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Re: Duke Fuqua MBA Admissions & Related Blogs
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25 Jul 2023, 16:00
25 Jul 2023, 16:00
| FROM Fuqua Student Blogs: Time Flies During Your 2-Year MBA Experience |
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It’s hard to describe how quickly two years went by. Time moves swiftly when career advancement, international exposure, and fun all compete to be at the core of the MBA experience. So, please put on your seatbelts, and let me take you on a quick 2-year journey. First Year Summer and Fall Terms My first class at Fuqua was Entrepreneurship Mindset and Action with Professor Christine Moorman. As an entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in the technology consulting space, it was love at first sight as I nosedived through the class, squabbling with memories of the mistakes I have made in the past and my thoughts that were trying to drag me back in time to rewrite my story. All my other classes had the same effect on me, but each course differed and their uniqueness was not hard to catch. Fuqua offers a diverse set of professors, who along with their wealth of experience, teach a body of students from all over the world. The main learning concepts are the same, but getting everyone’s unique perspectives turns the class into a melting pot of knowledge, culture, and diverse experiences. The closest description for this experience is like sitting in the United Nations General Assembly for your classes. Business school is not a walk in the park and challenges show up too. Mine was no different as I took on the core accounting class. In all honesty, accounting took me on  . This class gave me a run for my money. In hindsight, I began to appreciate the accountants that had worked with me. I continued to sit in front of the class, hoping things would improve, but the more I looked, the less I saw. Eventually, office hours with the professor, John Heater, and tutorial sessions helped. One exciting thing about accounting at Fuqua is the brilliant way the topics are tied to actual events in the U.S. market to aid understanding. I wasn’t only happy that I finished the course, but my respect for accountants grew exponentially. Spring Terms After much preparation from the Career Management Center, I secured a summer internship offer with the tech giant Dell Technologies. In the meantime, the International Programs Office hand-held me through getting my work authorization—I couldn’t start my internship without that. As an entrepreneur, I was super fascinated by the idea of being in a 9 to 5 environment. Oh! One more thing, I got selected to serve as the vice president, of international affairs for the student governing body, the MBA Association. Summer Not long after final exams concluded, I was on my way to Germany on a trip that was part of the Global Academic Travel Experience, or GATE. After several weeks of classroom learning in Spring Term 2, the trip’s focus was to experience how Germany is encouraging diversity and inclusion compared to the U.S. Beyond making group visits to large organizations and learning about their DEI goals, it was fascinating to learn the essential words, phrases and greetings in German, and to experience the local food and historical sites. I returned to the U.S. and what seemed like minutes later, I was in a queue at Dell’s office in Round Rock, Texas, waiting to receive my work laptop. I got my computer, stopped at the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee, and before I knew it, the internship was over and I was returning to Fuqua for the second half of my MBA program. Second Year Fall Terms We were back in class, but unfamiliar faces were everywhere. A new set of intelligent students had begun their MBA program. Not only did we have to share the space, but we also had more responsibilities. Showing them the ropes and welcoming them into the Team Fuqua family was something I enjoyed doing. Spring Terms As VP of international affairs, I started implementing ideas at the beginning of the school year I thought could bring international and domestic students closer within the Fuqua community. One of the interesting ones named “Global Knowledge” was getting people to tell us where they were from and the misconceptions people should correct. The resulting slides stayed on a big screen at the Fox Center, Fuqua’s central gathering area, where people could learn from them all week.  A scene from the Global Knowledge display in the Fox Center I also began focusing more on my entrepreneurial ambitions, drafting my ideas, and getting feedback from faculty, staff, and students. One can never over-emphasize the importance of the resources of Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship, located underneath the Fox Center. Then came the moment when I launched my business in the U.S., in my living room, with Duke and UNC MBA students in attendance. Two lines of business were founded that night: [*]Mydomot: e-commerce and telemedicine services for Africa[/*] [*]Cloud and Prem: tech consulting (open source, DevOps, AI, and more)[/*] [/list]  My business launch Eventually, I got a call, “Hi, my name is Brittany Patterson. I’m calling from the Office of student life to let you know that your graduation gown, cap, and hood are ready to be picked up.” On my way to her office, my feelings were mixed—happy to graduate but sad to leave this excellent environment and exciting people I have learned from and with for the past two exhilarating years! The post Time Flies During Your 2-Year MBA Experience appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog. |
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Re: Duke Fuqua MBA Admissions & Related Blogs
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01 Aug 2023, 07:00
01 Aug 2023, 07:00
| FROM Fuqua Student Blogs: Exploring Entrepreneurship and Social Impact as a New Venture Fellow |
