Duke Fuqua’s Essay Analysis :2012-13

Duke has an early application deadline for those applicants who are sure that Fuqua School of Business is their first choice. Admitted candidates have to sign a binding agreement to withdraw their applications from all other b-schools on offer of admission from Fuqua. Candidates also have to pay a $3,000 non refundable fee. The plus side is that if Fuqua is your first choice b-school, you have secured your seat in a top MBA class by November 28^th, when most others are gearing for their interviews or Round 2 applications.

 Application Fee Waiver: Duke gives you an application fee waiver to $125 (regular is $250) if you attend one of their information sessions hosted in your city or if you are recommended by an alum/ current student. This is in addition to the two professional recommendations requirement.

——————————————————————————————————————————————Applicants have to submit 3 short answers (upto 250 characters each) and 2 long essay  answers

The short essays are:

1.     What are your short term goals, post-MBA?

2.     What are your long term goals?

MBA Decoder’s analysis for essay 1 &2:  It is the season for brevity. And  ‘X-number’ character limits are the flavor of the season. HBS started it, and Duke has lived it up. 250 characters is approximately 3 lines, so it has to be a short, but very focused message.  Get to the point immediately and list your career goals.

3.     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?

It is also the season for plan ‘B’. Stern has asked for it this year, and so has Duke.  Makes a lot of sense, considering the way we are seeing worsening economies all over the world, which have led to  uncertainties in the job market. Going to b-school is expensive proposition and if you enter a bad market 2 years later, you will have reason to think you are doomed.

Duke has very wisely asked you to address the ‘what next’ question upfront. We think it solves two purposes:  1. It gets you to think about your career possibilities before you embark the MBA journey. What if you to have to move back to a functional role in the IT industry and forego the Management Consulting dream? Will that work for you or you would rather not do the MBA? 2. It reflects badly on B-schools reputations to not have its students placed in a job after the MBA (atleast for the full time program, which gets the largest Career Services support, and has maximum number of career switchers).  Flexibility in your career plans is relieving news to the Career Services department.

Whichever two career plans you chose to talk about in essay 1 and 2, remember that they should not be poles apart from each other and that both show you using some of the skills you have built upon in the career so far.

Applicant Essays: Answer both essay questions

Essay 1

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 hire’s professional and academic background, so learning these ’25 Random Things’ helps us get to know someone’s personality, their background, special talents, and more.

In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you – 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.

Please 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, with a font size no less than 10-point.

This new essay question has us all excited about this year’s application. What are the top 25 things about you that you would like the admissions team to know?  Their description is quite expansive, therefore we will limit our advice to reminding you a few pointers:  1. this is your b-school essay – don’t say anything embarrassing that can haunt you later in the application process.  2.  ‘fun-facts’ does not mean irrelevant facts. 3. Maturity in your thought and in the writing style is always appreciated.

Essay 2

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.

Your response to this essay question should be no more than 2 pages in length, with a font size no less than 10-point. Please respond fully and concisely using 1.5 line spacing.

Duke has small class sizes and from virtue of being in a small town, also has a very well knit community. “Collaboration” and “Team Fuqua” are the buzz words there.  With this perspective, it’s necessary to build a two way path in this essay- why Duke is important to you and how will you contribute there.

The wording of the essay gives you freedom to get creative with the presentation- you could be making an impassioned case in front of your parents or you could be fielding an interview with friends and colleagues, about why Duke appeals to YOU and what unique qualities to you bring to its tables.

Understanding the Duke MBA program well is the way answering this well.

 Optional Essay Question

If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the admissions committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g. unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application). Note that you should NOT upload additional essays nor additional recommendations in this area. The Optional Essay is intended to provide the admissions committee with insight into your extenuating circumstances only.