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Duke MQM Student Blog

8 tips to ace your admissions interview.

The interview is my favorite part of the admissions process, because it allows us to get to know applicants on more personal terms.

Published December 1, 2017

You worked hard to present your best self to the admissions committee through your MQM application . You spent hours studying for exams, drafting meaningful essays, refining your resume, and working with professors and managers to secure glowing recommendations. Now you face the gateway to admission: the interview.

The interview is my favorite part of the admissions process , because it allows us to get to know applicants on more personal terms. Similarly, it is the applicant’s opportunity to interact with a member of the Fuqua community and get a better sense of how they might fit in as a member of our team.

We want you to make the most of your admissions interview experience with us, so I’d like to share the following tips to help you approach it with confidence:

• Know your story. Make a point to present your background, experiences, and interests in a cohesive manner that the interviewer will be able to follow. Your interviewer will have access to your resume, but not necessarily your application—so don’t assume the interviewer has information you shared only in your application.
• Be sure you’re able to clearly articulate why you want to pursue the Master of Quantitative Management degree and why you want to study at Duke.
• Be aware of your strengths and how you could leverage them in the program. Also be aware of your weaknesses and consider how you plan to address them. In particular, think about how you’d hope to improve upon your weaknesses using your experience in the program.
• Be prepared, but natural. Avoid over-rehearsing your answers or reciting prepared responses word-for-word.
• Answer your interviewer’s questions in a concise and complete manner. We encourage you to share solid examples of your teamwork, leadership, and experiences to support your answers. However, be sure you do so in an effective and succinct way, and always make sure you actually answer the question that was asked.
• Conduct yourself appropriately. Most interviews take place via Skype, and we expect you to dress and act professionally. Be sure you choose a quiet location for your interview.
• We encourage you to ask questions. The interview is your opportunity to learn more about the Fuqua community, and your interviewer will be happy to share his or her experiences with you. However, please avoid asking questions for which you could easily find answers on Fuqua’s website.
• Keep in mind that your interviewer is truly interested in you and wants to get to know you better! Interviews that are conversational are often the most successful ones. Therefore, make an effort to be curious and get to know your interviewer, too.

Most importantly, relax. You are one step closer to becoming part of the Fuqua Family! I hope these tips will help you enjoy the interview process as much as we do.

Related Content

Mastering the Art of Interviewing Before My Job Search

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Blue Devil Experience: An Essential Step in My Fuqua Journey

The Blue Devil Experience helped me picture my life in the MQM program at Fuqua.

Examples of Our 25 Random Things

The “25 Random Things About Yourself” essay is an essential part of the MQM application.

How To Tackle Duke’s 25 Random Things Q + Example Essay

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Duke Fuqua ’s inspired ‘25 Random Things’ essay question is one of my favorites among the top business schools. While many applicants are intimidated by the prompt, it poses a fantastic way to connect with Fuqua Admissions on a personal level by showcasing different sides of yourself that may not come through in traditional MBA applications. If done right, this essay creates advocates among those reading your list.

As a former Associate Director of Fuqua’s Career Management Center and liaison to Admissions, and now as a Fortuna Admissions coach, I’m seasoned at helping candidates position their stories in a compelling, succinct and memorable way. Beyond my advice below on how to tackle this essay, I’ve included a terrific ‘25 Random Things’ example from a recent admit.

The beauty of this essay prompt is that you’re invited to convey your uniqueness in a way that’s uncoupled by the prosaic nature of the typical essay, allowing you to be serious and playful, witty and vulnerable, introspective and quirky at intervals. The full prompt clearly states that Admissions wants to get to know you beyond the professional and academic achievements listed on your resume. It acknowledges that we have many sides of ourselves, offering an opportunity to illuminate the different identities you inhabit and subtle qualities of your character that make you unique.

To get started, think about your values, your hobbies, your interests, and important life experiences. As alluded above, take full advantage of the unusual format to supply a mix of poignant, humorous, playful, deep, and everything in between. Some may be a paragraph whereas others may be a well-tuned sentence.

It’s also important to highlight your cultural competency. Fuqua has always put an emphasis on diversity and takes pride in the fact that its student body is consistently around 40% international. (In fact, the main hallway is lined with flags representing the many countries students come from.) Teams are purposefully made of individuals from different genders, ethnicities, and functional and industry backgrounds. It’s important that your savvy self- and cultural awareness shines throughout your application. Look for ways to stress your experience working with globally diverse teams and why a global perspective is important to you personally and professionally.

So what does success look like? Take a peek at the first 10 responses from a successful Duke Fuqua admit.

EXCERPT FROM A SUCCESSFUL ‘25 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT YOU’ ESSAY

• Having gained seven siblings all at once, at the age of nine, I’ve come to have a loose definition of the word family. My definition is based more on time I’ve spent with someone than our legal or biological bonds.
• It took time (and a new addition to the house), but eventually my newly-extend family fell into a rhythm. Our home was louder, but filled with more laughter. Together we learned to discuss topics such as subliminal racism and police violence against people of color with sensitivity, directness, and when appropriate, a sense of humor.
• I have a pet Quaker parrot named Blue. I was told it was a male bird so I was shocked when “he” laid an egg!
• I’m deathly scared of spiders. My first month living in Chongqing, a spider about 3 ½ inches across found itself in front of my doorway; after frantically facetiming my dad, I dropped a textbook weighing about 5 pounds on it. I didn’t move the book for two weeks.
• When I am stressed out I like to watch documentaries about space… or the children’s show “Arthur”—totally different but equally effective.
• Ever since I watched the show Madeline at age 5, my interest in studying another language was peaked. While it only included snippets of French (“Bonjour”, “merci”) I was enchanted by the idea of learning French and connecting with a group of people otherwise unreachable.
• On Thanksgiving when I was 5 years old, I finally put it together that the turkey we were eating was “turkey”, the bird. I surprised my parents by announcing I was now going to be a vegetarian. I surprised them further by remaining vegetarian until the end of high school.
• In college, I volunteered in China with an NGO building libraries in rural schools. When the children first saw me, they ran and hid. It was their first time laying eyes on a foreigner. While they were initially frightened, we eventually bonded over Chinese paper cutting (which I never did quite get the hang of).
• One of my first nights in Hunan Province, I tried “huajiao”, a pepper known for its numbing effects on the mouth; I had no idea what I’d eaten and was convinced I was having an allergic reaction. Since we were hours from a hospital I was also half-convinced this could be the end. Now huajiao is one of my favorite spices.
• My college roommates and I met on our hall freshman year and the five of us lived together the rest of our time at Penn—we still have yearly reunions despite all living in different cities.

(You can view all ‘25 Random Things’ from this successful admit in my related post, along with how to respond to all Fuqua essays and the short answer question.)

Finally, keep in mind that your responses should resonate with the core values of the Fuqua community – collaboration, diversity, honesty, respect and giving back to a cause greater than yourself. Team Fuqua isn’t merely a slogan, but a commitment that the staff, faculty and students make to one other. Typically, applicants who devote the necessary time to networking with students and alumni will start to understand what this means on a deeper level – and that will shine through in your essays.

For more advice on how to position your Fuqua application, read: 5 Essential Tips on Applying for the Duke Fuqua MBA .

Fortuna Admissions   coach   Catherine Tuttle   is former Associate Director at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, where she worked in the   Career Management Center and also served as the liaison to Admissions.   For a candid assessment of your chances of admission success at a top MBA program, sign up for   a free consultation .

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.

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Help us keep in touch — it won’t take long, program format, program format - master of quantitative management, function-specific. future-driven..

The format of the MQM: Business Analytics program is designed to provide a deep dive into the quantitative tools necessary for a chosen function while refining your skills in collaboration and communication. With the opportunity to develop new skills across different subjects, your new technical capabilities will be informed by industry context as you develop the interpersonal skills that set you apart.

Prepare to launch

The 10-month sequence motivates your learning. In July, your program starts with a launch experience that prepares you for the curriculum. The rest of the experience is organized into five 6-week terms.

During the first term, your class takes foundational courses before moving into focused tracks for the remainder of the program. Over the next four terms, you'll complete courses in your selected focus along with the opportunity to take curricular and co-curricular courses spanning the MQM: Business Analytics program. You'll be able to push your limits and broaden your industry exposure.

Our Faculty

All Fuqua degree programs are taught by the same world-renowned faculty, scholars recognized for excellence in both teaching and research. The classes they teach are academically challenging and relevant to business today. In spite of their world-class credentials, your professors are highly accessible—with an open-door policy, they’re often happy to continue a classroom debate over coffee or lunch.

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What sets Fuqua apart is the way we structure our programs—as learning teams. You’ll collaborate on coursework and projects with a team of 4–6 students hand-picked to ensure you learn from people with different backgrounds. Replicating a corporate environment, you’ll learn as much from your team experience as you do from your courses—gaining an understanding of the ways drawing strength from others leads to stronger results.

Over five terms you can complete up to 19 courses and a Capstone Project. Each term, required courses cover topics in data, statistics, and analytics as well as business context, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Starting in Term 2, you will also take at least one course per term in your  functional track, as well as optional electives from the other tracks. 

