Visiting Duke - How to prepare and what to expect?

Question

Hey everyone,

I'm applying to Duke this fall for early admissions but I'm planning a campus visit on April 12th to get acquainted with the campus and the program as a whole. Long story short, I'm a CPA who grew up in North Carolina but left to work in Chicago to get a taste of the big city. I've learned a lot in my time here in Chicago and have decided to pursue my MBA and Duke is my top choice for a number of reasons so I'm really excited to finally visit the campus. Growing up in NC, Duke is considered the GOLD standard and it would be awesome to be close to family for 2 years so I'm really keeping my fingers crossed and working hard to hopefully make this dream come true (studying to get that GMAT >700 hopefully...) !

But enough ranting haha... I'm a bit nervous about the visit because I really want to make a good impression and make sure I've done my homework before going. I've done a lot of research on the MBA program and the university in general so I just want to know from any current Duke MBAs or those who have been accepted what to expect on a visit and how to maximize my time there. Luckily I'm a huge college basketball fan so I can at least carry a conversation on that!

Here's my itinerary as of now:

Check in 
April 12, 2013 11:30AM

Tour with lunch 
April 12, 2013 12:00PM - 1:30 PM

Office Hours with a member of the Admissions Committee 
April 12, 2013 3:00PM - 3:30 PM

Curriculum Panel 
April 12, 2013 4:00PM - 5:00 PM

Any advice or information you can give me in advance is much appreciated! Thanks again for all your help!

aerien · Answer

That's a pretty typical day. Just enjoy your time there. Take it all in. You'll meet all sorts of current students who will be more than happy to share their experiences with you -- bring questions for them about what they like and don't like, any clubs or areas of study you're interested in, etc.

It's a great school -- good luck with your apps next fall!

It's a great school -- good luck with your apps next fall!

kingfalcon · Answer

I'd suggest taking meticulous notes. When it comes to writing your essays, you'll probably want to mention who you spoke to Fuqua and why you feel you'd be a good fit (e.g., you loved Prof. X's class).

aerien · Answer

Also, most (all?) Fuqua students have business cards. Remember to get their contact info so you can contact them later if you have any questions...Fuqua being Fuqua though, you probably won't even have to ask though -- they'll just offer up their contact info to you.

denwhat · Answer

You picked a good day to attend too. Its Blue Devil weekend (admitted students weekend) starting on the 12th. Maybe you can get a chance to talk to recent admits about their application experiences.

highwyre237 · Answer

Get ready to fall even further in love with Duke.

Also, dont worry too much, it'll be a nice relaxing visit. The point of you visiting campus is for you to gather info on the program and determine your fit, and for them to convince you to apply... Leave the worrying for when you come back in the fall for your interview :-)

.

Have fun!

. Have fun!

jontron · Answer

BDW for this year is April 19-21 so you will be off that by a week. April 12th-ish was last year I think!

CobraKai · Answer

When I visited schools, I had a list of prepared questions I asked and I took notes so I could refer to them later - whether it was writing an essay or just reflecting on what I liked about the school. Visiting in the spring before you apply is good for this reason: Any 1st year you meet is going to be a 2nd year in the fall, and you'll be able to link up with them again when you interview in the fall. I always felt like my visits were much better when I was meeting up with a student that wasn't part of official school visit. It made it more real as opposed to the marketing blitz that is the campus tour, class visit, Q&A, etc.

denwhat · Answer

woops! you are absolutely correct. I am a MMS admit and ours is on the 12th, I assumed it would have been the same weekend for everyone

kple12 · Answer

Thanks for all the quick replies! I'm really looking forward to this visit (plus it's my nephew's birthday... terrible 2's haha). I actually did not think to take notes and prepare a real solid list of questions so that's some sage advice. Looks like I lucked out too by going in the spring too since it sounds like I'll be given a real genuine perspective of the business school as a whole. Feel free to keep shooting me more advice but aside from the general research, preparing questions, and taking notes, I'm definitely just going to soak it all in since at this point, they're trying to sell me on the university. I'll have to do plenty of self-selling in due time so I'll just enjoy it while I can haha...

Thanks again everyone and keep posting any tidbits!

Thanks again everyone and keep posting any tidbits!

abacab · Answer

Doesn't look like you have a class visit scheduled. There should be some room for the 1:30-2:30PM class visit and you should ask the Admission Office host to put you in one. Otherwise you will have 1.5 hour to kill in the office and miss out on the 'class experience'.

kple12 · Answer

Thanks for the tip abacab! I emailed the admissions at Fuqua yesterday and they were able to slide me into a 1:30 class during my visit so looks like my day is set at Fuqua. Hopefully there is a Bojangles close by...

abacab · Answer

Yes on Hillsborough Road. Maybe 5 mins away?

Posted from my mobile device

TonyMontana896 · Answer

Enjoy your visit

kple12 · Answer

Thanks again everyone for all your advice! The visit was an absolute blast and I even got a chance to partake in Fuqua friday. The best part was ironically the leadership class taught by professor Leboeuf. Definitely going to shoot for early admissions on this one. Thanks again everyone and if anyone has any questions about the visit, let me know!

stephenleet · Answer

Hi kple12,

I'm planning to visit Duke in the next few weeks and was hoping you could share some insight about your visit. What was most memorable? Your most interesting conversation? What was office hours like?

Also, since you're a NC native, what do I have to do while I'm in the area? This can totally be focused 100% on food. :-D

Thanks a bunch!

Thanks a bunch!

kple12 · Answer

Stephen, Sorry about taking so long to get back to you, I was on vacation all last week! Most memorable? Probably the class experience. I sat it in on Joe Leboeuf's leadership class and it was an amazing experience. I would say I was still on the fence about whether I was ready to get my MBA but once I took his class, I knew I was ready. The class was dynamic and enthralling and it absolutely sold me on Duke. Most interesting conversation? I spoke with a ton of students but student in particular talked to me about how a fellow student helped him find his dream job working for the NBA. It really spoke to the "Team Fuqua" concept and shows it's not just for show, the whole school really takes it to heart. Office hours? I'm not too sure about this because I didn't ask, but I think the professors are fairly available as long as you notify them well in advance. What to do in the area? Haha... I guess it depends on when you go. I did not participate in this but if you can, try to visit on a Friday because they have an event called Fuqua Friday which is a huge networking event they hold every Friday. (I had dinner plans with a family friend who is a professor at Duke) We ate at Nana's which is apparently the best restaurant in Durham so might be something to try if you have a chance. The guilty pleasure of all Duke students though is Bojangles and specifically the chicken filet biscuit combo. Definitely have that if you have a chance and make sure you have a side of Lipitor handy. Other than that, Duke is a very picturesque university and in my opinion, has a great university feel while not feeling like you're isolated in the middle of nowhere. Just soak it in and enjoy yourself.

bb · Answer

Visiting Duke - How to prepare and what to expect?

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