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FROM Fuqua Current Student Blogs: A Supportive MBA Network has Helped Me Grow |
The first question each applicant is asked during his or her admissions interview here is typically, “Why Fuqua?” Each one of us has our own reasons, and one is probably the famous Team Fuqua spirit. What most candidates might not know, is that one of the most important elements in making Team Fuqua so strong is the MBA network of second-year students. It all starts in early September after the initial Global Institute term for first-year students like myself, when the Fuqua halls get filled with faces that we have never seen before. The Fox Student Center, where Fuquans usually spend most of their time in between classes, is suddenly at full capacity. The second-years are back from summer break, filled with exciting experiences from their internships and a motivational boost towards their final year. They immediately start to lay out foundations in order to educate and transfer their knowledge to us. For those of you who don’t already know, Fuqua has a student-led culture, which basically means that the students run the show. This gives the school an entrepreneurial, startup-like environment with endless ways to initiate and innovate. A lot of this is led by second-year students who have that extra year of Fuqua and MBA knowledge. From charity events, to theme-based parties, and special programs for entrepreneurs—anything is possible here. Here are just a few events I participated in during the last 2 weeks of our Fall 2 term:
Second-year students share tips on how to make the most out of networking events like this one in the Fox Center Now, back to when second-years return to campus. The first thing they do upon arrival is ramp up the club activities and recruit the first-year cabinet for each. Then, the real fun begins. Each professional club has its own timeline and specific milestones that are designed to help jump start the recruiting process for our first-year class and to guide us through every step of the way. In addition, the clubs host symposiums, conferences, workshops, executive speakers, and Fuqua alumni from a variety of backgrounds and industries. All of this is meant to reinforce our skillset, ignite our creativity and educate us on opportunities that we never knew existed. Throughout the Fall 1 and Fall 2 terms, first-year students are encouraged to reach out to second-years and have coffee chats with them in order to learn more about their summer experience, recruiting prep and life at Fuqua. Later in Fall 2, we pair up with second-years and schedule weekly mock interview sessions to prepare for the upcoming recruiting season. During each and every coffee chat or mock interview I have had, I heard a combination of the following: “if you need anything, let me know,” or “I can connect you with X who can help you with Y,” or “Put some time on my calendar so we can continue to work on X,” or “Send me your cover letter/resume and I’ll provide my feedback.” Not only did I get the feeling that someone is looking out for me, but I also made new friends and expanded my network. It is now the final term of my first year. As I take time to reflect back and think about myself before our first term, I realize how much I have changed. Since then I have grown tremendously on both a personal and professional level, and I have no doubt that one of the main reasons is the support of my second-year MBA network. The post A Supportive MBA Network has Helped Me Grow appeared first on Duke MBA Student Blog. |
FROM Fuqua Current Student Blogs: Wednesdays: Your ‘Day Off’ at Fuqua |
One of the unique things about Fuqua is that students don’t have classes on Wednesdays. I thought my first Wednesday off would be a time to work out, cook for the week and … be a day off. I was totally wrong. After my first fall term ended I looked back and could honestly say, Wednesday turned out to be one of the busiest days of the week. Needless to say, my Outlook calendar was highly utilized—filled with team meetings, club activities, interview prep, Program for Entrepreneurs (P4E) projects, and recruiting activities. Here is a glimpse into my first Wednesday off: 1:00 A.M. – Head home from a Mexican Independence Day celebration My Mexican classmates organized an event to celebrate their country’s independence. The event was full of flags, sombreros, Spanish music, and authentic Mexican Mariachi’s. It was a great exemplification of the diversity of people and backgrounds that you experience as a student at Fuqua. 6:30 A.M. – Wake up and get ready for the Duke MBA Marketing Conference Mexican Independence Day celebration I always start my day with a warm cup of coffee! After coffee, my roommate and I make sure we have everything we need for school in order to avoid trips back home once we get to campus. Duke encourages all students to be environmental stewards, therefore my roommate and I decided to carpool to Fuqua. Plus, finding parking can sometimes be challenging. If you ask me, the current parking situation is the main thing that I would improve about Duke—which tells you that the most important aspects of the student experience are in good shape. Hopefully, by the time our class of 2018 enrolls the new parking deck will be finished. 7:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. – Attend the Duke MBA Marketing Conference The Marketing Club’s flagship event brings together marketing leaders from various companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Frito Lay, Clorox, and Nissan. The conference started with a keynote from J&J executives followed by 3 breakout sessions and lunch. We learned about building beloved brands and current marketing trends through case studies. All the clubs on campus have similar conferences. I highly recommend these as you will learn about industry trends and will have an opportunity to network, which can be a great benefit once recruiting begins. 1:00 P.M. – Team meeting to finish writing a memo for our Management Communication course During our core classes at Fuqua, we work on our cases and projects with our Consequential Leadership (C-Lead) teams. Aside from coursework, C-Lead teams also cover leadership, diversity, teamwork, and personal development plans. On this particular Wednesday, my team had to review our recorded presentation delivered during Management Communication and provide feedback. 