You'll apply for a functional track in either Finance, Marketing, Information Risk Management, or Strategy as part of the admissions process. Each class generally meets twice a week for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Here is a representative class schedule:

Term 1 (6 weeks)

• Programming for Data Analytics
• Applied Probability & Statistics
• Business Communications
• Business Fundamentals

Term 2 (6 weeks)

• Data Science for Business
• Data Infrastructure

Finance Track

• Introductory Finance

Marketing Track

• Customer Relationship Management
• Managing Operational and Informational Risks

Strategy Track

• Strategic Management

Term 3 (6 weeks)

• Modern Analytics
• Critical Thinking and Collaboration
• Intermediate Finance
• Derivatives
• Digital Marketing
• Fraud Analytics
• Operations Analytics

TERM 4  (6 WEEKS)

• Decision Analytics and Modeling
• Data Visualization
• Fixed Income Securities
• Market Intelligence
• Empirical Economic Analysis

Term 5 (6 weeks)

• Capstone Project
• Navigating Organizations
• Financial Risk Management
• Managing Cybersecurity Risk
• People Analytics

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2023-2024 MQM: Business Analytics Academic Calendar

2024-2025 mqm: business analytics academic calendar, mqm:ba quick facts.

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Homepage > MBA Admissions > MBA Application Process > Duke Fuqua MBA Essays – Analysis & tips for 2023 intake

Duke Fuqua MBA Essays – Analysis & tips for 2023 intake

Posted by Suheb Hussain | Oct 13, 2022 | Business Schools , GMAT Focus Edition , MBA Admissions , MBA Application Process

Duke Fuqua MBA program that seeks ‘leaders of consequence’ is known for a culture that is “more  supportive, more collaborative, more immersive and more diverse.”Fuqua has made a few minor changes to the 2022-23 application. The word limits for Essay 2 and the optional essay have been increased from 300 words to 500 words.  Allison Jamison , Assistant Dean of Admissions, explains the reasons for the changes: “We  wanted to be sure applicants had the space needed to be able to explain not just what activities or groups they want to be involved in, but why they want to be involved with them. So take advantage of the additional space!”  Additionally, the 25 random things essay now comes with a word limit of 750 words.

Fuqua continues to require one LOR. You may also submit one optional LOR.

Reapplicants can replicate their application from last year, but they can update any information they like. Reapplicants also have the option of submitting one or two new letters of recommendation if they wish.

In this article, Poonam Tandon from myEssayReview, who has been helping students with their MBA applications since 2011, shares her tips on the Duke Fuqua MBA essay for the 2023 intake. But, let’s first take a look at the essay guidelines and application deadlines.

Guidelines for the Fuqua MBA Essay Questions 2022-23

The basic guidelines for all the Duke Fuqua MBA Essays are as follows:

• You are required to use 1.5-line spacing, and the font size should not be smaller than 10-points.
• Respond concisely and fully
• Do not repeat the questions in the essay document that you upload with your application
• Two Short answer questions – 500-character equivalent to 100 words each
• Two Long answer questions – Not more than two pages each
• Optional Essay – One page
• Re-applicants Essay – Not more than two pages
• Do not copy-paste your responses as all the essays are scanned using plagiarism detection software
• The short question responses should be written in the space provided on the Duke MBA application form
• The applicant needs to upload the long question responses, where they would be able to preview their answers once the document is uploaded.

Application Deadlines 2022-23: Duke Fuqua MBA Program

The following are the deadlines for the Duke Fuqua Full-time MBA program:

Learn more about the Duke’s Fuqua School of Business MBA Program Class Profile, Employment Reports, and Notable Alumni .

Duke MBA Essays Analysis and Tips

The Duke Fuqua MBA program made a few changes in the essay questions this year. The first longer response question, the iconic 25 random things remains unchanged.

But, the required length of the second longer response essay has been reduced from two pages to only 300 words. Additionally, the short answer questions have also been further revised this year.

Instead of two short questions, the candidates will be answering only one short answer question this year. The three essays allow applicants to cover a lot of ground about their personal and professional traits and accomplishments.

The first required essay is Duke’s favorite for many years- ’25 Random Things about Yourself’ prompt; the second essay prompt asks applicants about their ‘fit’ with ‘Team Fuqua’, while the third one asks them about their post-MBA goal and their alternate plan.

Required Short Answer Question

Instructions:  Answer the following question in 500 characters only (the equivalent of about 100 words).

What are your post-MBA career goals? Share with us your first-choice career plan and your alternate plan. (500 characters, or about 100 words)

For this question, you will elaborate on your post-MBA career goals as well as your alternate plans if your first-choice plans do not materialize. Please identify the position that you hope to hold immediately after your MBA, specifying your role, position, industry, and 1-2 organizations/companies for which you would like to work for. Articulate your goal and explain why this goal is interesting and important to you. Please note that your post-MBA goal shows a logical progression from your current skill set, and skills and knowledge acquired through an MBA degree. Also, make sure that your goals are ambitious as well as realistic.

Then think about your plan B. Duke admits that ‘life is full of uncertainties, and you may come across situations that might prevent you from realizing your post-MBA goals. So you must be prepared for plan B. Please make sure that your alternative career path is not an altogether different path that does not allow you to leverage your skills and experience to the fullest. It should be in alignment with your experience, skills, and knowledge gained from your MBA education.

First Required Essay: 25 Random Things About Yourself

Instructions:  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 two pages.

For context:  Fuqua believes different types of people, points of view, and experiences bring out the best in everyone. And above all, we place a premium on succeeding while making a positive impact on businesses, organizations, and the world.  

These ways of thinking set the Duke MBA experience apart, and this concept 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, 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.

This question about ‘a list of 25 random things’ about applicants is Duke’s favorite for many years. It is my favorite, as well. For years, I have enjoyed working with applicants on this question as it offers me a glimpse into the ‘fun’ side of their personalities.

As stated in the essay prompt, the purpose of this question is  to get to know you–beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript .  This means that the admission committee wants you to share with them your ‘ important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts or  anything that helps them understand who you are as a person “. 

Thus, the purpose of this essay is to show the admission committee your multidimensional personality.

Over the years, I have noticed that the candidates initially find this question a little daunting and are tempted to discuss their professional accomplishments, but when they dig deeper and begin brainstorming ideas about unique and exciting things about themselves, and the unique personal experiences that have made them who they are, they start enjoying this process of self-discovery.

I advise them to do these brainstorming sessions with their family and friends and ask them what they find interesting and funny about them.

Please note that the word ‘ random’  allows you to include little fun things that you have done or are doing in your day-to-day life, your hobbies/ habits that have become an integral part of your personality.

The unique component of this essay question is the “fun” part of it. So you don’t need to get too serious about yourself. You want to share something about you that draws your reader in.

Also, please resist the temptation of drifting away from your accomplishments, career goals, or leadership experiences because this is NOT what the Admission Committee seeks to know about you through this question. For ideas, you may refer to the following examples on Duke Website:

Examples of “25 Random Things”

• 25 Interesting Facts About Me
• My 25 Random Things
• More Random Things

Bottom Line: Be Yourself

Second Required Essay: The Fuqua community and you

Instructions: Your response should be no more than 300 words.

Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student culture and are vital to providing you with a range of experiential learning and individual development experiences.

Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture,  how do you see yourself engaging in and contributing to our community, outside of the classroom?

This essay is primarily about your contribution to the school. Duke emphasizes greatly on how their students will make their community more productive. Hence for this question, you must do your homework and research the school thoroughly.

You need to think beyond your contribution to the classroom and discuss how your involvement in clubs, organizations, and student communities will add value to the program.

In addition to understanding the school’s resources (curriculum, faculty, clubs, organizations, and student activities) through the website, you should reach out to alumni and current students to gain additional insights about the school’s culture and resources.

Please note that it is vital to support your claims about your potential contribution to specific clubs and organizations by specific examples from your past experiences- personal or professional- in the given area.

In order to demonstrate your ‘fit’ with the program, you must showcase what you have done in the past and how you will be a strong contributor to Duke as a student and as an alumnus.

Allison Jamison’s advice: “ Our second essay will still ask you about how you plan to engage with the Fuqua community, but we would like you to limit it to the three most meaningful ways you expect to engage as a student. While there are so many opportunities available, one of the first skills you must develop as a student is how to prioritize what’s most important to you. There will also be a 300-word limit on this essay. Again, we hope this change helps you to focus on things that spark your interest, while also providing the Admissions Committee with helpful insights into the unique contributions you will bring to the class.”

Optional Essay: Tell us more

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), please describe them in an optional essay.

Please do NOT upload additional essays nor additional recommendations in this area of the application and limit your response to one page.

As instructed in the essay prompt, submit the  optional essay  only if you have to explain extenuating circumstances. (e. g,  “unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance “).

If you have a low GPA or less than ideal GMAT, or if you are not able to get a recommendation from your current supervisor, or if you have an employment gap, you may address these concerns in your optional essay. Your weakness may also bring out a positive aspect of your personality. This essay should convey that you are aware that these are areas of concern in your application, but, whenever possible, you have made a sincere effort to improve upon these areas.

If you do not have any of those areas to explain, it is best to skip this question and focus only on the required three essays.

About the author

Poonam, one of the  top 5 most reviewed consultants on the GMAT Club , is a master storyteller with more than three decades of experience in successfully helping students craft compelling stories for undergraduate and graduate school programs.

A Ph.D. in English, with three decades of teaching experience in India and the US, Poonam launched myEssayReview (MER) in 2011 to provide highly personalized and dedicated consulting services to Business School applicants. Since then, she has helped hundreds of students around the world get into top MBA, EMBA, part-time MBA, and specialized graduate programs. A full-time consultant, Poonam is passionate about her work and is highly committed to each of her students’ success.

