Know your school : Fuqua offerings & general school research tips

Question

Good evening folks! If you have somehow found yourself on this page, it means that you are currently researching the Fuqua School of Business. Having been in  your shoes not too long ago, I can empathise with your current state of mind. With so many thoughts and so many sources of information, its easy to get lost. With this article I hope to streamline your School researching process (applicable for most schools ) and try to condense as well as structure your research of Fuqua.

Where do I begin:

With a prayer to the internet gods, if I’m being honest. Can you imagine being in an age where the internet doesn’t exist and you still need to research a school? The schools website is a treasure trove of information, and that is the most authentic source of information as well (after current students, ofcourse). Here is Fuqua’s website. While there is not set way to traverse this website, I do prefer a certain flow that I shall share. 
 
 Demonstrate interest in the school by signing up for newsletters and event announcements. Yes it will increase the volume of emails you receive, but it will make keeping track of events a lot easier. 
 Right on the heels of the last sentiment, register for events! Why? Well, these events really talk in depth about the school / topic of discussion and instead of being a static source of information, events as such allow you to question certain points that websites just wont divulge. Also as an added bonus, people who do these events are pretty social and would gladly respond to LinkedIn connections, if sent. As an MBA has a lot to do with networking, this is a pretty good start. 
 Ah yes, networking. You know how you have door-to-door sales people? How they relentlessly go from house to house in order to convert a sale? Yeah you have to do that. Only differences are, instead of going to houses, you need to email people, and instead of selling something, you need to convince them to hop on a call with you. I say call because it allows for a good to-and-fro, but if you’re not comfortable, most people are fine with e-mails as well. Most schools also have a student ambassador’s page. SA’s are basically people who have volunteered to be the window into the school. These people are often grouped by nationality, industry and clubs, so you can pick and choose whom to talk to based on your interests. My personal blend was talk to a few Indians (I’m Indian) to understand the overall feel of the school for an international applicant. There might be some cultural changes that you might have to navigate, so talking to these people helps you gauge just how easy acclimatising to the shift in environment will be. More on industry and clubs later. 
 Now that you have started reaching out to people, the next step involves knowing your intended career path. Most schools that have been established for a while have a certain tag associated with it. School A is a “Consulting School” and maybe School B is a “Finance School”. Tags are more or less what a majority of the students move into post-MBA. Tags also tell you the depth of resources the school has for a certain industry or path. A lot of schools have something known as “Certifications” or “Pathways” or “Concentrations”. Everyone does the same MBA ( the core curriculum remains the same for everyone) but the schools offer a certain flexibility to customise your entire experience, with electives and experiential labs. Imagine these to be bundles. You can buy each product in the bundle separately, but the schools have created a “most-commonly-taken” collection of courses and name them concentrations. This in no way changes the degree you will hold, just shows a certain affinity towards a certain subject area or industry. A lot of schools offer a “Management Science” concentration that is STEM Designated (International applicants know what I mean). Schools will not create a curated course if they are not confident about the level of education they can impart. If a school has a pathway, concentration or certificate for your intended industry, take it as a positive sign.  
 The next step involves you researching the clubs that you want to join. Believe it or not, clubs are genuinely important. A lot of these schools and their networking events or efforts are usually student-led. Usually there are 3 types of clubs. 
 
