MBA Admissions Q&A: Duke University's Fuqua School of Business

We’re looking for students who will not only be successful in a rigorous academic environment but also share our belief that business can help change the world for the better. We’re also looking for authenticity, humility and a genuine appreciation for the strength that lies in difference.

We believe that’s what will make a student successful in Team Fuqua: which we define as a way of working that draws out the strengths in others. The Team Fuqua way of working is core to everything we do here, from the way we design learning teams and our curriculum, to the way our students lead extracurricular clubs.

We talk about it all the time – and our dean recently wrote a blog about what it means. The Team Fuqua style is not for everybody – so we’re really screening in the application and interview for that type of fit. 

Many times, applicants are telling us what they think we want to hear, rather than what’s authentic to them. We really appreciate differences and we aren’t looking for someone who will only agree with us. Trust me, we can tell when you aren’t being true to yourself.

Feel free to express yourself and challenge us if you feel like you should. We are looking for people who aren’t afraid to be different and want to be around people with a range of experiences, backgrounds and viewpoints. 

We’re also looking for people who are respectful of themselves, our staff, students and their peers throughout the process and once they get into the program as well. Someone who is very demanding, disrespectful or has a sense of entitlement can hurt their chances of admission.

Spend more time reflecting on the essay questions and don’t try to adapt the same version from school to school. This is really your chance to take the time and figure out if and why this school is the right fit. Invest the time in putting your most authentic, best self forward. Don’t assume a test score alone will get you in. 

I would also encourage applicants to be thoughtful about the number of individuals they seek out during the process to learn more about the program. Don’t just write a long list of students and staff you may have briefly met or interacted with on a surface level, so that you can put in your application that you connected with the school. 

Understand and explain why you’re speaking with that particular person and what they can offer or share with you (and vice versa), which helps move forward your learning about the school and its fit with what you’re looking for. 

Our competitors are a fantastic set of business schools and we have tremendous respect for them. Students will also get a great education at any of the schools in our peer set.

It really comes down to fit though. Where does the individual feel more comfortable? Is the Team Fuqua style of working appealing to them? Do they feel connected to the friendliness, genuine support and energy to help each other on our campus?

Usually when admitted students visit Fuqua, it’s what tips the decision to attend. We hear time and time again that being on campus and experiencing our community first-hand made an applicant realize Fuqua was the right fit.

Our goal is to make sure applicants have a positive experience throughout their time applying to our program, regardless of the outcome. We continue to look at our application process and requirements to ensure we’re not overburdening the applicant yet can still obtain the relevant information needed to make the best decisions for both our program and the applicant, as we look to craft a diverse and competitive class that meets our Team Fuqua standards. 

This year we plan to keep our two essays – the signature “25 Random Things” essay as well as an essay that asks the applicant to demonstrate how she or he plans to contribute to both their and their classmates’ transformation through engagement outside of the classroom. We’ve streamlined some of the language as well. 

Also, to make the process of collecting recommendation letters easier, we have joined GMAC and a host of other top business schools to use a common letter of recommendation this year. We’ll have instructions in our application on how this will work, and we hope it alleviates some of the burden for those applicants applying to multiple programs. 

Our executive MBA programs and one-year master’s programs have also made small adjustments to their essays to make them clearer and more concise.