Want to become a part of the Fuqua community? A 740+ GMAT score can increase your chances of pursuing an MBA at the Duke Fuqua School of Business. Sign up for our free trial and get access to our GMAT resources today!

Here are some additional articles:

• What is a good GMAT score for Duke Fuqua?
• The Duke Fuqua MBA Program Class Profile, Employment report and Notable Alumni
• Top One-year MBA Program in the U.S.
• How to make an impressive MBA Application Video Essay
• Five types of MBA Essays explained with an example
• MBA Admissions – Career goal or Why MBA Essay
• Importance of MBA Essays in Business School applicants

About The Author

Suheb Hussain

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When evaluating applications to Duke, the admissions committee reviews several documents that make up each file. As a part of our holistic approach, we consider both your academic and personal interests, what you’ve accomplished, and your unique experiences, perspectives, and background.

The information below represents the 2023-24 admission cycle requirements and deadlines.

For a quick reference of deadlines, click here .

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Regular Decision is for students who want to keep their options open.

Visit our FAQs for more information.

Early Decision Deadlines

• Common Application  or Coalition Application made available
• Application for Early Decision
• Early Decision Agreement
• High School Transcript
• First Quarter Grades (submit via Optional Report; will accept through November 20 or when your first term ends)
• Secondary School Report with Counselor Recommendation
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November 15

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• Application for Regular Decision
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February 15

• Midyear Grade Report (or as soon as first marking period grades are available)

Late March/Early April

More Information

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Enroll in the best available and most challenging courses. We recommend four years of English and at least three years of mathematics, natural sciences, foreign language, and social studies. We generally expect students to enroll in five academic courses per year, and if a student does not take four years in a particular subject area, it should be replaced with an academic course of equal rigor. For students applying to the Pratt School of Engineering, we require coursework in calculus and strongly recommend physics. We also encourage students to enroll in advanced-level work in as many areas as reasonable, regardless of your intended major. For some students, this will include AP or IB courses, whereas for others it will include honors, accelerated, or college courses.

First Quarter Grades, Midyear Grades, and Final Transcripts

We look at the courses you’ve taken from what’s available to you, individual grades in academic courses, overall GPA, and class rank (when available). Official transcripts for all academic work completed in high school are required and must be submitted by your school counselor or another school official.

We require first-quarter/marking-period grades for all Early Decision applicants to be submitted with the Common or Coalition Application by your counselor with the application or as soon as they become available. If your school is unable to provide us with first-quarter grades, you should request an unofficial progress report.

We require midyear grades for all applicants by February 15 or as soon as they are available, to be submitted with the Common or Coalition Application by your counselor.

All admitted students must request that a final official transcript be submitted along with the Final Report form with the Common or Coalition Application.

College and Summer School Transcripts

If you have taken postsecondary or summer coursework that does not appear on your high school transcript, please request an official transcript and/or a progress report from the institution that provided instruction.

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• For international students whose transcripts need to be translated into English, students may use an official service, an EducationUSA adviser, or a school official. Please keep in mind that we also expect the original documents to be submitted with the translated documents. School Report forms and transcripts must be submitted directly from an applicant’s school.

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Test Optional Policy 2023-2024

Duke University will be test-optional for both first-year and transfer applicants in the 2023-24 admissions cycle.

Students who apply without SAT or ACT scores this year will not be at a disadvantage in our consideration of their applications. Our decisions are based on a student’s comprehensive application materials, with or without test scores. We will continue to consider SAT and ACT scores as part of the application of students who choose to submit them and will accept self-reported scores for purposes of assessing an application. Scores sent from testing agencies will be required from those students only if they enroll at Duke.

How should I decide whether or not to have my SAT or ACT considered?

The decision of whether or not to have your SAT or ACT considered is entirely yours. Choosing not to have SAT or ACT scores considered will not impact your admissions decision. You may wish to consult our  ADMISSIONS PROFILE  for students admitted to Duke in previous years as a guide. If you’re still uncertain, you may wish to opt-out of having your scores considered when you apply because you will be able to opt-in later.

We do not require SAT Subject Tests, but we will consider those scores, along with other scores like AP and IB, if you choose to report them. Please note if you choose to not have your scores considered, we will not suppress SAT Subject Test scores or AP scores if they are already on file with Duke.

Visit our FAQs for more information about our Test-Optional Policy.

Duke CEEB Code: 5156

STANDARDIZED TESTS

Duke will consider official scores as well as scores that are self-reported on the application. Submitting essay scores from the ACT and/or SAT is optional.

For students who submit both ACT and SAT scores, Duke will consider your best score.

Students must submit at least one full set of scores from a single test date but may also submit scores from subsections taken individually on different test dates. Duke will consider the highest scores on each section, regardless of the test date, and will create a new composite score by averaging those scores. We do not require the optional essay.

Duke will consider the highest scores on each section of the SAT, regardless of the test date. SAT with essay and SAT Subject Tests have been discontinued. If you have SAT essay or SAT Subject Test scores, you are welcome to submit them, but they are optional.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY TESTS

If you are a non-native English speaker or if you are not currently studying in an English-medium curriculum, we recommend but do not require that you take an English proficiency test. If you take the test more than once, we will use your highest score, and we do not have any preference among English proficiency tests.

• Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency (Minimum score expected is 180)
• Duolingo (Minimum score expected is 130)
• IELTS (Minimum band score expected is 7)
• PTE Academic (Minimum score expected is 70)
• 100 on the internet-based TOEFL
• 75 on the revised TOEFL paper-delivered test

PLACEMENT POLICIES

Duke University awards a limited amount of course credit and advanced placement on the basis of scores earned on Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and pre-matriculation college course work. However, course credit and advanced placement are not granted until the student has been admitted and until the official reports are received and evaluated by our Registrar’s Office. Since this process is handled outside the Admissions Office, a credit evaluation cannot be made until the student arrives on campus. Click here for more information.

REQUIRED RECOMMENDATIONS

We require three letters of recommendation for each applicant: one from your school counselor and two from teachers who have taught you in major academic courses (English, mathematics, social studies, sciences, foreign languages), preferably within the last two years of secondary school.

If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering, at least one recommendation should be from a math or science teacher.

Ask your recommender to submit the letter through the Common Application or Coalition process. We will also accept letters by email, fax, or postal mail .

OPTIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

You can submit one Personal Recommendation from an employer, mentor, or anyone else who knows you well and can give us a better idea of who you are. Ask your recommender to submit the letter through the Common Application or Coalition process. We will also accept letters by email, fax, or postal mail .

The application includes space for up to ten extracurricular activities. Use as few or as many spaces as you need. Be sure to include school, community, family, and work commitments on your list. Keep in mind that we are more interested in seeing sustained commitment rather than a long list.

Duke does not accept separate resumes. You may include extra honor and accomplishments in the “additional information” section of the application.

Both the Common Application and the Coalition Application include a one-page personal essay as well as short essay questions specific to Duke. You can submit the supplemental essays with or after the other student portions of the application, no later than the application deadline.

LONG-ESSAY PROMPTS

• All applicants who complete the Common Application will respond to one of seven essay prompts for the 2023-24 admissions cycle.
• All applicants who complete the Coalition Application will respond to one of six essay prompts for the 2023-24 admissions cycle.
• For transfer students, we would like to understand more about you and your academic path. Why and how did you choose your current or most recent college or university? What has changed since then, and what has led you to consider transferring? Please respond with an essay of between 250 and 600 words.

SHORT-ESSAY PROMPTS

• What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you? If there’s something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well. (250 word limit)
• We believe a wide range of personal perspectives, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to making Duke a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community.
• Tell us about an intellectual experience in the past two years that you found absolutely fascinating .
• We believe there is benefit in sharing and sometimes questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about?
• We recognize that “fitting in” in all the contexts we live in can sometimes be difficult. Duke values all kinds of differences and believes they make our community better. Feel free to tell us any ways in which you’re different, and how that has affected you or what it means to you.
• Duke’s commitment to inclusion and belonging includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Feel free to share with us more about how your identity in this context has meaning for you as an individual or as a member of a community.
• The Common and Coalition Applications will also include a section for students to disclose if they were impacted by community disruptions such as natural disasters and COVID-19.

Submitting Payment

You must send your nonrefundable $85 application fee or fee waiver request along with the Common Application or Coalition Application. Both applications accept online payment via credit card or electronic check.  Please note that we do not accept credit card payment by telephone.  If you pay by check, please make the check payable to Duke University. Checks must be for payment in U.S. dollars and must be drawn on a U.S. bank.

Fee Waivers

We offer fee waivers for qualifying students, which means under many circumstances we will waive the $85 application fee for students with high financial need. Through your Common Application or Coalition Application you may request an application fee waiver online, and your school counselor will receive an email invitation to endorse your request.

Alumni interviews are an optional component of the Duke application process. Due to the volume of applications to Duke, we regret we are unable to interview all applicants. The Admissions Office will prioritize interviews for students for whom we need additional information. Not being offered an interview does not affect your chances of admission. After students submit their applications, those offered an interview will be matched with alumni volunteers who will contact them via phone or email to arrange a virtual interview. Students may expect the interview to last 30-60 minutes. We do not offer on-campus interviews with admissions officers, nor can students request an interview.

