Insider Tips To Fuqua’s Application

Duke’s Fuqua School of Business consistently ranks as one of the most prestigious b-schools for MBAs. What exactly does it take to get in?

Business Insider recently spoke to Fuqua grads, admissions representatives, and former Fuqua staffers to get an inside look at how applicants can gain admission into the prestigious MBA program.

CONNECT WITH THE FUQUA COMMUNITY

Along with researching Fuqua’s website, it’s important to reach out and connect with members of the Fuqua community during your application process.

“You can’t beat a primary source by talking to current students, talking to alumni, visiting us on campus, [and] coming to events that we travel around the world to do,” Allison Jamison, assistant dean for admissions at Fuqua, tells Business Insider. “A misstep that people make is just reiterating the website to us. Anybody can do that. We want to see that you have gone a step beyond that and spoken to members of our community.”

HIGHLIGHTING CRITICAL EXPERIENCES

Fuqua seeks students who are well-rounded. And part of being well-rounded is showing that you are an authentic leader within your community.

According to Stratus Admissions Counseling, Fuqua’s admissions committee seeks out authenticity in an application.

“They want to know what YOU plan on doing to make Fuqua a better place,” according to a blog post by the admissions counseling company. “Let them know what you are genuinely interested in doing and why you are passionate about a certain activity, club, or event. Relating clubs or events to past experiences will show that your plans are authentic.”

Rosanna Arias, 2019 Fuqua grad and human capital consultant for Deloitte, says she shared her interest in starting a human capital club in her Fuqua application.

“Now it’s officially a club on campus and hopefully something that will continue for years to come,” she tells Business Insider. “What Fuqua cares about are people who are going to make an impact, but also lead with a style of servant leadership. Humility and empathy are a huge piece of how we’re taught about leadership.”

“TEAM FUQUA”

Fuqua places a heavy emphasis on its community. For an applicant, experts say, it will be helpful to highlight emotional intelligence in an application.

“Especially for top business schools, you have to assume there is a baseline intelligence or academic performance at that level. To me, the distinguisher is really going to be the emotional intelligence,” Erica Campbell, who graduated in 2005 and is now executive director of the Pinky Swear Foundation, which supports kids with cancer and their families, tells Business Insider. “Fuqua really embraced that through a focus on leadership, a focus on teamwork, and just a general focus on the well-rounded individual … That’s what set it apart for me.”

Sources: Business Insider, Stratus Admissions Counseling

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