Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! : The B-School Applications

rgajare14

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

18 Dec 2008, 20:48

aakashganga wrote:

rgajare14 wrote:

Did anyone who got dinged call up the Admissions office and take feedback ? I am thinking of doing that but dunno how Duke Adcom takes it ? Btw, is it too early to do that or should I wait until next week ?

I emailed them after my ding asking the same. Never got a response. You can try and if you succeed let us know.

My profile was competitive for Duke (740/9th in the University/8yrs exp/Leadership/bunch of ECs), so was very surprised when they dinged me. I guess it has to be my "Leader of consequence" essay. I had struggled to answer it.

I have not heard of schools emailing their feedback. If you are serious, you can try calling them. I will call them tomorrow or on Monday. Lets see how open they on giving feedback.

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

18 Dec 2008, 20:55

No. I didn't ask them to email me the feedback. I asked them if they give feedback to the candidates. But, never heard from them.

I was going to schedule a time with them. Let me know what you hear. I am really eager to know the reasons.

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

18 Dec 2008, 21:15

VISHGOEL wrote:

congrats to everyone who got in... I am starting my Duke app and looking for some advice...

can people share what they think might have made a difference in "their" duke app....such as any specific event, sequence of interactions, strong GMAT, strong essays (which one) etc etc...

Nail the Leader of Consequence essay

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

18 Dec 2008, 22:48

Hey guys,

I'm in too :-)

! So majorly relieved! I haven't really been very active on this forum but I definitely used it for my GMAT prep and then some basics on essays and interviewing. So I want to thank all of you who started threads , contributed to threads etc ; you certainly played your part in helping me get in!

Question for those who got in - what is the deadline to accept the offer? I know that certain materials need to be submitted by April.

Anyone else waiting for Kellogg results. I am also waiting on Darden but I think I will favor Duke over Darden. Kellogg of course will be my top choice, but I would be more than happy to go to Fuqua!

abhyudaya

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 06:51

jlola21 wrote:

NJMike4MBA wrote:

mindgame wrote:

congrats to everyone who got in... I am starting my Duke app and looking for some advice...

can people share what they think might have made a difference in "their" duke app....such as any specific event, sequence of interactions, strong GMAT, strong essays (which one) etc etc...

My take is similar to Sam's. I think the LOC essay is critical - and within that essay I think it's important to be very specific about not just what you want to achieve, but how you would achieve it (e.g. "I want to eliminate poverty in New York City, and here are the 3 things I will do to accomplish that..."). You'll also want to make sure the LOC essay doesn't just read like a longer version of a career goals essay.

I think my interview also helped tremendously. At a minimum, I think that if you're a US applicant, making the effort to go to Durham reflects positively on how serious you are about potentially attending Duke. Plus, with the school's culture, it's important to make a connection with the interviewer and show that you'd be a great teammate.

I agree - make sure your ideas aren't just ideas, that you have thought about things tactically. I think their focus is making sure that students have a well rounded perspective post-graduation - what will you do with this degree professionally, socially, and internationally? I structured my essay this way: Define what a LOC is, how you currently exemplify those qualities, what your goals are as a LOC and how a Fuqua MBA will further enhance your goals post-MBA as a LOC.

And during your interview, be relaxed. Just be yourself.

My 2 cents with regards LOC essay. I come from India, for those aware, Government sponsored reservation is an emotive issue there. As this concerns me a lot, I put forth how I shall make the system more effective. The other thing I feel passionate about is to bridge the gap between semi-developed and developed regions; and I put this in the essay. IMHO, this essay is not a direct extension of career goals per se; Duke wants to know how we are going to make a difference. Ofcourse, if one can show that he has understanding of the issue (s)he's concerned with, the essay comes across better.

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 09:33

great posts guys! very very very (more vary) helpful. Thanks for sharing your experiences and general structure of LOC essay...

any suggestions on submitting the app in R2 without visiting and still show my interest... planning for a visit + interview after submission ...with a planned 15 days vacation in FEB, I dont think my manager would be very happy for any further demands on this front at this time...

fall09

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 09:57

My LOC essay is decent.I did include the points other ppl mentioned above and also got it reviewed by a professional.
My common profile(Indian/IT/Male) might also have played its role.