Applicants are welcome to record a Glimpse video. Glimpse is an opportunity to share a 60-90 second video helping us to get to know you better. For more information about Glimpse please visit the Glimpse website here . Currently, Glimpse is only available for students attending high school in the United States. For consideration in the Duke Admissions Process, Glimpse videos must be submitted by November 6 for Early Decision and January 16 for Regular Decision.

For international applicants, Duke will also consider interviews from InitialView. Students attending schools in China are particularly encouraged to arrange an interview with InitialView. Applicants interested in an InitialView interview are encouraged to make a reservation here as soon as possible in order to secure a timely appointment.

ARTS SUPPLEMENT

If you have exceptional talent in dance, music, photography, film/video/digital, or theater, you may submit optional arts supplement(s) to be evaluated by a Duke University faculty member in that program or department. Typically, such submissions should demonstrate extraordinary talent beyond standard high school level accomplishment. Arts supplement applicants have often received significant awards and honors at a state, national, or international level. Consider carefully whether your supplemental materials demonstrate unusual talent before submission. For more information about what we look for, you may reach out to the departments directly.

For the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, we are unable to accept visual art supplements (including photographs of artwork).

Learn more about art supplements

RESUMES, ABSTRACTS, ETC.

We hope to get to know you through the documents we require as part of our application process. Therefore, Duke does not accept resumes, research abstracts, and media files. We are happy to accept artistic supplements. We will accept one additional letter of recommendation should you choose to submit it.

If you have information that you need to share with us that will not be reflected elsewhere in your application, you may add it to the Additional Information section of the application.

TRANSFER STUDENTS

Every fall, approximately 50 students transfer into Duke from another college or university. Most will enroll as sophomores, although the selection committee will also admit a small number of juniors. While transfer students are new to the Duke community, they bring with them the same characteristics of talent and engagement as the rest of their undergraduate peers.

The application deadline for transfer admission is March 15.

ELIGIBILITY

• If you have attended any college or university in the past four years and will have successfully completed at least one full year of transferable college work by the August in which you hope to enroll, you qualify to apply to Duke as a transfer applicant.
• All transferable college work should be completed at an accredited degree-granting institution. College work completed at a vocational, technical, performance, or professional program will not be considered.
• If you are a high school student in an “early college” or dual-enrollment program earning an associate degree while finishing high school, you should apply as a first-year applicant.
• If you have already completed an undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree at a four-year college, you cannot be considered for transfer admission.
• Students who attend Duke Kunshan University and wish to transfer to Duke University are not at an advantage in our admissions process.
• A high school diploma or GED is required for admission to Duke.
• Unfortunately, you may not apply for transfer to Duke as a part-time student.  Instead, we encourage you to contact  DUKE CONTINUING STUDIES  for information on taking courses on a non-degree basis.
• The admissions committee seeks applicants who can provide evidence of academic preparation within the past four years. If you have not recently attended high school or college, we strongly encourage you to do so prior to applying for transfer, either through  DUKE CONTINUING STUDIES  or an accredited degree-granting institution in your local area.
• Transfer admission to Duke is highly selective, with the admission rate ranging from 3% to 7% over the past five years. Transfer applicants are expected to have demonstrated a high level of academic talent, both at their current higher education institution and in high school.
• The most successful applicants will have a minimum college GPA of 3.7 in a challenging academic program.
• Please note that Duke will be test-optional for transfer students for the 2023-2024 cycle.

2022-2023 Transfer Student Application Cycle

• Applications: 2,126
• Admitted Students: 89
• Matriculated Students: 56
• Admit Rate: 4%

2022-2023 Admitted Transfer Student Profile

• GPA average = 3.90
• Mid-50% range = 3.85 – 4.0

REQUIRED MATERIALS AND DEADLINES

• Your application must be submitted electronically through either the  COMMON APPLICATION  or COALITION APPLICATION by March 15. The Transfer Admissions Committee begins to review applications after the application deadline. We will notify applicants of admissions decisions by mid-May.
• Required materials for transfer admission include an application for transfer admission, College Report, college transcript, final high school transcript, two instructor evaluations (at least one evaluation must be from a college instructor), and required financial aid forms.
• Duke University is test-optional for transfer students who plan to apply during the 2023-2024 admissions cycle for enrollment in the fall of 2024 . If you choose to submit ACT or SAT scores, they must be completed within the past five years.
• If you intend to apply through the Common Application, please visit their website for a TRANSFER APPLICATION GUIDE .
• Both the Transfer Common Application and the Coalition Application include a one-page personal essay as well as short essay questions specific to Duke.  The transfer application has a character rather than a word limit. If your essays exceed the character limit, you may email the essay to [email protected] . Please ensure that you include your full name, date of birth, and current college so that we match it with the correct application.
• If your current college/university does not allow the submission of recommendation forms through the Common Application portal, you can find printable Duke-specific PDF versions on the Common Application portal. These forms should be either mailed or faxed to our office.
• If you have exceptional talent in dance, theater, art, or music, you may submit supplementary material to be evaluated by an appropriate faculty member. LEARN MORE ABOUT ART SUPPLEMENTS
• Alumni interviews are offered on a very limited basis, based on the availability of our volunteer alumni.  Unfortunately, we are unable to interview every applicant, every year. If we are unable to assign you an interview, please don’t worry . It will not hurt your application in any way. There is nothing that you need to, or can do, to request an interview. If we were able to assign you an interview this year, you will be contacted by the interviewer to coordinate.  All interviews will be conducted virtually.
• Transfer Applicants are welcome to record a GLIMPSE video. Glimpse is an opportunity to share a 60-90 second video helping us to get to know you better. For more information about Glimpse please visit the Glimpse website HERE . Currently, Glimpse is only available for U.S. Citizens and permanent residents. For consideration in the Duke Transfer Admissions Process, Glimpse videos must be submitted by March 22. Glimpse videos are not required as part of the transfer admissions process. For international applicants, Duke will also consider interviews from InitialView. Students attending schools in China are particularly encouraged to arrange an interview with InitialView. Transfer Applicants interested in an InitialView interview are encouraged to make a reservation HERE as soon as possible in order to secure a timely appointment.

TRANSFER OF CREDIT

• Duke does not offer a preliminary credit evaluation to prospective transfer students.
• We are unable to connect prospective applicants with an advisor to discuss credit transfer. However, there is a good chance that credits will transfer if coursework taken at the applicant’s current/previous accredited college is comparable to courses offered at Duke in areas such as natural science, math, foreign language, literature, social sciences and the arts.
• Duke will grant credit for no more than two years of coursework completed elsewhere, regardless of the number of credits a student has previously earned. In order to earn a Duke degree, a transfer student must spend at least two years at Duke.
• At least half the courses of all majors, minors, and certificates must be taken at Duke, although individual departments and programs offering majors may require that a greater proportion be taken at Duke.
• Please see the  DUKE UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE BULLETIN  for more information on how transfer credits are evaluated.
• You may find a list of courses offered at Duke by searching our online course catalog .

FINANCIAL AID

• The number of semesters of aid eligibility for students transferring to Duke is based on the policy of up to nine academic semesters less the number of semesters studied elsewhere. This also includes financial assistance for one summer term, if needed.
• Duke admits transfer applicants who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, undocumented or DACA students without regard to financial circumstance or aid eligibility and meets 100 percent of each admitted student’s demonstrated need throughout their undergraduate enrollment.  Unfortunately, need-based financial aid is not available for international transfer student s.  In addition, Duke does not offer merit-based scholarships to transfer students.
• Submit a fee waiver via Common Application, or
• Sign and submit the NACAC Transfer Fee Waiver Form, or
• Provide a brief statement attesting to receiving a Pell Grant from your current college.
• Provide a brief statement describing why you are unable to pay the application fee.
• Fee waiver requests should be directed to  [email protected] .
• For detailed instructions on how to apply for financial aid, please visit the  OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE FINANCIAL AID

Other considerations

Every year, we receive a diverse array of extraordinary applicants from around the world with varied backgrounds and situations. Whether you’re an international applicant, one that is undocumented, homeschooled, transferring, or one with a disability—we are here to help you navigate the application process.

Please refer to the FAQs for additional information .

Have more questions?

Resources + Tools

Frequently Asked Questions

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS

Students from more than 100 countries have found a home at Duke. Innovative, restless, and driven: these are qualities not confined by geography.

There is no separate application for international students.

STANDARDIZED TESTING CONSIDERATIONS

• Testing policies are the same for all applicants; there are no additional requirements for international students.
• While we do not require any English proficiency scores, we are happy to consider them for non-native English speakers who want to demonstrate their English ability beyond the materials in their applications. We accept the Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency Tests ,  Duolingo English Test ,  the IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System) , the  PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English) , and the  TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) . Since official submissions of the Duolingo English Test are free, we suggest the official submission of those results; applicants can self-report all other English proficiency test scores.

