral of my story is that being on the waitlist doesn’t mean that all is lost; in fact, it’s certainly much better than getting denied. By taking specific actions and working hard to prove yourself as a candidate, it’s entirely possible to turn that “waitlisted” status into “accepted.” I wish you all the best of luck, and I hope to see you here next year.

For more information on the waitlist, see Fuqua’s admissions waitlist FAQs here, and a past student’s blog post here.
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 30 Dec 2014, 16:55
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@Admits - have you guys been contacted by a fuqua buddy yet? or gotten any other info other than admit package?

Also, are you guys going to BDW in Feb?
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Calling all Duke-Fuqua Applicants(2015 Intake) Class of 2017 30 Dec 2014, 17:27
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@Admits - have you guys been contacted by a fuqua buddy yet? or gotten any other info other than admit package?

Also, are you guys going to BDW in Feb?
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I received a call from the second yr who interviewed me on 12/27. She also sent me a follow up email containing the FB group link for the fuqua class of 2017.
I am not sure if I'll go for the first BD weekend because the kellogg (DAK) is at the same time. Fuqua will have another one in April though . Hope that helps.
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