For my next essays,I shud probably request reviews from ppl who got admitted.

deepti1983

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 10:31

I got WListed as well. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to go forward at this point??

Congrats to all the admits:)

IHateTheGMAT

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 10:35

My approach to the LOC was a bit different. I spent the bulk of the time disucssion previous examples that demonstrated my potential to be a leader of consequence. Then I hit on some ways Duke will help get me the rest of the way there. Then a couple paragraphs on the future impact I hope to have as a LOC. I also agree that visiting for your interview is very important. My visit/interview wasn't until after I submitted which I think is fine (you still list on your app that you will be visiting and give the date).

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 11:01

mindgame wrote:

great posts guys! very very very (more vary) helpful. Thanks for sharing your experiences and general structure of LOC essay...

any suggestions on submitting the app in R2 without visiting and still show my interest... planning for a visit + interview after submission ...with a planned 15 days vacation in FEB, I dont think my manager would be very happy for any further demands on this front at this time...

I wouldn't worry about not visiting until the interview, I did the same thing. Same as for any other school, you'll need to rely on the essays to convey your message of why you're excited about Fuqua.

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 11:06

NJMike4MBA wrote:

mindgame wrote:

great posts guys! very very very (more vary) helpful. Thanks for sharing your experiences and general structure of LOC essay...

any suggestions on submitting the app in R2 without visiting and still show my interest... planning for a visit + interview after submission ...with a planned 15 days vacation in FEB, I dont think my manager would be very happy for any further demands on this front at this time...

I wouldn't worry about not visiting until the interview, I did the same thing. Same as for any other school, you'll need to rely on the essays to convey your message of why you're excited about Fuqua.

Yeah, I agree that visiting is not necessary before interviewing. However, if you are a borderline candidate then it would definitely help as Duke has a relatively low yield and would like to improve that. If you don't visit, I definitely recommend reaching out to current students/alumni to show in your essays that you did your research and really want to attend Duke.

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 11:35

mindgame wrote:

any suggestions on submitting the app in R2 without visiting and still show my interest... planning for a visit + interview after submission ...with a planned 15 days vacation in FEB, I dont think my manager would be very happy for any further demands on this front at this time...

I interviewed after submitting my app (I never visited before that) and just got accepted.

Reach out to current students, make some connections and then talk about it when you interview.

RF

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 12:07

Thanks everyone!

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 13:48

let me add. I think i had a real good interview. Some people prepare alot for interviews. I prepared none.

I compare it to this. Some baseball hitters, if given the chance by a runner on 2nd base, want to know what pitch is coming. others dont.

I dont want to. And I think it works better. Just always be yourself. its ok to be nervous in the beginning.

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 14:09

irishspring wrote:

let me add. I think i had a real good interview. Some people prepare alot for interviews. I prepared none.

I compare it to this. Some baseball hitters, if given the chance by a runner on 2nd base, want to know what pitch is coming. others dont.

I dont want to. And I think it works better. Just always be yourself. its ok to be nervous in the beginning.

I guess for non-native English speakers, preparation might help. I, being one, regard preparation as coming into interview mode, so that at run time, I am less worried about
1) groping for words
2) giving structure to my idea

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 14:20

There was a blurb at the bottom of that acceptance letter I found interesting - the admissions office will contact you in the fall of 2009 to find out what you've been doing in the interim since accepting the offer.

Any thoughts about what this is for? Obviously I don't think there's a real possibility they'll revoke your offer, but once I'm locked in to going to grad school, I'm quitting my job and traveling for a few months before school starts. Current Fuqua-ites, I'd like to hear your views.

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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 14:33

Ntang wrote:

There was a blurb at the bottom of that acceptance letter I found interesting - the admissions office will contact you in the fall of 2009 to find out what you've been doing in the interim since accepting the offer.

Seriously, they said "since accepting the offer" in your initial notification of admission? Isn't that a tad presumptuous?

gmatclubot

Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Fall 2009 applicants! [#permalink]

19 Dec 2008, 14:33