 Career Clubs : Student Led clubs that are all about a certain industry (Eg. Healthcare Club, Consulting Club, Energy and Sustainability Club). These clubs have events that are curated by students, for the students, with efforts backed by the Career Services offices. For clubs that intersect with career paths that have concentrations, you will also see a lot of overlap in terms of participating members and formal backing in events. 
 Cultural Affinity Clubs : Its important to feel at ease when during these 2 years, to make the most of the opportunities. One way to do that is through Affinity groups. These are groups that are a collection of people who have a common cultural connection (Either geographical, socialistic or religious). Finding your community at schools is a sure shot way of stepping into the social life on campus.  
 Activity Clubs : These are dubbed the “Fun” clubs on campus. These usually involve sports and hobbies ( yes even the quirky ones!). You have skiing clubs for crying out loud! I dont even know anyone who skis! You have a Spirits Club! (Not the ghost that haunt you kind, but more the hangovers that haunt you kind). Did you really think that MBA’s will be just all work and no play?   
  Employment Records and Class Profile  : The reason I have kept it this far down is because you should not dismiss your ambitions because you might not have a higher than average score or work experience. While the class profile is a good way of judging the previous class, it only gives you an estimate of what the school is looking for and not an absolute. Your profile is judged holistically and the class stats change on a yearly basis. The Employment records are helpful in determining the kind of companies that come to campus and the return on investment of a certain MBA program ( MBA s are expensive but packages after placement are usually the annual cost of these programs, so how much you put in vs. how much you got out of it). The records are also helpful in determining if your career focus is viable. While all types of companies come to campus, certain schools have a higher percentage coming, which means a higher likelihood of you scoring a job after the MBA.  
  The Blogs!  : Every school has a dedicated blog. These blogs act as an archive of information, spanning back several years. Since most blog topics are personal perspectives on certain topics, it helps get a more focused insight. A lot of students write about life at campus and also document their experiences about experiential programs and events, internships and sometimes even their thought processes when they first came to the school. The faculties often write about their subject interest, detailing how the classes are conducted and some hot topics that they love talking about, giving you insight into what a class at this school would actually look like. IN the end, some schools also have blogs that talk about the admissions process, what the AdComms are looking for and even advice on how to tackle the essays and application process. 
 The final step is rather personal, but then again, so is this article. Make a spreadsheet. If you are a Type A personality, lean into it. If you aren’t then go find one. Keeping a consolidated list of your schools as well as a structure for your research helps you compare and contrast certain aspects of the school. As for what goes in the spreadsheet, that is up to you. Anything and everything that you think is an important metrics for decision making can find its way onto the spreadsheet. 
    
While this structure helps you create a rudimentary checklist, please keep in mind that all websites are different and that all pages have something or the other to offer. My go to strategy when researching schools was to plan ahead. Give yourself a week for a school. In this week, make a note of every link that is available on the homepage. It will usually be about academic offerings, student life, curriculum and then news (it differs from school to school). Map out these major links and assign a certain number of links to each day of the week. On that day open the weblink and submit to the rabbit hole. Open every link you see on a page and recursively follow this advice. Within the week, you would have all the information the website has to offer. Now if you’re thinking that this might be a waste of time, it is not. Each line on any page is deliberately put there, rife with information. Even if not what you are looking for, this approach helps you outline the traits a school might be looking for, the list of global opportunities a school might offer, some small obscure thing that you would love to be a part of. It is better to have information you might not need than to be in a position where you wish you had more information.

Now a lot of you are probably aware of many forums, focused on the MBA journey such as GMATClub, Clear Admit, MBA and Beyond and ofcourse Reddit! So why cant we use these forums for research? The reason is similar to why it's usually not a good idea to cite Wikipedia as a source when writing a thesis. It’s biassed. Information on these forums are subjective at times, that may only give one side of a story. However, these sites have a lot of benefits as well. They are a good way to corroborate your research. Trying to match what you glean from the schools websites to what you read on these forums is a great way of pinpointing the areas you might need to dig a little deeper. If I find that the core values that a school talks about matches with what people write about on such forums, I know that I can trust my research. On the other hand, If I see a certain point that is not backed up on these forums, I now have questions that I can ask on the calls that I had set up with Student Ambassadors and AdComms. Bottom line is, take what you read here with a pinch of salt. As they say in data analytics circles, there are always outliers.

Fuqua related school research :

Fuqua was my first choice and first school I applied to, so naturally I spent a lot of time researching this school as well. While I sit, awaiting my fate, I thought it would be a good way to close this circle of research by condensing what I know into an article for you to consume, along with some advice to navigate Fuqua and its community.

Beginning where it all begins   :

The Fuqua website (linked at the start) is a pretty well structured website. Each little division ( my fellow web devs know what I mean; boxes, for the laymen) you see is about a different aspect about the school. The rest of the article is about what I have learnt from the schools website and I shall also try to cite my sources for said information ( you really ought to be more trusting ).

