Blog Archive Duke University Fuqua School of Business Essay Analysis, 20152016

Blog Archive Duke University Fuqua School of Business Essay Analysis, 2015â€"2016 *Please note: You are viewing an essay analysis from the 2015-2016 admissions cycle.  Click here to view our collection of essay analyses for the current admissions season.   Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business essay questions are the same as  last year, but in many ways, the kinds of essays the school is requesting of its applicants hearken back to years ago, when candidates were given the opportunity to provide a broad picture of themselves. Fuqua starts by posing a few traditional goals questions, finishes by offering applicants a choice of two questions about their personal connection to the school, and in the middle, presents its rather unique “25 Random Things” questionâ€"which is, in our opinion, one of the most generous opportunities offered by any admissions committee to well-rounded and qualified applicants. After submitting a Fuqua application, no one should feel as though he/she did not have sufficient occasion to provide a comprehensive overview of his/her values, experiences, and accomplishments. Our full analysis of Fuqua’s essay questions follows… Required Short Answer Questions:  Answer all 3 of the following questions. For each short answer question, respond in 500 characters only (the equivalent of about 100 words). What are your short-term goals, post-MBA? What are your long-term goals? Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize, what alternative directions have you considered?   With this trio of questions, Fuqua is essentially asking for a standard, but very brief, personal statementâ€"only this one has a nonstandard component, presented in the third query. Most candidates feel that they have to be unequivocal in their goals, but here Fuqua is asking applicants to equivocate somewhat. Fuqua’s admissions committee knows that sometimes the best-laid plans do not always play out as expected or yield the intended results, and the school wants to know that you are prepared to switch gears and recommit to a different path, if necessary, and are fully capable of doing so. The key in answering this question is showing that your alternate goal is just as connected to your skills, interests and ambitions as your original plan and does not come “out of left field,” so to speak. For example, you would probably have a difficult time convincing the admissions committee that your short-term goal is to work in technology consulting while  your alternate goal would be to work in human resources, because these industries, for the most part, require entirely different skills and personalities. Just be mindful that both goals you present  must be plausible and achievable. Because personal statements are similar from one application to the next, we have produced the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide, which helps applicants write this style of essay for any school. We offer this guide to candidates  free of charge. Please feel free to download your copy today. Essay 1 (required): 25 Random Things About Yourself Answer the following  questionâ€"present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed 2 pages. The “Team Fuqua” spirit and community is one of the things that sets The Duke MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. When a new person joins the Admissions team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of “25 Random Things About Yourself.” As an Admissions team, we already know the new hires professional and academic background, so learning these “25 Random Things” helps us get to know someone’s personality, background, special talents, and more.In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know youâ€"beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of “25 Random Things” about YOU. Be prepared to have fun creating this list for your Fuqua application, but before you start scribbling down your 25 random things, take some time to brainstorm. You cannot simply draft a list of “typical” accomplishmentsâ€"remember, the school is asking for a  random  list, and keep in mind that your reader should learn more about you as an individual through this list. Make sure that each piece of information you provide gives the admissions committee a new window into your personality, into what really makes you tick and makes you  you. Most important, make sure that you  own  all the points on your listâ€"that your list is truly  yours. For example, a statement such as “I love  Goodfellas  and have watched it eight times” could easily apply to many applicantsâ€"therefore, it would not be truly  yours. However, if you were to instead write, “At least once a year, my friends and I put on dark suits and don’t so much watch  Goodfellas  as recite it together line-for-line, ” you would present an experience that is undoubtedly  yours, because few other candidates would be likely to say this same thing about themselves. Although the admissions committee does not want you to rehash your professional and academic accomplishments in this list, and you should certainly avoid listing anything that already appears elsewhere in your application, you can of course still include moments that occurred in these spheres. Use detail and a narrative style (but keep things brief!) to give these elements life and ensure that they are personal. For example, rather than saying that you “won a creative thinking award for implementing an innovative training solution,” you might write that you “once won an award for instructing trainees to flip their desks upside down and face what was previously the back of the roomâ€"thereby creating an exercise to introduce new hires to the concept and value of new perspectives.” Essay 2 (required; choose 1 of 2):  Choose only  1 of the following 2 essay questions to answer. Your response  should be no more than 2 pages in length and should reflect your knowledge of the Fuqua program and experience, and the types of activities and leadership you would engage in as a Fuqua student. Why Duke:  When asked by your family, friends, and colleagues why you want to go to Duke, what