Duke Fuqua Essay Topic Analysis 2010-2011

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The Duke Fuqua essay topics have changed slightly since last year’s admissions season, with a greater focus on applicants’ interest in and potential contribution to Duke.  Although there is no specified word limit, Duke does require that all essays be no more than two pages in length, written with 1.5 line spacing and a minimum 10 point font size.  Let’s take a closer look at each essay as well as the broad instructions/preamble that Fuqua provides:
Today, companies must navigate through complex and interdependent issues. They must deal with health and security matters, environmental impact questions, and diversity and cultural concerns. Leaders need adaptability, imagination, emotional intelligence, and business acumen. Thus, Duke is in the midst of an ambitious global venture that will embed and connect us around the world, and we are seeking future leaders of consequence, who value diversity and collaborative leadership, and who aspire to impact the companies and communities of which they are a part in a lasting and positive way.

In an effort to identify, engage, and foster the development of future leaders of consequence, the Admissions Committee would like to get to know our applicants in a more holistic manner. We would like to know who you are, what has shaped you into the person you are today, and how you hope to impact both Duke and the communities of which you will be a part in the future. The essays are your opportunity to convey that to us. Please be open, genuine, and passionate. Share with us what makes you a dynamic, multi-dimensional person.

Identical to the preface to last year’s application questions, this statement should indicate to applicants that Duke is interested in students who are both natural leaders and collaborators, able to work with diverse teams of people.  In addition, while discussing their career vision, Duke applicants should emphasize the lasting impact of these future plans.  Based on the second paragraph, Duke values students who can express themselves in a personable manner through their essays, so applicants should also strive to infuse their writing with personality and passion.

Essay 1: Describe your vision for your career and your inspiration for pursuing this career path.
This is a variation of the standard career goals essay.  However, because Duke is asking about applicants’ career vision, this particular question lends itself to a long-term, big picture outlook in addition to describing immediate post-MBA career goals.  Responding to the second part of this prompt provides candidates with the perfect opportunity to outline their career history.  Applicants should also feel free to include information about any academic or extracurricular experiences that have motivated them to pursue their intended career.  With two pages to respond to this prompt, applicants should have ample space to describe both their career vision as well as what has inspired this plan.

It’s important to note that in this year’s career vision question, Duke does not ask applicants how Fuqua would factor into achieving their professional goals.  Therefore all discussion of applicants’ academic and professional interest in Duke should be reserved for the response to the third prompt.

Essay 2:  How will your background, values, and non-work activities enhance the experience of other Duke MBA students and add value to Fuqua’s diverse culture?
This essay returns to Fuqua’s application after it was last used in the 2007-2008 application season, indicating Duke’s continued interest in students contributing to the diversity of the school’s community. The prompt is fairly broad, covering just about every dimension of one’s candidacy, experience and perspective, and subsequently issues a general invitation for the applicant to imagine how his or her unique characteristics might map onto involvement in Team Fuqua.  This response is a great place to showcase specific knowledge of the culture at Duke, as well as introduce information that will help you stand out from the applicant pool.

Essay 3:  Why Duke? (If you are interested in a specific concentration, joint degree, clubs or activities, please discuss how you would contribute to these in this essay.)
Asking applicants about their interest in the school to which they are applying is a standard question MBA programs ask, and Duke’s parenthetical comments provide applicants with a clue as to the topics they should cover in responding to this essay.  The important thing to note is that Fuqua asks how applicants would contribute to the school, so in addition to explaining what academic and extracurricular programs you want to become involved in, it’s important to show how this involvement would benefit the Duke community.

One thing to be aware of is that your answer to this question is not merely a reiteration of the points made in your second essay, as both prompts ask applicants to explain how they would contribute to the school. One way in which you can approach this challenge is by using Essay 2 to focus on who you are and how you are unique: with this as your foundation, you can then use specific examples of planned participation to explain what you would bring to Fuqua and how you hope to contribute to the class.  Meanwhile, in responding to Essay 3, you can focus on what you hope to get out of Fuqua and why you want to be there.  In explaining how you are a cultural fit with the program and how the school would help you achieve your career goals, you should support your argument with specific examples of how you would contribute to, as well as benefit from, specific courses, clubs, and events.