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Wishbone
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Status:TIME FOR 700+
Concentration: Finance
Schools:Fuqua
WE 1: Research in Neurology
WE 2: MORE research in Neurology
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Wknd Exec at Fuqua Vs FT at Fuqua or Kenan 22 Mar 2011, 06:44
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Hey guys I need a bit of peer review help,

I recently sat the GMAT, and got a 650 Q42/V38, which is from what i read the average for the weekend executive program at Duke. I wanted to give you an idea of my profile and see what you think, and if it would be worth it to apply for the final round at Fuqua for Weekend Executive or If I should wait for FT Fuqua and Kenan/Flagler

I am 26 years old, I graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2006, with a degree in general Biology maintaining a 2.91/4.0 GPA, I also attended for a semester Macquarie Univeristy in New South Wales, Sydney, Australia for a specialized focus on Ecology, maintaining Honors in my courses there. I am an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America, I have an extensive long volunteering relationship with Habitat for Humanity, and the Red Cross. I was a member of the Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity, a nationally recognized organization based on faith (more so than maybe other fraternities).  I am also on the Exectuive Board of Directors for Epsilon Holding Corporation as a 2 year member, and currently serving my 2nd year. I am a certified teacher from TOEFL, which is Teaching English as a Foreign Language, where I did my fulltime immersion course in Corinth, Greece. I am a certified Master Diver,

My work experience is: 2.5 years at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine under the chairmen of Neurology, as a research Coordinator (a glorified laboratory technichian if you will).

And currently, 1.5 years as a Reseach assistant at the Duke University School of Medicine performing additional clinical and basic research in neurology.

For non-related work experience I also have approximately 6 months of Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Corinth, Greece.

Unfortunately, Duke wants about 5 years work experience and I am right on the bubble, but I just wanted to get your opinion on the profile.
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AlexMBAApply
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Wknd Exec at Fuqua Vs FT at Fuqua or Kenan 22 Mar 2011, 10:12
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Why are you applying to business school? What kinds of jobs are you hoping to get with an MBA?
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Wishbone
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Wknd Exec at Fuqua Vs FT at Fuqua or Kenan 22 Mar 2011, 10:28
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I would like to apply for the HSM concentration, which is a certificate that Duke offers, I would like to stay in the Healthcare field but move over to Administration rather than straight laboratory work. Eventually be on the path to maybe COO of a healthcare system?
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AlexMBAApply
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Wknd Exec at Fuqua Vs FT at Fuqua or Kenan 22 Mar 2011, 10:38
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Since you're already at Duke, are you able to meet and chat with any of the Fuqua adcoms informally and off-the-record there? That may really help your case (whether for exec or FT) more than anything else. And if you don't know them, you really should find a way to know them and the b-school administration (whether they be adcoms, admin, student leadership, profs, etc.).

Because on the surface without knowing you personally, an adcom's biggest concern is your readiness for the transition into a more team-oriented and collaborative environment. In plain English, they see you as a lab rat - and you need to convince them that you will be good in teams, because most of your academic work in b-school will be done in teams of mostly type-A personalities. And this kind of thing is much harder to gauge based on essays alone, which is why in your case you have the added advantage of already being at the university, which gives you the opportunity to let the adcoms know who you really are - even if it's just informally and off-the-record. As for how you do that, well I leave that up to you.
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Wishbone
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Concentration: Finance
Schools:Fuqua
WE 1: Research in Neurology
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Wknd Exec at Fuqua Vs FT at Fuqua or Kenan 22 Mar 2011, 10:55
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Well there are some similarities to business which I think go a little under the radar in research. We are part of a research team here, that relies heavily on teamwork and collaboration. Often there are projects that I work on that cannot be individual and need teamwork and collaboration in order to succeed. Although I am a general jack-of-all-trades in the lab, I do require academic papers from outside authors, and outside technical knowledge which I often find by working closely with PhDs or MDs on subjects they are more knowledgeable in.

On the clinical side I work very closely in a team effort with everyone from the ICU care providers, to nurses, to other research assistants in an effort to form a more cohesive unit. Often there are gaps between hospital people and research people just because of our location within the hospital but without the sharing of knowledge or the collaboration among the team we would hardly be able to identify patients or recruit them.

Thanks for the advice on the adcom side, I really appreciate it, thanks again Alex!!
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Wknd Exec at Fuqua Vs FT at Fuqua or Kenan 24 Mar 2011, 11:20
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That's great - so your job then is to convince the adcom that you're a great team guy. Again, most people outside of the lab will assume that it's a 'lone wolf' sort of job, and that your team skills may not be quite as developed as those in other professions. Your job is to show them through your own experiences, that you are a great team person.
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Wishbone
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Concentration: Finance
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WE 1: Research in Neurology
WE 2: MORE research in Neurology
Posts: 180
Kudos: 64
Wknd Exec at Fuqua Vs FT at Fuqua or Kenan 24 Mar 2011, 11:23
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AlexMBAApply
That's great - so your job then is to convince the adcom that you're a great team guy. Again, most people outside of the lab will assume that it's a 'lone wolf' sort of job, and that your team skills may not be quite as developed as those in other professions. Your job is to show them through your own experiences, that you are a great team person.
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Thanks Alex,

I actually just met with a FT Fuqua student yesterday who had a VERY similar background in terms of GPA, WE, only difference really was maybe his 710 to my 650, but he was EXTREMELY helpful and he said the same information about proving in your essays first and then your interview second that you are not a 'lone wolf' :)