TRANSCRIPTS 

VISA INFORMATION

• To obtain an F-1 visa for study in the United States, a foreign citizen must furnish his or her home country’s U.S. consulate with proof of ability to meet educational expenses, along with a certificate of eligibility for a visa application (the I-20 form). I-20 forms for incoming foreign students are issued only after a student has accepted an offer of admission at Duke and returned a completed Certificate of Financial Responsibility.
• Visa services and advice on federal regulations concerning non-U.S. citizens are available through  Duke Visa Services .
• While not required for admission, interviews provide an opportunity for the applicant to learn about Duke and for a representative of the university to learn about the applicant’s strengths. We have alumni volunteers conducting interviews in forty-two countries worldwide.
• Because of the high volume of applicants we receive from China, Duke will accept admissions interviews from  InitialView for students attending school in China. These interviews will serve in lieu of alumni interviews. We encourage interested students to arrange an interview with InitialView as soon as possible in order to secure an appointment. All interviews must be submitted by December 1 for Early Decision and March 1 for Regular Decision.
• Duke offers need-based financial aid and merit-based scholarships to US citizens and to foreign citizens following the different policies outlined below.
• For U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens, an applicant’s need for financial aid, or the fact that a student has applied for financial aid, will not disadvantage a student in the admissions process. Students needing financial assistance are strongly encouraged to apply for aid at the same time as for admission. Please go to the Financial Aid website for more information.
• Foreign citizens must apply for need-based financial aid in the original first-year application in order to be eligible for need-based funding from Duke at any point . You can find the comprehensive costs for attending Duke in 2023-2024 here . You can find more information about financial aid for foreign citizens at Duke here .
• The admissions process for foreign citizens is more highly selective: the admit rate for foreign citizens seeking financial aid is usually less than half of the overall admit rate. We consider admissions applications from foreign citizens requesting need-based financial aid in this more competitive pool no matter how great or small the family’s financial need may be.
• Duke offers a small number of merit scholarships for which all applicants to Duke are automatically considered. Applying for need-based aid does not have any negative effect on merit scholarship selection. You can find more information about merit scholarships at Duke  here and  here .
• We do not require applicants to submit any financial forms as a part of the admissions process; the financial aid application is simultaneous with but separate from our admissions consideration. The amount of need-based financial aid for which each student/family qualifies depends solely on financial calculations and not on the strength of the admissions application.
• If you have more specific questions about financial aid, please feel free to contact the Karsh Office of Undergraduate Financial Support at  [email protected] .

UNDOCUMENTED OR DACA APPLICANTS

We welcome applications from undocumented and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students. DACA applicants apply in the same way U.S. citizens and permanent residents do, and your application will be considered the same way U.S citizens and permanent residents are, by the regional admissions officer responsible for where you attend high school.

When you apply, you should be honest about your current citizenship status. You do not need a social security number to use the Common Application or Coalition Application; that field can be left blank.

Beginning with students who are applying for admission for Fall of 2021, Duke will review undocumented and DACA students using the same “need-blind” process as applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents .

• Undocumented or DACA students who wish to apply for financial aid should fill out the  CSS Profile by the appropriate Early Decision or Regular Decision deadline.
• Information about the financial aid process for undocumented students can be found  here , and answers to frequently asked questions can be found  here . For general instructions on how to apply for financial aid, please visit the  Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid website .

DUKE’S SUPPORT FOR UNDOCUMENTED AND DACA STUDENTS

• Duke University’s goal is to provide access, inclusion, and support to all of our students and their diverse backgrounds and needs.
• We encourage you to read more about how this support applies to undocumented and DACA students in this  message from the Duke University President .

If you have questions or concerns, please  contact our office .

HOMESCHOOLED APPLICANTS

Duke welcomes applications from students who are educated in alternative ways such as homeschooling and online-schooling. While we do not have any additional application requirements for these students, there is some benefit to providing supplementary information to help us better understand the context, the rigor, and the students’ achievements in their chosen educational path.

Below are some suggestions for homeschooled or online-schooled students to better elucidate their academics and involvement in our application process.

• In general, students should take the best and most challenging courses available. We recommend but do not require four years of English and at least three years of mathematics, natural science, foreign language, and social studies.
• For students applying to the Pratt School of Engineering, we require coursework in calculus and strongly recommend physics.
• We understand that each individual family best decides the choice of curriculum. Whatever path a student chooses, we would like information about the student’s homeschool experience and environment that would be helpful for our committee.

TRANSCRIPTS

• In addition to the courses and grades, we are interested in knowing how and why the student and family chose an alternative means of schooling and the philosophy behind the education provided.
• For courses that are taught at home, we would like an explanation of the grading scale or other methods of evaluation.
• When a student indicates that he/she is homeschooled, the Common Application generates supplemental questions on the School Report that should be completed and submitted to provide this information.
• Students are also welcome to share their insights into their educational choice, especially their thoughts about the benefits they have gained and how the experience will allow them to contribute to the community at Duke.
• If the student has taken courses from a distance learning program, traditional secondary school, or any institution of higher education, we require official transcripts from these institutions. Applicants are not required to present a GED or proof of accreditation.

STANDARDIZED TESTING

• The standardized testing requirements are the same for all Duke applicants.
• We encourage homeschooled students to submit AP test and/or additional SAT subject results in the absence of grades to demonstrate additional evidence.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

• Although a parent may complete your school report to provide context for your academic choices, we encourage students to provide two additional letters of recommendation from non-relatives and preferably from individuals who have worked with the student in an in-person academic setting.
• Employers, religious leaders, sports coaches or other adults can write these recommendations if all academic instruction takes place in the home.
• Letters from online instructors are less helpful if they have not had direct contact with the homeschool student.

Duke offers military veterans a high level of support as they transition to our campus community. For more information about the resources available to veterans, please visit Student Affairs or the Office of the University Registrar .

APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES

Duke University is committed to the equality of educational opportunities for all qualified students. Students with disabilities (including learning disabilities, hearing or visual impairments, mobility impairments, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders, psychiatric impairments or chronic health disabilities) who apply to Duke can choose whether or not to disclose their disability to us.

• Our office is prohibited by law from making inquiries about a student’s disability in the admissions process. We will not require you at any point in the admissions process to disclose if you have a disability.
• We evaluate a student’s accomplishments within the context of any opportunities or challenges presented to that student. We do not use information about a disability to deny admission to a student.
• There is no separate admissions process at Duke for students with disabilities. All students who apply to Duke, including those who have a diagnosed impairment/disability, are evaluated using the same criteria.
• If you have questions or require additional information, please contact the Admissions Office at (919) 684-3214 and ask for the admissions officer responsible for students with disabilities.

ACCOMMODATIONS AT DUKE

• All students have the right to request reasonable accommodations at Duke.
• Students requesting consideration for accommodations must have an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities and should contact the  Student Disability Access Office .

Duke Fuqua MQM – Class Profile, Curriculum & Salary (Analysis)

Duke Fuqua's 10-month Master of Quantitative Management: Business Analytics program is a rare program that ticks several markers of a well-rounded and well-represented program in the U.S. Developed to prepare students in an evolving quant-heavy decision-making framework, the program touches courses in Programming, Probability & Statistics, Finance, Decision Analytics and covers tracks in Finance, Marketing, Information Risk Management, and Strategy. The balance of quantitative and business focus makes the program a viable alternative to the Duke Fuqua Full-time MBA program for young applicants.

Duke Fuqua MQM: Business analytics - Class Profile

Fuqua MQM: Business Analytics program has 230 students in the class of 2023, with 59% women. Even minorities by ethnicity have the most representation at 65% of the class. The class of 2023 represented 27 countries where the average age was 23 years. Students maintained an average GPA of 3.62 and a GMAT Range of 651-760.

The latest class was equally represented by Engineering & Business/Accounting professionals, while Economics candidates were third and liberal Arts found the lowest representation.

Duke Fuqua MQM: Business Analytics - Fees and Total Cost

The total cost for Duke Fuqua MQM Business Analytics is $115,265, which includes Tuition ($79,500), Medical Insurance ($6,607), Education Supplies ($800), and Living Expenses ($28,358)..      

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Duke Fuqua MQM: Business Analytics - Curriculum

MQM: Business Analytics at Duke Fuqua is a 10-month course. The program begins in July with a launch experience that prepares students for the curriculum. The remaining schedule is divided into five terms of six weeks each.

The class studies foundational courses in the first term before switching to focused tracks for the duration of the program. Students will finish courses in their chosen specialization over the following four terms. They can also enroll in curricular and extracurricular courses across the MQM: Business Analytics program.

Program Structure: Students can finish up to 19 courses and a capstone project in five terms. Data, statistics, and analytics subjects are covered in mandatory courses every term, along with business context, critical thinking, communication, and cooperation. Students will also begin taking courses in their functional track starting in Term 2, along with optional electives from the other tracks.

As part of the admissions process, students will apply for a functional track in Finance, Marketing, Information Risk Management, or Strategy. Typically, each class meets twice.

Capstone Projects: The MQM curriculum concludes with the Capstone project, a 6-week intense experience in which students collaborate with three to four classmates, a faculty advisor, and a company to leverage analytics to address a particular business problem. The capstone allows students to use the domain-specific tools built throughout the curriculum in a real-world setting where they may experience the difficulties of the current privacy-bounded data environment. For-profit and non-profit organizations, and enterprises of all sizes, including startups and Fortune 100 companies, benefit from capstone projects. The four curriculum tracks in the MQM program—finance, information risk management, marketing, and strategy—are each customized to a particular project.

Case Studies: As part of a course assignment, students and their team will choose the strategy to solve the case, locate insightful information in the data set, select how to deliver the best recommendations, and present findings to the "customer."

Data Competitions: Students and their teams can compete against other teams to develop the best solution to a data analytics problem by participating in Fuqua Data Competitions. ASA Datafest @ Duke is another competition offered by the American Statistical Association every year, where teams must analyze a sizable unexplored dataset.  

Adobe Analytics Challenge is yet another technical business case competition where students examine actual data from one of the company's clients using the Adobe Analytics platform. MLB (Major League Baseball) was the client in 2020. They requested an in-depth analysis of the data to determine how the online fan experience could be enhanced. Students had just a couple of weeks to become comfortable with Adobe Analytics, draw conclusions from MLB's data, and then produce a presentation outlining the plan.