2 Year Daytime MBA :

This is the program most people are applying to. This program requires you to move to Durham and live the whole MBA experience for 2 years. For international applicants, rejoice, the whole course (irrespective of the concentration you choose) is STEM designated. Simple translation? You have more time to search for a job without being deported. Apart from that the curriculum is divided into terms rather than semesters. Simple translation? The mid-terms and end-terms tests creep up a hell of a lot faster than you could anticipate. Also having such short terms gives you the sense that time is flying by rather quickly.

Ideally the first few weeks at Fuqua will involve a lot of orientation and a lot of “get to know your classmates and cohort” sessions. Cohorts are basically groups of 60 odd people that you attend your core classes with. These cohorts are not just for show! At the end of the year there is a Cohort Olympics where each cohort competes in a multitude of challenges, beyond the classroom. Moreover, the cohort is treated like a tiny ecosystem with Cohort Leads (fodder for the Contributions essay!) and Social Chairs. As the lead you are basically given ~$1200 for seminars, webinars, parties, events and well being. The Cohort is going to be the ones you spend the most time with, so it's only natural that some of your best friends are going to be from these cohorts. These groups are further subdivided into C-Leads ( Consequential Leadership teams). These teams are basically your “Project Team”. Apart from curricular projects yout C-Lead group will also be a part of any team building exercises, most prominently the “Outdoor Leadership Course” which is basically an obstacle course in the NC Forest that you and your team will have to navigate. This is also one of the first non-curricular events that you might choose to be a part of as soon as you step into the school. You also have a rafting experience at the US National Whitewater Rafting Centre, aimed at bringing you closer together as a group. Since rafting requires multiple people working in unison, you can see why Fuqua thought of this!

The program is structured in a way to get you as ready as possible for the internship recruitment drives that start the moment you set foot on campus ( Consulting and Finance/IB/Private Equity are the first ones to start). The Career Services Centre and the multiple Career Clubs band together to help out with the recruitment processes. You have certain days (usually Wednesdays) where companies have ongoing information sessions and recruitment sessions that you can choose to be a part of. If there arent, most clubs hold internal activities such as Resume Reviews and Mock interviews. These internal events are an open forum and hosted by 2nd year students who have had experience interviewing for the specific industry. The recruitment is an ongoing process and doesnt stick to the “Terms” that you will be following.

Once you have your core classes taken care of, you will be able to customise your future classes through electives. If you have demonstrated mastery (the definition of mastery isnt exactly defined so tread lightly) in some of the mandated 13 courses, you can actually file to be exempted from them and take up an extra elective! For electives, as mentioned you can either go free-hand and pick and choose your own, or you can pick from a pre-decided bucket called concentrations or certificates.
Concentrations are a great way to go if you are planning to switch industries as it demonstrates your interest towards the intended industry. It also allows you to focus on topics and skills that are needed in that industry, setting you apart from other applicants. The difference between a Concentration and Certification is that a certification is a much more niche program with specific interest in a certain industry. To put it simply, Concentrations are functional and topical whereas certificates are much more vertically specialised. 
You do not need to take part in a concentration or certification, but if you wish to, please realise that there are certain constraints. You cannot take more than 2 concentrations. If you are pursuing a certification you can only take one more concentration. So if you want to mention the concentrations in your application, be mindful of the caveats! While I would love to go into details about the concentration, I will suffice my itch by linking the page where you can get the details here. Bear in mind that all certificates require certain criterias to be fulfilled in order for you to enroll in them. Most of them are related to your core curriculum, so be vary of stating instances where you might default on the requirements 
Since I am particularly interested in healthcare I just wanted to drop a little nugget of information here. The HSM Certificate also comes with a 3 week bootcamp where people interested in Healthcare come together to take classes before the actual term begins. So if you plan to pursue this, be informed that you might be moving a little early!

The next thing I would like to talk about are the experiential learning opportunities.

OK this is going to be a doozy. The experiential programs are often key deciding factors when looking at which school to choose. While every school more or less teaches the same subjects, the methodology and complementary materials differ. Fuqua prefers to have a mix of a classroom lecture and case debriefs, giving you the best of both worlds, but it does not stop there. Fuqua truly believes in the essence of experiential learning, thus have devised multiple avenues for you to pick and choose from, tailoring your experience to your intended industry. 
 