2:30 P.M. – Complete Economics online quiz and prepare for classes Our Fall Term 1 classes are quantitatively heavy, so having check points is extremely important! 3:45 P.M. – Interview for a Tech Club cabinet position As a first-year student, you are able to take on leadership positions on the club cabinets. Fuqua is student-led, and it’s amazing how quickly you are empowered to impact the school! This year I will be on the Marketing Club and Tech Club cabinets. 4:30 P.M. – Diversity Conference prep I planned to attend the National Black MBA Association Annual Conference and attended all the prep sessions available for this early recruiting opportunity. Throughout the fall, Fuqua clubs host interview prep sessions that teach you how to be successful in your behavioral and case interviews. The clubs offer boot camp sessions that focus on these early recruiting opportunities as well, which is great! 6:00 P.M. – P4E Startup Matchmaker Event P4E allows students to explore entrepreneurial opportunities and potentially launch an innovation. It’s a great learning experience for those interested in entrepreneurship. I pitched my startup idea to a room full of strangers and enrolled in the New Ventures 1 course during Fall Term 2. 8:00 P.M. – Head home and finish working on case prep for the next day Class contribution is an integral aspect of your Duke MBA experience, therefore being prepared is extremely important. I usually spend around 5 hours prepping for the following day’s class. Overall, Wednesdays are productive and help break up your week in 2 mini weeks. Just remember being organized is of utmost importance! The post Wednesdays: Your ‘Day Off’ at Fuqua appeared first on Duke MBA Student Blog. |
FROM Fuqua Current Student Blogs: Preparing for an Internship at Coca-Cola |
Building brands and creating great customer experiences has always been my professional passion. One of the reasons I came to Fuqua was to transition from my previous role at a company where brand management was more of a support function to a company where the brand was the heart and soul of the firm. This past summer I had the opportunity to work in brand marketing through an internship at Coca-Cola—one of the world’s most loved brands. Here are some ways Fuqua helped prepare me for a fantastic internship experience. Getting the Offer
A custom “Team Fuqua” Coke On the job
The post Preparing for an Internship at Coca-Cola appeared first on Duke MBA Student Blog. |
FROM Fuqua Current Student Blogs: Benefitting from a Collaborative Environment |
Making decisions is hard. Every single thing we choose eliminates all other possibilities. This is life. When deciding which business school was the right place for me, I evaluated several factors. Among them was diversity—was I going to be able to learn from classmates from all around the world and many different backgrounds? A focus on health care—whichever school I chose had to be a leader in health care, and its MBA coursework would have to give me a variety of opportunities to learn about the industry. But most importantly, I wanted a collaborative environment. I don’t think I fully understood the value of a collaborative environment and the impact it has had on my MBA life until I faced one of the hardest things a person can—the death of a loved one. They say Fall Term 2 of a Daytime MBA student’s first year is one of the toughest, with a heavy academic load combined with intense recruitment activities. Days tend to be long, and patience is not always student’s best strength. I remember we all went into the second week of the term knowing it would be particular challenge. We could see on Monday morning that each day that followed was going to include 14 or more hours of intense work, with little time to rest, eat and recharge energies. On Tuesday night, I was in the middle of a company presentation when I got a call from my husband. He said that his sister had passed away. This was not unexpected, as she had been fighting cancer for over a year, but at that moment my world seemed to collapse. I went home to my Station 9 apartment, bought a plane ticket for early the next morning, had dinner, packed, and tried to sleep for a few hours. You might be wondering why I’m telling you this story, and what does it have to do with Fuqua and an MBA. As I was saying, I had not truly realized the importance of a collaborative environment until that evening. My Consequential Leadership (C-LEAD) team responded incredibly to what I was going through. One of them offered to drive me to the airport at 4:00 a.m. and was there for me when I most needed it. It seems crazy that a few months ago we had not even met, and on a day like this they stepped up to help. Coursework was taken care of. Notes from class were also take care of. Between my amazing section of 70-plus classmates, who emailed me during the week to give me strength and offer their help, and my C-LEAD teammates, I knew that I didn’t have to worry about what I was going to miss while home. But a collaborative environment is not only about the students, it is also about the professors. I have to say that the response of each and every one of my professors was more than I expected. Their understanding was much appreciated. Most even went the extra mile, saying that they would personally help me get back on track when I returned. They offered their time and their support. The Fuqua community is unique because of the careful selection that the Admissions office does every year when admitting students. We are a supportive community that will not only enrich you from an academic and professional standpoint, we will also enrich you from a human perspective. We are there to cover each other’s backs and help when needed. I definitely felt it while going through this rough experience. When deciding which school you would like to go to, focus on the factors that are really important to you. The ones I mentioned at the beginning of this post were some of the ones that made me choose Fuqua, and I must say I’m happy that I did! The post Benefitting from a Collaborative Environment appeared first on Duke MBA Student Blog. |
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