Speakers: In the speaker's sessions by Duke Fuqua, high-profile corporate leaders share their personal and professional journeys in transforming the business landscape, offering students an inside glimpse at the challenges they face in their fields or careers.

The series has two goals in mind. High-profile corporate executives are invited to speak at one of the top business schools in the world to provide their perspectives on current business concerns and corporate initiatives. The program also develops and solidifies Fuqua's connections with the top businesses in the world.

Dean Bill Boulding sponsors the Duke University community's access to the Distinguished Speakers Series. Previous speakers include Tim Cook, CEO, Apple; Lisa Borders, Former President, WNBA; David Taylor, CEO, Procter, and Gamble; Doug McMillon, CEO, Walmart; Roger Ferguson, CEO, TIAA, etc.

Industry Conferences: At conferences, keynote speeches and roundtable talks with managers and executives from various companies are hosted to address industry-related problems or new trends.

Some of the recent examples of Industry Conference include:

• Making Data Work for Non-profits, hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) • The Duke University Energy Conference, led by the Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment

Duke MQM Application Process – Deadlines, Essays, Interviews

Applicants must be a graduate of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, business, economics, or a quantitative field of study from an accredited institution.

Essential Duke Fuqua MQM: Business Analytics application elements: 1. Transcripts: Scanned copy of the transcript 2. Resume: 1-page resume covering employment details, volunteer work, internship and education. 3. Letter of Recommendation: One recommendation letter 4. Test scores: GMAT/ACT/SAT/GRE

Essays: The Duke Fuqua MQM: Business Analytics Application has two long forms, two short forms, and one optional essay.

a. Short Form Essay: These questions need to be responded to within 1000 characters: i. Question 1: Why did you select your preferred track(s) (Finance, Marketing, Risk, or Strategy)? ii. Question 2: What are your immediate career goals after completing the MQM: Business Analytics program?

b. Long-Form Essays: These essays must be answered in about two pages. Question one must be in the list form, and Question 2 should not exceed 350 words.

i. Question 1: "25 Random Things About Yourself" Our spirit of community is what sets the Fuqua experience apart. The concepts extend 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 to get to know someone's personality, background, special talents, and more.

ii. Question 2: For our MQM: Business Analytics class, the Admissions team is looking for students who are eager to engage with, and learn from, their classmates. This learning occurs inside and outside the classroom, as extracurricular engagement is an important part of the MQM experience. Describe how you would plan to be engaged outside of the classroom and how your unique perspective, experiences, and passions will add to the MQM community.

5. Optional Essay: If students feel there are circumstances the admissions committee should be aware of, please explain them in this section.

Deadlines: The application for Duke MQM courses must be submitted in four rounds. For the purpose of processing visas, international MQM applicants should apply in Round 1 or 2. Applicants from outside the U.S. who are on student visas should submit their applications by Round 3. The national MQM applicants may submit the application during any of the four phases.

Duke MQM: Business Analytics - Employment Trends

The median base salary of the Duke MQM grads is $100,000, with a $10,000 median bonus. MQM is a STEM-designated degree that allows international students who meet specific conditions to work in the U.S. non-sponsored for three years.

63 jobs, or 26% of accepted job offers, were specifically made possible through Fuqua. 175 jobs, or 74% of accepted employment offers, were made possible by graduates. Graduates joined 120 US and 19 overseas firms. 31 employers took on multiple graduates. Duke MQM graduates were mostly placed in the different sectors from the following tracks:

• Finance Track • Forensic Track • Marketing Track • Strategy Track

In the United States, the highest number of grads were placed in the Northeast region(33%), South (21%), and West (18%).

Internationally, 65% of the grads were placed in China, 15% were placed in Hong Kong, and 5% each were placed in Germany, India, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia.

Duke Fuqua MQM: Top Employers

Capital One is the top employer at Duke Fuqua MQM: Business Analytics cohort and hired around 20 employees. With 11 employees hired, Amazon comes in second place. Other top employers at Duke MQM program include The Home Depot, JP Morgan Chase, Ernst & Young, McKinsey, etc.

Some top hiring employers internationally are Alibaba Group, Bloomberg, Ernst & Young, and KPMG.

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Reference Duke Fuqua MQM Program

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• Stanford MBA Essay Guide (24 Sample Essays) (New!)
• Columbia MBA Essay Guide (21 Sample Essays) (New!)
• Wharton MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays) (New!)
• INSEAD MBA Essay Guide (19 Sample Essays) (New!)
• Darden MBA Essay Guide  (21 Sample Essays)   (New!)
• Yale SOM MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays) (New!)
• Tuck MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays) (New!)
• Haas MBA Essay Guide (18 Sample Essays) (New!)
• NYU Stern MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays + 6 Examples - Visual Essay) (New!)
• LBS MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Essays) (New!)
• MIT Sloan MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Cover Letters + 3 Sample Video Statement Scripts + 3 Sample Optional Essays) (New!)
• Kellogg MBA Essay Guide (11 Sample Essays) (New!)
• Chicago Booth MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays) (New!)
• Ross MBA Essay Guide (31 Sample Essays) (New!)
• Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Guide (10 Sample Essays + Two 25 Random Things Samples) (New!)
• Cambridge MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays) (New!)
• Winning MBA Essay Guide (Harvard + Stanford + Wharton + Columbia + Booth + MIT + Kellogg + Darden + Yale + NYU Stern + Haas + Ross + Duke Fuqua + INSEAD + LBS + Tuck) (245+ Sample Essays) (New!)

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Stanford MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) 

• Sample Why Stanford MBA Essay (Consulting)(396 words)     
• Sample Why Stanford MBA Essay (Tech Entrepreneur) (389 words)     
• Sample Why Stanford MBA: Career Switching (Finance to Green Energy Consulting) (388 Words)     
• Sample Why Stanford MBA: Career Switching (Private Equity to Operations) (384 Words)     
• Sample Why Stanford MBA: Career Switching (Industry and Function – Oil & Gas to Consulting in Operations) (389 Words)    
• Sample Why Stanford MBA: Career Switching (Design Engineer in Automobiles to Managing the Products of the Future) (391 Words)    
• Sample Why Stanford MBA: Career Switching (Accounting to Private Equity) (395 Words)     
• Sample Why Stanford MBA: Dual Degree (MBA and Public Policy) (380 Words)     
• Sample Why Stanford MBA: Dual Degree (Investment Banking to Venture Capital) (393 Words)     
• Sample Why Stanford MBA:  NASA Missions to Mitigating Risks of Global Flooding (393 Words)     
• Sample Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (613 Words)(Balance in Life)     
• Sample Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (645 Words)(Veterans PTSD and Healing)    
• Sample Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (649 Words)(Vulnerability and Learning)    
• Sample Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (642 Words)(Education and Investment)     
• Sample Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (602 Words)(Freedom and Commitment)     
• Sample Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (646 Words)(Savor Every Moment and Be Present)     
• Sample Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (632 Words)(Power of Restlessness)     
• Sample Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (619 Words)( The Slums, A Tragedy and the Search for a Systemic Solution)     
• Sample Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (640 Words)(Privilege to Serving the Most Vulnerable)     
• Sample Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (Generative AI, Bias, and Safety) (649 Words)     
• Sample Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (Truth from Interpreting Right, Left, and Centre Narratives) (648 Words)    
• Sample Stanford MBA Positive IMPACT Optional Essay (Flexible Hours for Working Mothers)(200 Words)    
• Sample Stanford MBA Positive IMPACT Optional Essay (Cross-Functional Collaboration to Mitigate a Toxic Culture) (192 Words)    
• Sample Stanford MBA Positive IMPACT Optional Essay (Introduced Analytics for monitoring performance) (200 Words)   

Download Stanford MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (24 Sample Essays)

Harvard MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – The Power of Community (Private Equity Applicant) (781 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Entrepreneurship as an Identity and supporting minority Entrepreneurs (664 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Following Passion and consciously challenging oneself (711 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Life Starts at No (618 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Establishing a Cooperative and Transforming Rural Telecom (695 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Small Business Values during COVID crisis (852 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Military and the search for IMPACT (826 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Numbers to Healthcare Entrepreneurship (820 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – The American Dream and Harvard’s Peers (662 Words)    
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay - Volunteering (Marketing in Volunteering) (Mental Health Awareness) (758 Words)    
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay - Stoic Disregard for Setbacks and value of Freedom (636 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Consulting vs. the Power of Data (535 Words)    
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Guilt of working in the Oil & Gas Industry (592 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Breaking Away from Family Business (607 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Trauma, Healing and Finding Authentic Self (843 Words)    
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Crypto As a Tool for Good (687 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Finding Creative Solution in Scarcity (834 Words)    
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Passion vs. Talent (882 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Starting Over Again (861 Words)     
• Sample Harvard MBA Essay – Gaming for Good (840 Words)    

Download Harvard MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (20 Sample Essays)