  FCCP (Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum)  : As the name suggests, people interested in Consulting have the FCCP to rely on for real-world exposure during their 2 years. The FCCP is a credited course that spans over 3 terms. In this you will handle everything from client meetings, internal team meetings, project work and yes, even your classes. The usual effort for the FCCP is around 10 hours every week on top of your regular commitments. The FCCP list of projects changes every year, and before the start of Fall 2 you are given a list of projects that you can choose from. While the work you will do is related to consulting, the breadth of industries covered is immense. You can do a consulting project in any of the major industries. One small teeny tiny detail is that if you are required to travel, you would have to do that at your own expense. Feeling lost? Dont worry, you will have a mentor with you on this project to assist you when the team hits a roadblock. While these are “learning opportunities” the stakes are more than real as you would be handling real-time companies and their problems. Talk about riveting! The FCCP is also one of the most sought after ELP so dont snooze on the deadline! 
  CASE i3 :  The Centre for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship is one of the Centres that Fuqua has( I will talk about Centres later). CASE focuses on Social Impact as a goal through multiple avenues including consulting, impact investment and research. Specifically the CASE i3 is an experiential learning offering where interested students can consult for Impact investment companies. While similar opportunities can be found in the FCCP, CASE basically looks at all the projects that are related to social impact. Apart from the consulting projects CASE also has a Student Investment Fund where you can be on the investment committee, learning market and company analyses and using this information to handle a portfolio that Fuqua invests in. You can also serve on the decision committee of the Kirby Prize lab that awards ~$150K to companies working in the Social Impact sector. You will learn how to evaluate companies and eventually pass judgement on each round before awarding the prize money. Fun Fact, the Net Impact club is the student-led arm of CASE and one of the largest clubs on campus. 
  Mentored Study Programs  : Simply put, if you wish to pursue an industry from a research point of view, this is your calling. You will be partnered with a company that has a requirement in conducting analysis and research, and members of the company will guide you through this 12-week program, giving you valuable insights into the market you wish to enter. 
  New Venture Course  : If you are interested in Innovation and entrepreneurship, this is the way to go. While I would love to give you my personal insights on the same, I am not qualified to comment on this as I had minimal interaction with any student who was a part of this program. I will however link the page so that you can check it out for yourself. 
  Duke University Hospital Experiential Learning Program (DUH-ELP)  : The DUH-ELP is specifically tailored for people interested in the Healthcare ( I will try not to be seem biassed). Rather than focus on BioPharms, BioTechs or Financials, the DUH-ELP focuses on administration projects. The Duke University Hospital is a leading healthcare provider in the area with over 1500+ affiliated healthcare practitioners (Insider info, I actually work with this account in my Pharma company. SHH!!), which translates to increased scope of impact and increased challenges. The DUH-ELP is a proposal based system where you can nominate yourself and give a brief proposal about your solution to a certain problem. Unlike most other ELPs this one requires you to work in small teams of 2 or individually. This is by far one of the longest ELPs spanning 2 terms, with 6 credits. The good news is that you can use this as an elective for your HSM Certification. Also they are highly selective, so there is a possibility that you may apply and not get the project, but dont be disheartened, they put out new projects every semester. 
  Global Academic Travel Experience (GATE)  : Instead of focusing on a certain industry, GATE allows you to focus on a singular region or country. You will learn about the political temperament, historical factors, business environment , culture and economy of that region or country. This would be a mentored program where a faculty who is currently conducting research in that area will serve as your guide. You will essentially meet for 3 hours a week to discuss your findings and learnings. This is a highly collaborative and interactive experience which requires maximum effort from your side. You and your interest in the subject dictates the experience you have. As a reward for the gruelling 6 weeks of insights, research and debates, the ELP concludes with a trip to that region or country where you spend 12 days seeing what you have discussed so far. 
  Fuqua On Board :  By far one of my favourite ELP. Basically you get to act as a non-voting board member of a non-profit organisation. Non-voting basically means you don't get to vote on a decision, but as a board member you get to weigh in on the decision making process.  You’ll gain valuable insight into the governance and strategic management of nonprofit organisations while applying critical business skills learned in the classroom to real-world challenges they face. You'll also receive training, coaching, and peer mentoring to prepare you to serve as an effective community leader now and in the future. This venture also comes under CASE since its in the non-profit sector.

