Fuqua (Duke)

"My interviewer was a 2003 Alum of Japanese nationality currently located in New York. He was very friendly and encouraged me after every answer which made me feel very supported. He also knew one of the alum I talked about. He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say and asked a few follow-up questions as well. At the very end, he asked if I could speak in Japanese with him (which I had informed earlier in the interview that I could) and I talked a bit about how I learned Japanese and the interview ended on a positive note. Questions: 1. Tell me about yourself 2. What are your short term and long term goals and why do you want to do MBA 3. Tell me about your biggest professional achievement and why it is your biggest achievement 4. Tell me about a leadership experience 5. What is your communication style 6. Tell me about your teamwork experience outside of work and what did you learn 7. Tell me about a time when teamwork didn’t go well 8. How will your colleagues and friends describe you 9. What motivates you 10. How will you contribute to Fuqua 11. Any questions for me"

"The interview was conducted by an alum, and it was incredibly friendly. After some small talk, he explained the process, the logistics and that the interview is just a part of the whole interview process. The interview took about an hour. He took notes and referred to them as he asked some questions. Here are the questions: 1) Tell me about yourself 2) Why MBA? Why now? 3) Follow-up questions (i.e. what's a role you envision yourself to be in in the long-term specifically) 4) For consulting, whether I want to be a generalist or a specialist (Given that was my short term goal) 5) Why Fuqua? 6) How would you contribute to Fuqua community? 7) Tell me about the last time you had a performance review and your strengths and weaknesses 8) Follow-up: Did you do anything to resolve your weaknesses and what were the results? 9) Tell me about a time you had to adapt your communication skills to influence a team or person? 10) Tell me about a diverse team you lead and how that led to the project's success 11) What defines your leadership style?"

"The interviewer was a second-year US student at Fuqua, who is energetic, engaging and seems interested in my background and work exp. The interview lasted about 50 mins, with the last 20 mins for me to ask him some questions about his exp at Fuqua. The interview felt different compared to other alumni interviews I experienced as the interviewer gave his thoughts/comments after each question. It felt casual like a conversation with a friend, which helped to put me at ease. Here is the list of questions: How is this week going so far for you? How did you transition from your prior employer to your home country and how did you find your current startup? What is the biggest challenge that you had at your current startup? What is your future dream? What does diversity mean to you, in your opinion? What is the gender breakdown at the current startup? (threw me off a little bit) What is the most important lesson that I learned at my current startup? So you had your startup experience and your future dream, what do you want to do next and how does Fuqua come into play Asked about school athletics since we both cheered for US college sports Have you ever visited another metropolitan city in your country? Are there stereotypes between different cities in your country? Update: Got accepted with $$ as a Fuqua Impact Scholar! Super excited for the opportunity, good luck everyone!"

"I interviewed with a second year student. The interview lasted about 50 minutes, making it the longest b-school interview I appeared for. There were a lot of behavioral questions we covered, but it was very conversational and fun. She introduced herself in first 2-3 minutes and then we dived right in: 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Why is an MBA right next step and why now? 3. What is your near-term plan to achieve this long-term vision? 4. Why is Fuqua the right place for you? 5. How do you see yourself contributing to Team Fuqua? And what diverse perspective will you bring to the cohort? 6. Can you think of at least three clubs/activities that you think you'll be joining at Fuqua to learn new things, apart from the ones where you'll be contributing? 7. What is your leadership style and could you talk about a time where you had to lead in a situation of conflict or strong objections? 8. Who is a leader you admire and what according to you are traits of a good leader? 9. Could you describe your mentorship style using only three-adjectives? She then asked for an example where I mentored someone and lived those adjectives IRL. 10. Have you had an experience of working in a diverse team where someone was being disrespected? 11. What was your experience like working with all these cross-functional and cross-geographic teams? How do you lead people with all these different backgrounds and experiences? 12. Tell me about a time you received a constructive feedback. 13. Has there been a time where you used active listening to change the outcome? 14. If Fuqua doesn't work out in this round, what is your Plan B? 15. Any questions for me? It got a little exhausting after a while with all these behavioral questions, but I tried to answer each one with a big smile and high enthusiasm. Hope this helps y'all!"

"Pretty casual, 25 mins max. Talked a lot about skiing. 1. Tell me about yourself 2. Why MBA 3. Goals 4. Why Fuqua 5. How will you contribute to Fuqua 6. TMAT You were a leader among leaders 7. TMAT when you lead a diverse team 8. Questions for the interviewer"

"The interview itself was very conversational, with a second year student. Lasted for 1 hour. The interviewer started by their own introduction before asking me questions. - Tell me about yourself - Why MBA/short term & long term goals, why now - Follow up question about long term goal, we spent quite a bit of time on this - Tell me about your leadership style - Tell me about a time when you give feedback to someone - Why Fuqua specifically? - Have you talked to any alumni? What did they say about Fuqua? - Your planned contribution to the Fuqua community? (I basically just re-iterated my essay). It went into back-and-forth discussions from there after I was invited to ask questions. My question - the interviewer's answer - then either one of us asked follow up questions. Although it did not become very structured, I enjoyed the overall conversation and I think the interviewer did, too. I guess don't be afraid to build rapport with the interviewer, let he/she be in a good mood to assess you. Have some questions about Fuqua handy - you want to be perceived as someone who has researched about this school well. Good luck everyone!"