Chicago Booth MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Booth Goals Essay #1: Oil & Gas to Consulting (474 Words)   
• Sample Booth Goals Essay #2: Social IMPACT to Marketing (469 Words)   
• Sample Booth Goals Essay #3: Accounting to Entrepreneurship (490 Words)   
• Sample Booth Goals Essay #4: Technology (Programming to Product Development) (493 Words)   
• Sample Booth Goals Essay #5: Media Sales to Consulting (Food and Beverages Industry) (522 Words)   
• Sample Booth Goals Essay #6: Economic Development to IMPACT investing (586 Words)   
• Sample Booth Tell Us who you are:Father’s Restaurant Business and Leadership (451 Words)
• Sample Booth Tell Us who you are: Teaching and Scientific Temperament as a Virtue (654 Words)   
• Sample Booth Tell Us who you are: Learning from Tragedy (610 Words)   
• Sample Booth Tell Us who you are: Risk Taking and Learning (Reimagining the Food Supply Chain)(628 Words)   
• Sample Booth Tell Us who you are: Nature or Nurture (Hunting and Conservationism) (497 Words)   
• Sample Booth Tell Us who you are: Single Parent and Entrepreneurship (631 Words)

Download Chicago Booth MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (12 Sample Essays)

Columbia MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Columbia Goals Essay 1: Enterprise Technology to Consumer Marketing (495 Words)
• Sample Columbia Goals Essay 2: Healthcare (Finance to Consulting) (499 Words)    
• Sample Columbia Goals Essay 3: FinTech (Product Manager to Strategy) (473 Words)    
• Sample Columbia Goals Essay 4: IMPACT Investing (Accounting to IMPACT Investing) (447 Words)    
• Sample Columbia Goals Essay 5: Digital Strategy – Media Technology (Journalism to Media Tech) (454 Words)    
• Sample Columbia Goals Essay 6: Scaling Boutique Investment Management Firm (492 Words)    
• Sample Columbia PPIL Essay: Onboarding a non-traditional Candidate (243 Words)    
• Sample Columbia PPIL Essay: Changing Biases in the Algorithm (244 Words)    
• Sample Columbia PPIL Essay: Improving Women’s Success Potential (Oil & Gas Industry) (245 Words)    
• Sample Columbia PPIL Essay: Recommending Unionization (Railway Project) (250 Words)    
• Sample Columbia PPIL Essay: Recommending Social Media Controls (Liberal Applicant with Conservative peers) (247 Words)    
• Sample Columbia Fit Essay: Value from NYC (246 Words)    
• Sample Columbia Fit Essay: Auto Manufacturer (Family Business – Value from EIR) (249 Words)    
• Sample Columbia Fit Essay: Unique Insights from Mentors (250 Words)    
• Sample Columbia Fit Essay: Strategic Direction for a Once in a lifetime Opportunity (249 Words)    
• Sample Columbia Fit Essay: Real Estate Development with ESG Goals and Columbia EIR’s Expertise (242 Words)    
• Sample Columbia MBA Leader I admire Essay #1 (Tech Entrepreneur) (286 Words)
• Sample Columbia MBA Leader I admire Essay #2 (Father) (275 Words)    
• Sample Columbia MBA Leader I admire Essay #3 (Mother) (279 Words)    
• Sample Columbia MBA Leader I admire Essay #4 (Math Teacher) (289 Words)    
• Sample Columbia MBA Leader I admire Essay #5 (Co-Founder) (285 Words)   

Download Columbia MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (21 Sample Essays)

Wharton MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 1: What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (Consulting to Finance) (493 words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 2: What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (VC to Consulting (Healthcare))(477 Words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 3: What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (Business Development to Finance (Non-Profit in Energy))(495 Words)
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 4: What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (Digital Marketing to Marketing Strategy) (498 Words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 5: What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? General Management (Consulting – Building a Strong Management Fundamentals and International Perspective)(498 Words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 6: What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? IMPACT Investing (Experience Outside Govt. Organizations)(490 Words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 7: What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (Incubation & Angel Investing to Venture Capital) (471 Words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 8: What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (Tech Entrepreneur to Product Manager with Strong Business Fundamentals) (497 Words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 9: Math Tutoring and Experimental music’s value for the Wharton Community (388 Words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 10: Non-Profit – Obesity Epidemic and Healthy Lifestyle at Wharton (398 Words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 11: Non-Profit – Energy-Efficient Offices for Start-ups and value of Design Thinking in the Wharton Community (392 Words)
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 12: Non-Profit (Personalized Education for Low-Income Students) (397 Words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 13: Process Innovation in Investment Banking (360 Words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 14: Radical Solution for the Hispanic Community in Philadelphia (400 Words)    
• Sample Wharton MBA Essay 15: Climate Change – Shaming to Inclusive Strategy with Empathy (392 Words)  

Download Wharton MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (15 Sample Essays)

MIT Sloan MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Cover Letter – Technology to Consulting (284 Words)
• Sample Cover Letter – Healthcare Entrepreneurship (297 Words)
• Sample Cover Letter – Consulting to Technology (298 Words)
• Sample Cover Letter – Wealth Management to FinTech (299 Words)
• Sample Cover Letter – Manufacturing to Consulting (Retail) (299 Words)
• Sample Cover Letter – Strategy to Consulting (297 Words)
• Sample Video Statement – Technology Consultant with the ambition to transform Education (161 Words)
• Sample Video Statement - Accounting Professional with a unique patent (142 Words)
• Sample Video Statement – Oil & Gas Professional with a passion for Flying and Exploration(152 Words)
• Sample MIT World Shaped Who You Are Essay – Homeschooling (248 Words)    
• Sample MIT World Shaped Who You Are Essay – War Trauma (242 Words)    
• Sample MIT World Shaped Who You Are Essay – Military Upbringing (242 Words)    

Download MIT MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (12 Sample Cover Letters and Essays)

Haas MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Haas What Makes you feel Alive (Start-up in Cryptocurrency) (291 Words)    
• Sample Haas What Makes you feel Alive (Design as a tool for Change) (296 Words)    
• Sample Haas What Makes you feel Alive (Flying and AI in Healthcare)(299 Words)    
• Sample Haas What Makes you Feel Alive (Learning, Failing and Prototyping)(289 Words)    
• Sample Haas What Makes you feel Alive (Affordable Education and Satellite Technology) (271 Words)    
• Sample Haas What Makes you feel Alive (Future-Proofing the Underprivileged) (Climate Change) (299 Words)    
• Sample Haas Career Goals Essay (Technology Consulting to Strategy) (284 Words)    
• Sample Haas Career Goals Essay (Product Management to Venture Capital in AI) (293 Words)    
• Sample Haas Career Goals Essay (Corporate Finance to Consulting) (292 Words)    
• Sample Berkeley Haas Embody Four Defining Principles Video Essay (Team Building – Technology) (Questioning Status Quo & Beyond Yourself) (277 Words)
• Sample Berkeley Haas Embody Four Defining Principles Video Essay (Student Always) (Adaptability, IMPACT Oriented and Intellectual Curiosity) (276 Words)    
• Sample Berkeley Haas Embody Four Defining Principles Video Essay (Beyond Yourself) (Adaptability, IMPACT Oriented and Intellectual Curiosity) (247 Words)    
• Sample Berkeley Haas Embody Four Defining Principles Video Essay (Confidence Without Attitude) (Adaptability, and IMPACT Oriented) (287 Words)    50
• Sample Berkeley Haas Embody Four Defining Principles Video Essay (Question the Status Quo) (Adaptability, Leveraging Power for Good and Impact-Oriented) (216 Words)    
• Sample Berkeley Haas Embody Four Defining Principles Video Essay (Beyond Yourself) (Adaptability and Leveraging Power for Good) (294 Words)
• Sample Haas MBA Essay on DEI  (Building Inclusive Teams to Address Domestic Violence Among Native Americans)  (300 Words)    
• Sample Haas MBA Essay on DEI  (Silicon Valley and Black Entrepreneurs) (295 Words)    
• Sample Haas MBA Essay on DEI (DEI in Design) (298 Words)   

Download Haas MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (18 Sample Essays)

Yale SOM MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Yale SOM Commitment MBA Essay: Business Development (Mobile Phone Start-Up)(474 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Commitment MBA Essay: Investment Banking  and Teaching (499 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Commitment MBA Essay: Consulting and Listening (413 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Commitment MBA Essay: Technology and Commitment to Learning (438 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Commitment MBA Essay: Marketing (489 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Commitment MBA Essay: Entrepreneurship (497 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Commitment MBA Essay: IMPACT Investing (479 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Commitment MBA Essay: Oil & Gas to Clean Energy (Consulting) (435 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Commitment MBA Essay: Angel Investing and Rural Entrepreneurship (490 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Community MBA Essay: Mental Health and Fitness Community(498 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Community MBA Essay: Neighborhood as a Community (496 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Community MBA Essay: Library as a Community Space (489 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Significant Challenge MBA Essay: Scarcity to Growth Mindset (486 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Significant Challenge MBA Essay: COVID-19 Vaccine Development (498 Words)    
• Sample Yale SOM Significant Challenge MBA Essay: Leadership in Startup to Leadership in Fortune 500  (496 Words)   

Download Yale MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (15 Sample Essays)

Ross MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)   Prompt 1: I want people to know that I    

• Sample MBA Essay: Finance Professional who was a former member of a rock band (89 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: Marketing Professional with a hidden talent to do Impression (80 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: Life Philosophy through the prism of an Entrepreneurial failure (88 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: Overcoming the Fear of Speaking in front of an Audience (97 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: Communicating Inconvenient Truth (99 Words)    

Prompt 2: I made a difference when I    

• Sample MBA Essay: Consulting for a Pharma Giant (Made a Difference) (97 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: Three-Level Sanitation Campaign (95 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: Water Conservation Kit (84 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay:  Book Donation and Its IMPACT (91 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay:  Parental Leave and Flexible Time (96 Words)    