And there you have it. The ELPs of Fuqua. These ELPs are going to be the main focus, apart from your electives, during Fall 2 and through Spring Terms. Though there are some points I would like you to know. A lot of these ELPs are in and around the same time frame and require a lot from you. For that reason some ELPs have clauses stating that you cannot pursue any other ELP while you pursue them. Examples of these are the DUH-ELP and FCCP. In the same timeframe and equally demanding, the DUH-ELP specifically mentions that you cannot pursue the FCCP if you are pursuing DUH-ELP. Similarly with GATE and Fuqua On Board. Some boards require you to be present in a certain time frame as part of the learning program and GATE’s travel sometimes hinders that. So if you are planning to mention the specific ELPs you wish to take part in, be sure that they don’t contradict what is already available on the website.

Since the ELPs introduced us to the concept of Centres, I will tackle the Centres next.

Centres are in a different league of their own. This is where the grown-ups work (honestly I still feel like a kid at 25, but what I mean is the faculty works here). The Centres are hubs for research and collaboration between scholars and practitioners. Faculties engage with industry leaders to research specific trends and market dynamics which are then taken up as courses or teaching material. This is where most of your case studies are born. But this is all about the faculty, what do students do? As a student in one of Fuqua’s programs, research centers provide access to emerging insights along with opportunities to extend your education beyond the classroom—with thought leadership conferences, experiential learning activities, and connections to the individuals who are setting the agenda for that focus area. Each center has a “fellowship” program to which you can apply in the second year. As a fellow you act as the brand ambassador for the principles and Centres and have access to research opportunities and networking events, beyond those provided Fuqua-wide. The Centers in question are : 
 