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Throughout my two years as a Daytime MBA student, the most common question I received was: What is the most impactful experience you have had at Fuqua? This is somewhat of a trick question—a view I believe my fellow classmates will agree with—as there is an abundance of opportunities at your fingertips. These opportunities push you to think differently and meet new people who will expand your perspective, and, ultimately, impact the way you craft your career plans post-graduation. That being said, as I reflect on my last two years at Duke, there was one experience that changed the way I approached academics, recruiting, and extracurricular involvement: working as a New Venture Fellow with Duke’s Office for Translation & Commercialization (OTC). OTC supports Duke inventors along the entire innovation journey, from ideation support to intellectual property management to technology licensing and beyond. The fellowship with the New Ventures group is an experiential learning opportunity that aims to connect Fuqua MBA students with Duke’s startup ecosystem. Each fellow is responsible for assisting a venture spinning out of Duke with a strategic marketing project. The program also connects each student to a mentor in residence, a seasoned entrepreneur involved in supporting Duke ventures, who provides guidance throughout the program. Working as a New Venture Fellow I began my fellowship in my first year at Fuqua assisting Dr. Sujay Kansagra, the director of Duke’s Pediatric Neurology Sleep Medicine Program, and Richard Hunt, a mentor in residence, on the development of a new consumer product that would help parents effectively sleep train their young children. The company, Lullabee, was preparing to launch its flagship product: a crib mattress that temporarily leverages technology to teach infants to sleep independently. I came into Fuqua with an undeniable itch to make a more meaningful impact through my work, and I was excited for the opportunity to leverage my business knowledge to assist a company focused on improving pediatric health. For this project, my main objective was to determine a feasible and sustainable price point for this new flagship product. This optimal go-to-market pricing strategy would be informed by competitive landscape and cost analyses. In addition, I planned to conduct interviews with target customers (new and/or expecting parents) to support my recommendation. Not only was I successful in the activities mentioned above, but I also gained substantial knowledge in the pediatric sleep health space. Sleep training is a known challenge for parents, as up to 50% of children have difficulty sleeping. As a result, many parents depend on short-sighted solutions to help their kids sleep, which create unsustainable and unhealthy sleep patterns long term. As one might expect, these behaviors negatively affect the child’s health. However, a less known result, is the unfortunate domino effect these circumstances have on the family’s health, most notably the parent’s mental health. To me, this was such a clear example of how circular the health care system is and demonstrated the importance future leaders must place on holistic and whole-family care. This experience undeniably expanded my perspective on how one can merge business and social impact. Tapping Into an Entrepreneurial Community Outside of my project work, OTC introduced me to an entire community at Duke focused on innovation and entrepreneurship. I knew I wanted to continue to learn from this network after my fellowship. Consequently, I became the co-president of the New Venture Fellows program during my second year, where I worked closely with the OTC to recruit and guide subsequent NVF classes. In addition, I joined the Entrepreneurship Leadership Network (ELN) as a newly graduated MBA of the Class of 2023. The ELN is a growing community of Duke alumni who prioritize technology and business as a means to positively impact society. It was immensely important to me to stay connected to this group of individuals post-graduation.  So many of my experiences at Fuqua shaped my personal and professional goals—which is why I continue to struggle to answer which specific opportunity had the most impact. What I do know is this: the New Venture Fellows program was the catalyst that sparked my interest in looking at commercial ventures through a social lens. Going forward, I’m excited to find new ways to integrate these types of opportunities into my career and to continue evolving my perspective on how business can prioritize positive social change. The post Exploring Entrepreneurship and Social Impact as a New Venture Fellow appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog. |
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Re: Duke Fuqua MBA Admissions & Related Blogs
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08 Aug 2023, 06:00
08 Aug 2023, 06:00
| FROM Fuqua Student Blogs: How Fuqua Supported My Job Search as a Partner |
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Finding a job that aligns with your partner’s MBA journey can be challenging. There is a lot to consider—location, longevity (two years goes by fast), ability to be with your partner if their internship is out of town, remote flexibility, etc. Navigating a new job market and weighing your options is tough, especially when there are variables with your partner’s career. Each partner has a unique experience, but everyone makes it work! I was working in an on-site human resources position when we found out that my husband, Michael, got accepted to Fuqua. I knew that our move to Durham would prompt a career change for me, and many partners face a similar reality. During our transition, Michael connected me to Fuqua’s Career Management Center (CMC). I attended an informational partners’ session about working in the Triangle area and took advantage of the free resume review and job coaching session that the CMC offered. My job coach was Madra Britt, and she was fantastic. She connected me to key contacts in the area including Fuqua alumni, Duke’s HR department, and non-profit leaders. Not only did she help me build a network in the Raleigh-Durham area, but she also offered a listening ear, provided real-time advice, and prepped me for interviews.  The 2023 Partners Club leadership team, April 2023 Searching for a new job can be exhausting—especially when you’re building a brand-new network. Fuqua’s CMC made my job search easier by providing support, tangible resources and connections that spurred new opportunities. In the end, I was able to find a great role as a recruiter for a consulting firm. Ironically, Michael ended up recruiting for consulting, so I was able to offer him some firsthand insights. So cool how it all worked out!  Fuqua’s Intramural Volleyball team, October 2022 Fuqua’s partner resources and community have been a blessing. I served on the Fuqua Partners’ club leadership team, which provides opportunities for partners of students to connect through social events and intramural sports. Over spring break, I attended a Fuqua trek to Brazil. Fuqua includes partners in all aspects of the two-year journey, proving that our experience matters and we are also an important part of the community. The post How Fuqua Supported My Job Search as a Partner appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog. |
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