"I was interviewed by an alum based in India. The interview lasted 1 hour 45 minutes. He started by saying that the conversation will be informal and I shouldnt treat this as an interview. Basic Qs - Why MBA/ Why now/Why Duke/ Why Team Fuqua Follow ups on what research I have done in deciding my post MBA goals. Situational - All questions around teamwork. What role I play in teams/How to motivate someone in team/Best leadership story/Best and worst things about working in team. My only advice is to sound too excited to be working in teams."

"Very warm conversation with a 2nd-year student. She introduced herself and started off with the following questions, adding inputs after each of my responses, which kept me going 1. Tell me about yourself 2. Why MBA, why now 3. Why Fuqua 4. TMAT when you were in a successful team and the role you played 5. TMAT you convince someone who didn't agree with you 6. If I was adcom, Is there anything other thing you would like me to know about you 7. Questions for the interviewer"

"Very warm and friendly conversation with a 2nd-year student. She introduced herself and started off with the following questions, adding inputs after each of my responses, which kept me going :) 1. Tell me about yourself 2. Why MBA 3. Goals -- Follow up questions to this 4. Why Fuqua 5. How will you contribute to Fuqua 6. TMAT you received constructive feedback 7. TMAT when you gave feedback to a team member 8. A time you assumed a leadership role 9. An experience with a diverse team 10. Questions for the interviewer"

"I had my interview with an alumni. It was conversational and comfortable. He was well prepared and has seen my resume. He provided positive feedback at the end but noted that the interview is only one part of the application. Here are my questions. Tell me about yourself What do you attribute to the success of your career? Why an MBA and why now? What does team Fuqua mean to you? Are there any professors/classes that you are interested in? TMAT when you use data to solve a problem. TMAT when you had to solve a problem without data. Why will Durham be a good fit for you? What are your post mba goals? How will Fuqua help you achieve your goals? TMAT when you didn’t get along with a coworker/manager? What are you most proud of in your professional/personal life? Is there anything you want to share that we have not discussed? What questions do you have for me about Fuqua, Durham, the MBA, etc?"

"Had my interview over the weekend, It was decently good. Duration: 55 mins Overall friendly, but lots of questions. Interview started with his own introduction followed by the below questions: 1. Walk me through your resume? 2. Post MBA career plans? 3. One question in Detail related to my past and future goals. 4. Why MBA now? 5. Time me about a time faced Failure and how did the experience help you? 6. What makes you a good leader and make others to follow you? 7. Tell me about a manager/ mentor you looked up to and qualities u would take along with you? 8. Why is Fuqua a good fit for you? 9. In case Fuqua doesn’t work out- What’s the Plan B? 10. Tell me about a time when you had win someone over- a person who was not responsive? 11. Tell me about a time when your listening skills were crucial to come to an outcome? 12. Tell me about your Fav team success story, your contribution? 13. Tell me about time when you had to choose between a short term and a long term goal? 14. Diversity- experiences with people? 15. Follow up question on Diversity 16. Questions for the interviewer? My two cents on the interview experience: # Be thorough with your resume # Be Prepared for 3-4 Behavioral Questions at least. # Have good and relatable questions for the interviewer- not something that could be easily found # Walk in the interview without having the final decision result in the mind, just be yourself # Try Building a rapport with your interviewer , while keeping it formal #Dont be afraid to show your vulnerable side All the best!"

"Interviewer: 2nd year student Duration: 1hr 15min 50 mins for interview questions and introduction 35 mins for my questions 1. Tell me about yourself (Covered my long term goal here) 2. What is your leadership style (There was a follow up question here based on my answer) 3. Why Fuqua 4. TMAT you gave feedback to someone (There was a follow up question here) 5. What does diversity mean to you and your experience with diverse teams 6. How do you handle conflict 7. What does Team Fuqua mean to you 8. Questions for me (Asked about 4 questions) Experience: The interviewer made me feel comfortable and kept the interview conversationa"

"Interviewed by a Japanese alumnus (class of 2009) at his office. The interview was a quite friendly and relaxed one. - Self introduction by the interviewer (his background was consulting) - Introduction of my business career - Why MBA?/Post MBA career goals - Scholarship/sponsorship - Major success and failure in my business career - Leadership style/What makes someone a “good leader”? - Mentoring experience - What does “diversity” mean to you? - Tell me about the time diversity worked positively/negatively - International experience - Experience of team work - How to contribute to “Team Fuqua”? What kind of role can you take? - Programs/classes I am interested in Fuqua - What else do you know about Fuqua? - How can Fuqua help you achieve your goals? - Any questions to the interviewer?"