  The Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE)  : Anyone who follows the B of basketball must geek out right now. Must. Coach K, the Dream Team, the ReDream Team. With his analogy of a fist and five fingers, Coach K revolutionised what it meant to be a coach, and Fuqua being the visionary that it is, saw the philosophy’s application throughout life. To put it simply, COLE comprises 20 Leaders (top CEOs, defence veterans, thought leaders) who make up the advisory board that support research and summits that help practitioners. They also help create the extent of electives and core classes in tandem with the professors. Some examples are the “Leadership and Ethics Concentration”, the CLEAD1 and CLEAD2 core classes and also help MBA Students with their “Reflective Process” which is essentially a personal development plan. As a second year MBA student, you get to submit an application to be a Fellow, where 40+ students are selected each year. This is essentially a leadership bootcamp where you are trained and deployed as peer facilitators, leadership coaches and even mentors to first year MBA students. The fellows also bear the responsibility to be a part of the school wide initiatives such as Duke BOLD (a forum) and Leadership Engagement and Discussion Series (LEADS) 
  Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment (EDGE)  : Curated for those interested in the field of sustainability, EDGE has a similar functioning to that of COLE and Centers as well. And much like the other centers it too has a Fellowship program. The only difference is that you can apply to be a fellow in the first year as well (but usually 2nd years apply, something about judicious utilisation of time). EDGE Fellows, apart from being ambassadors of the initiative on campus, also take part in extensive research and publications on the MBA EDGE platform (Check it out if youre interested in the field. Tells you a lot about where the current focus lies and what possible areas of research are open to you). On top of the EDGE Fellowships, there is also a ClimateCAP fellowship that allows cross-school collaboration to nurture a select group of students into the generation of climate impact leaders. There are about 30+ schools in this joint venture with Fuqua leading and managing the program. Most students associated with EDGE have their plates full with the multitude of Seminars and events hosted and attended throughout the year. Conferences like the annual Duke MBA Energy Conference, Duke Sustainable Business & Social Impact Conference, FoodCon, Blue Economy Summit, and ClimateCAP Summit give students opportunities to explore industry trends and key issues in energy, environment, and sustainability.  Fuqua MBA students are not just attendees at these events; they are the key architects and project managers of these conferences, tailoring the program content and designing the experience to be timely and compelling for their fellow students. Fuqua also hosts an annual Energy in Emerging Markets Case Competition.  Duke students also compete with the best and brightest MBAs globally in competitions like the Ross Renewable Energy Case Competition, Leeds Net Impact Case Competition, and the UNC Invest for Impact Competition. Good god theres a lot going on here. 
  Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE)  : I’ve already talked a lot about CASE but I’ll try not repeat myself here. CASE Launchpad is an initiative where you can incubate a social impact venture, where you actually get a stipend and one-on-one coaching over the summer. CASE also has a fellowship programs where if enlisted will grant you access to work with  the CASE team on special projects, and have access to expert guests from the CASE network. A subset of the CASE fellows are the CASE i3 fellows. This select group of second year MBA students deepen their knowledge of impact investing through additional project-based work in fund management, consulting, or research.  They build experience across the diverse range of institutions engaged in impact investing, including foundations, government agencies, companies, banks, and funds.  In addition, CASE i3 Fellows can support CASE at international conferences, interact with leaders in the impact investing field, and actively shape the future of impact investing programming at Fuqua.  
  Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship : Different from other Centers, I&E caters to the whole Duke ecosystem fostering an entrepreneurial mindset through initiatives such as Research for entrepreneurs , the Duke I&E networks , the startup support in terms of mentoring and even funding, the Creator Lab which basically helps you throughout the startup journey from ideation to pitching to growing demand to funding. From my research the coolest thing that I&E has to offer is the Melissa & Doug Entrepreneurs Accelerator. Its an intensive year-long program (unfortunately uncredited, so you will have to hustle to grow your startup and not flunk). But the payoff is huge as you get Bi-monthly meetings to check on the progress of your ideas, executive coaching sessions every semester and access to up to $5k in funding (theres a selection process though). 
  Center for Health Sector Management (HSM)  : Again, I will try so hard not to be biassed, but come on! HSM is the oldest and biggest health management program in the country! It’s tough to contain the excitement! Apart from the usual Center shenanigans, the CHSM takes it a notch further. Given that the Center has a very niche specialisation which requires prerequisites in order to best understand the sector, there is a bootcamp that is organised. It is a week long crash course on everything Healthcare. This enables those, who have no credible prior experience, to pursue healthcare and be a part of the Healthcare community. The CHSM also facilitates all healthcare related projects, with its faculty often being a part of seminar talks and industry talks. The CHSM also has strong ties to the HPA (Health Providers Association), a group of students across the Duke ecosystem with a tie to healthcare providers and administration.  
 
  What does it mean if a School is a "good git" for you :   
 
Up until now we have tackled things which are important when considering a school. Whether the school will facilitate a career in the intended industry and if there are enough avenues for you to pursue your interests, both in a conventional and non-conventional fashion. However, in the rate race of ranks and scholarships, one major facet of school selection that is often overlooked is the “Fit”. A lot of candidates get too engrossed in showing themselves to be a good fit for the school, whereas the schools fit towards the candidate is equally important. Consider the situation where you have a certain work style, but you are put in a team or company where the prevailing attitude is different from what you consider good. While you will manage to work well because you are good at it, the experience will be subpar. The same goes for schools. You will be spending two years in a completely new environment, not just the academic part of your life, but all aspects. Since life at school encompasses more than just academics, taking the time to determine if the environment is right for you also plays a huge role in school selection. Now these are points that I considered. This doesn’t mean that these points are absolute. You might consider other points to be important, but  Lets start with a few basic things you might want to consider.
 