do you tell them? Share the reasons that are most meaningful to you. In this essay, you have an opportunity to prove your “fit” with Fuqua. To do so successfully, you must show not only  that you have done your homework on the school and have profound academic reasons for targeting its MBA program, but also that you fully understand Fuqua’s cultural dynamic and your place within it. To gain the necessary information and experiences to be able to persuade the admissions committee on  these points, you will need to conduct some firsthand research on the school. Avoid the temptation to simply offer a list of classes and clubs you find interestingâ€"this will not be sufficient to convince the admissions committee that you have a real grasp of why Fuqua’s MBA program is right for you. Use this essay to show that you are an informed “consumer” making a reasoned decision about your degree and career. An excellent essay will  reveal that you have a strong sense of self and can connect that sense anecdotally and directly to Fuqua’s resources, app roach and community. Note:  Beware of offering a “fill in the blank” essay. If, once you have drafted your essay, you can  replace the name “Fuqua”  with another school’s name and your essay still makes sense, you have a problem on your hands and will need to go back and offer more Fuqua-specific detail and depth. Team Fuqua Principles:  The Team Fuqua community is as unique as the individuals who comprise it. Underlying our individuality are a number of shared ideas and principles that we live out in our own ways. Our students have identified and defined 6 “Team Fuqua Principles” that we feel are the guiding philosophies that make our community special. At the end of your 2 years at Fuqua, if you were to receive an award for exemplifying one of the 6 Principles listed below, which one would it be and why? Your response should reflect your knowledge of Fuqua and the Daytime MBA program and experience, and the types of activities and leadership you would engage in as a Fuqua student.  Authentic Engagement: We care and we take action. We each make a difference to Team Fuqua by being ourselves and engaging in and supporting activities about which we are passionate.  Supportive Ambition: We support each other to achieve great things, because your success is my success. The success of each individual member of Team Fuqua makes the whole of Team Fuqua better. Collective Diversity: We embrace all of our classmates because our individuality is better and stronger together.  Impactful Stewardship: We are leaders who focus on solutions to improve our communities both now and in the future. We aren’t satisfied with just maintaining the status quo. Loyal Community: We are a family who looks out for each other. Team Fuqua supports you when you need it the most. Uncompromising Integrity: We internalize and live the honor code in the classroom and beyond. We conduct ourselves with integrity within Fuqua, within Duke, and within all communities of which we are a part. As you contemplate a response to this essay question, think carefully about which of these principles you have already upheld.   Fuqua does not necessarily expect that you will start your essay by relating your pre-MBA experiences to its MBA program, but in many instances,  doing so  will help give context and credibility to the path you imagine for yourself at the school. In this essay,  work to show  that you really (really!) know the school well, because if you hypothesize incorrectly about the award-winning contribution you will makeâ€"meaning that the contribution you are proposing is just not possible at the schoolâ€"you will definitely not get in. As we noted earlier, you must  do your homework and show that you are an informed consumer, already aware of the workings of Fuqua’s academic and social community. The question specifically asks that you consider “activities and leadership”; you would be wise to pick a principle that corresponds with your values, briefly suppor t the choice through evidence of existing experience upholding that value and then connect your theme to your informed contribution at Fuqua. If you can achieve all this, you will fulfill the essay’s  intent and make an impression on the Fuqua admissions committee.  Your admissions reader  will understand that you truly want to be at Fuqua, because if you did not, why would you have taken all that time to learn about it? Optional Essay: If you feel there are circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them in an optional essay (such as  unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance). Do NOT upload additional essays nor additional recommendations in this area of the application. The Optional Essay is intended to provide the Admissions Committee with insight into your circumstances only. Limit your response to two pages. However tempted you might be, this is not the place to paste in a strong essay from another school or to offer a few anecdotes that you were unable to use in any of your other essays. Instead, this is your opportunityâ€"if neededâ€"to address any lingering questions that an admissions officer might have about your candidacy, such as a poor grade or overall GPA, a low GMAT score, a gap in your work experience, etc. In our  mbaMission Optional Statement Guide, available through our online store, we offer detailed advice on when and how to take advantage of the optional essay (including multiple sample essays) to help you mitigate any problem areas in your profile. And for a thorough exploration of the Duke Fuqua  academic program/merits, defining characteristics, crucial statistics, social life, academic environment and more, please check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to the  Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. The Next Stepâ€"Mastering Your Duke  Fuqua  Interview:  Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possibleâ€"the key is informed preparation. And, on your way to this high level of preparation, we offer our  free Interview Primers  to spur you along! Download your free copy of the  Duke Fuqua Interview Primer  today. Share ThisTweet 2015-2016 Duke University (Fuqua) MBA Essay Analysis