"Had my interview with a 2nd year student. The interview started with a slow pace but it took off well after I found a common interest with my interviewer while answering one of the questions :P - Tell me about yourself - Asked me to elaborate on one extra curricular activity I mentioned in my resume - What are your goals and why MBA - What type of leader you want to be - TMAT when you had to compromise - TMAT you faced a conflict in workspace - Experience in working with diverse teams - weakness - Why fuqua - Any questions for me"

"I had my interview with a 2nd yr, he was extremely friendly and humble. The interview went on for 50+mins with me asking 4 questions. 1. Tell me about yourself, and your journey. 2. How will Fuqua help you reach your goals? 3. Tell me about your 3 strengths and how will you use these strengths to contribute to Fuqua. 4. How do you inspire and motivate others to follow you 5. Experience with diversity 6. How are you in a team setting and how has your presence had a positive outcome (forgetting the exact wording) 7. In 3 words describe your mentorship style 8. A time you listened and it had a positive impact on you. ( constructive criticism question or how you handle feedback) 9. He picked a project from my resume and asked about it 10. 3 words my last manager would use to describe me. 11. Questions for the interviewer."

"Duration of the Interview: 55 minutes Questions asked: > WMTYR > Why MBA? Why now? > Why Fuqua? > What does Diversity mean to you? > Criticism you received recently and how did you handle it > How would your friends and family describe you > Which other schools have you applied to and how will you choose where to go if you get through all of them? > Other profile-specific questions to gain a better understanding of what I have done > Do you have any questions for me?"

"Just got my EA interview done with a second year student. The interviewer was extremely friendly and the interview was like a very pleasant conversation. Lasted around 45 minutes with 12-13 minutes of questions from my end. 1. Tell me about you and walk me through your resume 2. Why Fuqua 3. Goals and how can Fuqua help you 4. Most significant failure 5. Diversity experience 6. How do you handle feedback 7. How will act as a team player if a member of your academic group is busy with recruiting? 8. How will you contribute to Fuqua 9. Questions for me"

"Was a conversational interview with a second year student. I had applied during EA. 1. Tell me about your background, work-experience and Why MBA? 2. Leadership style and examples. 3. How do you manage conflict in a team setting? 4. How do you lead a diverse team? 5. Most challenging and most rewarding aspect of a diverse team 6. A time when you had to confront your team members. What was the result? 7. How'd you contribute to Fuqua? 8. Questions for the interviewer."

"Had my Fuqua interview today with a 2nd year student. Lasted for one hour, including 10minutes of QnA from my end. Walk me through your journey till here. What are goals and how does an MBA come in. How do you lead teams. What do you do when there is a conflict in your team. How do you manage a person who is inconsistent with the entire team. What are you looking forward to at Fuqua. How will you strengthen your leadership skills at Fuqua. How will you contribute to Fuqua. Who is your role model and what do you look upto in that person. There was a lot of follow-up on team leading, delegation and conflict. In total she might have asked more than 15 questions."

"Booked a slot in Open Interview Round and applied in R1. Interview matched with Alumni based in India. connected with him and scheduled Interview on mutually suitable day. Interview: Greeted each other and Interviewer introduced himself and walked me thru the process, Mentioned that he is comfortable even of the interview go beyond scheduled 45Mins time and no need to rush, also said he'll take notes in between so don't be distracted by it. 1) Walk me through your resume 2) Why second MBA? (He said this question is from him and not from Adcom) 3) Why Duke? have you done your research? 4) which other schools have you applied? 5) If not duke, what is the back up? 6) Long term career goals? (Knowing the followup, I added how duke can help) 7) Challenges as a manager? 8) the time you needed to give tough feedback to reportee? (By this time interviewer already understood that I'm well prepared with examples and said if you don't have an example for this it's fine) 9) Give a 1 min pitch to admissions (I was caught off guard, Didn't deliver my best as I though I already mentioned everything I wanted to tell him) 10) I think we covered everything, do you want to add something? (I mentioned we've covered everything not much I wanted to add) the interview part was done in around 30 mins. Then, He asked if I had any questions for him. I asked following questions: 1) How was his experience at Fuqua and how much impact did it had on his career? he gave a note of his experience, how it impacted his life choices and helped him getting oppurtunities even 15years later etc. I realized, he dropped out of his Indian MBA in middle to join Fuqua, he said for the similar reasons I've mentioned. 2) I asked him about his current stint with GoI and how they are trying to help farmers. then I gave him a walkthrough of what i'm doing in the feild in my part time. he had a few follow up questions on the topic and seemed intrigued. Overall, I felt I could have given a better framed answers at someplaces. but the the interview really picked up at the end, where we had good discussion. Fingers crossed."