1.      Location :  Most international candidates will probably not take this into consideration, but location is a huge factor. Take Durham for instance. Its perfect for people who hate the cold. An ambient temperature throughout the winter with average precipitation, its an easy climate to acclimatise with. On the other hand, cities such as Evanston or Florida are on the harsher side. It all depends on what you are comfortable with because in the end, if you spend most of your time feeling uncomfortable, you’d be too drained to try new experiences.
2.      Cost of living :  Most schools don’t exactly have hostels / dorms. Most B-Schools will provide something similar to a shared living space, a community that is administrated by the school, but is subletted by a private firm (true for most schools; means you gotta pay rent, utilities and what not). Living in a huge city like LA or NY would incur a high cost of living. In “College Towns” ( cities where the college is the “star” of the city) , the cost of living is generally lower compared to bigger cities, which means the overall cost of attendance might also go down. In Durham the rent would usually climb to about $700-$900 / month, depending on the distance from campus.
3.      Employment Opportunity :  Instead of trying to give an explanation, I’ll use situations to explain my point of view. It  will be easier to find international brands in metropolitan cities when compared to regional cities. Metro cities have better integration of technology into our day to day lives, with more amenities and what not. Similarly if an area is known for a certain industry, those interested will have a lot more opportunities outside the usual ones to pursue their interest. Its like if you go to UCs or Stanford, it’s a great place if you are interested in tech given its proximity to the silicon valley. Again, it is not an absolute metric, but an appreciable one to consider. Take Durham for example. Situated in the Triangle Research park (Durham, Chapel Hill , Raleigh) it is a hub for those interested in technology and healthcare. I'm not saying that Duke is good for only these two industries, but being so close to these markets, it makes creating connections that much easier.
4.      Collaborative vs Competitive :  This is going to be tricky to explain. Every single school is both collaborative and competitive. Collaborative because it needs to foster a healthy outlook towards team environments and competition so as to create healthy competition to bring out the best in you. Schools are similar to parenting styles. Some depend on open channels of communication whereas some wield slippers with sniper-like precision (My middle easter and Asian folks know what I am talking about). No school is only competitive or collaborative, with every school having more or less the same selection criteria. What differentiates the schools is their priority order. Simply put, a school defines their major traits by what is asked on the essays (not a hard fact, more of a correlation). Take Fuqua for example. The essay prompts are to get to know you better, to understand how you could play in a team dynamic. Kellogg on the other hand is a lot more YOU focused, what are YOUR greatest accomplishment is, times that YOU handled a situation. It’s not that Fuqua doesn't want people who are accomplished individuals, nor is it that Kellogg wants people who are only good individually, but in the end, it all comes down to what the schools consider just a teeny tiny bit more important.

Fuqua offerings (Misc- Things that make me giddy to attend Fuqua):

Don't sue me for the title. I spent hours mulling over what overarching title I can give that encompasses all the things about Fuqua that make me giddy to attend the school. In the end, the B-school experience is so much more than just the classroom experience. You need to find avenues outside of your class that give you happiness so that you can make the most of your time there. I will mention a few points that I found to be a perfect fit for the kind of person I am.

Fuqua Idol  : I am a huge music buff and even in my city (Hyderabad) I have hosted / curated multiple talent shows, so knowing that Fuqua has a similar tradition in place really aligns with the things I love.

Behavioural Lab  : For those interested in taking part in research studies and consumer behaviour, this lab is an absolute gem. Also did I mention that if you take part in a survey, you are paid? #hustle

BOLD  : Building Outdoor Leaders at Duke, is an initiative that started out in 2010, that focuses on creating an environment where you apply both body and mind in order to navigate terrains. In short, it's an outdoors club that emphasises on leadership and delegation of responsibility in a setting that is outside a boardroom. They do a bunch of events like treks and kayaking, but the most interesting ones are where professors follow along to act as a very knowledgeable tour guide, either for the region or a certain phenomena.

Blue Cup  : Eternally locked in fierce but healthy competition with UNC, the Blue Cup is an olympic style athletic competition between the students. Have you ever sat on the bleachers or in front of a telly and screamed plays that you think the team should have played? Well here is your chance to get onto the court or field and actualize your plans. They have a bunch of sports (basketball , football, hockey etc) as well as E-Sports! Still think this isn't your cup of tea? You’re more of an intellectual? Well we have trivia as well.  Party animal? Chug that keg of beer (I’m sorry I have no party instincts) and bring home that trophy from the Drinking Games.

Board Game Club  : Honestly, I’m a huge board game buff, so knowing that Fuqua hosts regular game nights (much like me, though I hardly get people to show up) really made me do a little tap dance routine. The board game club's involvement is pretty huge, with them hosting a 2-day Poker tournament. If you’re a beginner , no worries, they have tutorials and workshops to teach you. Though I am concerned about what the buy-ins are xD.

Fuqua Special Olympics  : The Special Olympics of South Carolina - SONC - and the FSO have a connection that goes back to 1989. Through multiple events such as Silent Auctions, Pool parties and derby races the FSO raises money for SONC. Many athletes from the school also help with training and improvement of the SONC athletes. The biggest event by the FSO is the MBA Games, a competition pitting the cohorts against each other for glory and praise, and raising money as well.

Campouts / Cookouts :  Before any big game for the University, there is an all night camping party near the grounds for procuring tickets and in general showing support for your home team. Oftentimes the night-outs turn out to be a lot more happening than the games itself, if you know what I mean. The friendly rivalry between the schools extends well beyond just the athletes.

Run with Data at Fuqua  : This is a really interesting initiative. The club sits at the crossroads of running and data, where it analyses your preferences and creates a route that is best suited to your needs and physicality.

The Fuqua Show :  A student run podcast, Fuqua Show is centred around bringing the Fuqua experience of students out into a public forum. Think of it as an informal “Blue Table talk”. If you haven't seen the Blue Table talks, then I would suggest checking them out on YouTube.

Some student traditions to get you a sneak peek into life at Fuqua:

Most B-Schools follow 4 day weeks, with a 5th day for club activities, company info sessions and just hanging out with your friends. While most schools keep the free day on Friday, Fuqua decided to switch it up and keep it on Wednesdays, and honestly it was a genius move. See, if given the option, most people would convert the free Friday into an extended weekend, and leave to meet existing friends and such. With the free day on a Wednesday, you are essentially guided to spend that time with your peers in school, deepening the cohort connection, which is what Fuqua is all about.

But Fuqua isn’t just all work and no play. Students have crafted many traditions such as Taproom Tuesdays and Tavern Thursdays, where the class collectively goes out for a pub crawl.

The Blue Devil's weekend : An immersive experience for all admitted students, the Blue Devil's Weekend (BDW) is a gateway to your life at Fuqua. From keynotes from the Dean to the Career Management Centre to the Club leads, everyone who is anyone at Fuqua is ready and willing to answer all your questions. The 2 day event is packed with informative sessions, from which you get to pick and choose depending on your interest. The only thing the school asks of you during this event is that you bring the energy! With so much to do in such little time, it can get a little draining, but you must power through to clearly see how life at Fuqua is going to be.

Fuqua Fridays : Something that started in 1989, to celebrate a bountiful sale, the Fuqua Friday event is a weekly occurence. Open to all students and their guests/partners, this elective event is what every student looks forward to through the week as it kicks off the weekend in style. Fuqua Fridays are usually curated by the MBA Association (the student body) sometimes in tandem with certain clubs or sponsors. Fuqua Fridays are also used as opportunities to give back to the community, either in Duke or Durham, with events like Rise Against Hunger (packing 1000+ meals for those in need) and often collaborative events with clubs like FuquaVision to screen plays. All in all Fuqua Friday can be anything you want it to be, from a time to unwind, to a time to socialize with the broader Duke community.

And that brings me to the end of this segment and series. I have covered topics like  what are Fuqua's core principles  ,  how to tackle the essays for Fuqua  and finally what to expect from Fuqua and how to start or plan your research. I truly hope that these topics have been helpful to some of you and in the very least a good read. I hope to see some of you on capus and wish you the best of luck in your journey. This is Aryaman Panda signing off (I always wanted to say that XD).

mina1005 · Answer

This is an amazing post.
Thank you so much @arymanpanda.

yazlal25 · Answer

Thanks aryaman, this is super helpful. Where are you in your application cycle currently? I had a few questions related to Fuqua. Is it possible we could connect over a short call?

kavya020913 · Answer

Thanks for the info shared. Can someone also please help in clarifying if Fuqua will allow students who had a 2 year MBA already in other country for their one year MBA program?

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