Prompt 3: I was aware that I was different when    

• Sample MBA Essay: I am aware that I am different (Leadership and Culture) (91 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: I am aware that I am different (Technology Project and Last-minute change) (91 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: I am aware that I am different (Making Business metrics relevant to a Creative team) (83 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: I am aware that I am different (Feedback seeking) (81 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: I am aware that I am different (Challenging Established Way of Thinking) (100 Words)    

Prompt 1: I am out of my comfort zone when    

• Sample MBA Essay: Out of my comfort zone(extra-curricular) (85 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: Out of my comfort zone (Daily Science Show) (100 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: Simplifying Operations for Manufacturing (extra-curricular) (88 Words)    

Prompt 2: I was humbled when    

• Sample MBA Essay: Losing client (96 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: Misreading Market Conditions (88 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: Strategic Planning vs. Tactical Dominance in Chess (93 Words)    

Prompt 3: I was challenged when    

• Sample MBA Essay: I was challenged when (Change in Scope) (100 Words)    
• Sample MBA Essay: I was challenged when (Team Failed) (98 Words)    

Pick One Thing from your Resume and Tell us More

• Sample Essay – Pick One Thing from your resume and tell us more (Consulting for Small Business During COVID) (100 Words)
• Sample Essay – Pick One Thing from your resume and tell us more (Negotiating Design Changes – Cross-functional and Global communication) (100 Words)    
• Sample Essay – Pick One Thing from your resume and tell us more (Entrepreneurship) (100 Words)    
• Sample Essay – Pick One Thing from your resume and tell us more (Event Organization – During COVID) (99 Words)    
• Sample Essay – Pick One Thing from your resume and tell us more (First Job – Career Switcher BA in English to Investment Management) (100 Words)

Short-Term Goals Essay

• Sample Essay – Short-term Goals and why the goal is the right choice for you (Private Investment as a Tool for Change) (150 Words)    
• Sample Essay – Short-term Goals and why the goal is the right choice for you (Education to Consulting) (150 Words)    
• Sample Essay – Short-term Goals and why the goal is the right choice for you (Software Development to Sales to Marketing) (148 Words)  

  Download Ross MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (31 Sample Essays)

  Darden MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Darden MBA Essay – About you Not in Resume (100 Words) (Near Death Experience)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay – About you Not in Resume  (100 Words) (Passion and Networking)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay – About you Not in Resume (100 Words) (Persistence)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay – About you Not in Resume (95 Words) (Climate Change – A Uniting theme)
• Sample Darden MBA Essay – About you Not in Resume (96 Words) (Science Fiction)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay – Inclusive Leadership (Revamping Recruitment Process) (298 Words)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay – Inclusive Leadership (Obesity and Hunger) (Rural America) (272 Words)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay – Inclusive Leadership (Decoding Vaccine Hesitation) (298 Words)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay – Inclusive Leadership (Team Diversity)(297 Words)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay – Inclusive Leadership (Interpreting a foreign culture) (258 Words)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay – Leadership (First Leadership Lesson) (289 Words)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay: Short-term Post-MBA career goal and align long-term vision (197 words) (Technology to Consulting and Boutique Consulting)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay: Short-term Post-MBA career goal and align long-term vision (200 words)  (Product Management and CEO)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay: Short-term Post-MBA career goal and align long-term vision (200 words) (Investment Banking to Private Equity)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay: Short-term Post-MBA career goal and align long-term vision (199 words)  (Strategy Consulting – Change in Industry)    
• Sample Darden MBA Essay: Short-term Post-MBA career goal and align long-term vision (197 words) (Operations to Corporate Finance)    
• Sample Essay – Where you want to go with Darden (47 Words) (Uganda)    
• Sample Essay – Where you want to go with Darden (49 Words) (Sweden)    
• Sample Essay – Where you want to go with Darden (48 Words) (China)    
• Sample Essay – Where you want to go with Darden (49 Words) (Israel)    
• Sample Essay – Where you want to go with Darden (50 Words) (Germany)    

  Download Darden MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (21 Sample Essays)

Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Duke Fuqua Post-MBA Career Goals (90 Words) (Product Marketing for FinTech start-up)    
• Sample Duke Fuqua Post-MBA Career Goals (98 Words)(Financial Consulting to Management Consulting)    
• Sample Duke Fuqua Post-MBA Career Goals (100 Words) (IB to Entrepreneurship)    
• Sample Duke Fuqua Post-MBA Career Goals (95 Words) (ML to Marketing)  
• Sample Duke Fuqua Post-MBA Career Goals (100 Words) (Healthcare to Retail)   
• 25 Random Things: Chinese Female Engineer     
• 25 Random Things: Indian Product Manager with Strong Community Engagement
• Sample Duke Fuqua Essay: The Fuqua community and you (Consulting) (Max 1 Page) (279 Words)    
• Sample Duke Fuqua Essay: The Fuqua community and you (Max 1 Page) (Education Club) (295 Words)    
• Sample Duke Fuqua Essay: The Fuqua community and you (Performance-Based Micropayments) (Max 1 Page) (256 Words)    
• Sample Duke Fuqua Essay: The Fuqua community and you (Transforming Grant Making for a Family Foundation) (Max 1 Page) (300 Words)    
• Sample Duke Fuqua Essay: The Fuqua community and you (Addressing Bias in Patient Experience) (Max 1 Page) (299 Words)  

  Download Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (12 Sample Essays)

NYU Stern MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample NYU Stern Essay: Short-Term Career Goals (150 Words) (Finance)    
• Sample NYU Stern Essay: Short-Term Career Goals (146 Words) (Consulting)    
• Sample NYU Stern Essay: Short-term Career Goals (148 Words)(Product Management)    
• Sample NYU Stern Essay: Short-Term Career Goals (149 Words)(Marketing Consulting – Fortune 500 New Media Companies)    
• Sample NYU Stern Essay: Short-Term Career Goals (150 Words)(Retail Family Business to Luxury)    
• Sample NYU Stern Change Essay: Dare It (Finance Candidate – Immigrant Family) (350 Words)    
• Sample NYU Stern Change Essay: Dare It (Communication Gap Around Mandate to Return to Office – Investment Banker) (347 Words)  
• Sample NYU Stern Change Essay: Dream It (Consultant – Understanding long-term Goal and Personal Fears) (334 Words)    
• Sample NYU Stern Change Essay: Dream It (EdTech Non-Profit Serving Cincinnati) (349 Words)    
• Sample NYU Stern Change Essay: Drive It (Entrepreneurial Thinking – Fortune 500 Company)(340 Words)    
• Sample NYU Stern Change Essay: Drive It (Sports Injury to Media Startup)(348 Words)    
• Sample NYU Stern Change Essay: Empower It (Healthy Eating for SNAP beneficiaries)(347 Words)    
• Sample NYU Stern Change Essay: Empower It (FinTech and Behavioral Metrics in Non-Profit)(346 Words)
• Sample NYU Stern Change Essay: Manifest It (Helping Junior Bankers Manage Mental & Physical Health) (338 Words)    
• Sample NYU Stern Change Essay: Manifest It (Addressing Homelessness Among Teenagers in Baltimore) (346 Words)  

Download NYU Stern MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (15 Sample Essays + 6 Visual Essay Examples)

Kellogg MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Essay 1: Demonstrated Leadership, the challenges you faced and Skills Used (Marketing) (425 Words)    
• Sample Essay 2: Demonstrated Leadership, the challenges you faced and Skills Used (Technology) (450 Words)    
• Sample Essay 3: Demonstrated Leadership, the challenges you faced and Skills Used (Non-Profit) (441 Words)    
• Sample Essay 4: Demonstrated Leadership, the challenges you faced and Skills Used (Product Manager) (437 Words)    
• Sample Essay 5: Demonstrated Leadership, the challenges you faced and Skills Used (Addressing IMPLICIT Biases IN VC Community) (447 Words)    
• Sample Essay 6: Demonstrated Leadership, the challenges you faced and what you learned (Leadership in Digitization) (447 Words)
• Sample Essay #1: Diverse Leaders. Enrich Kellogg Community Essay? (Inclusive Hiring) (440 Words)    
• Sample Essay #2: Diverse Leaders. Enrich Kellogg Community Essay? (Courage and Changing a Corrupt Culture) (440 Words)    
• Sample Essay #3: Diverse Leaders. Enrich Kellogg Community Essay? (Empathetic Intervention and Consulting) (440 Words)    
• Sample Essay #4: Diverse Leaders. Enrich Kellogg Community Essay? (Creative Leadership and Technology) (440 Words)    
• Sample Essay #5: Diverse Leaders. Enrich Kellogg Community Essay? (Open Mindedness - Team Management and Sales Call) (440 Words)    

Download Kellogg MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (11 Sample Essays)

Tuck MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Why Tuck MBA Essay One: Oil & Gas to Sustainability (288 Words)    
• Sample Why Tuck MBA Essay Two: Marketing to Branding (284 Words)    
• Sample Why Tuck MBA Essay Three: Investment Banking to Consulting (263 Words)    
• Sample Why Tuck MBA Essay Four: VC to Consulting (291 Words)    
• Sample Why Tuck MBA Essay Five: Technology to Research to General Management (281 Words)    
• Sample Tuck Who you are Essay One: YouTube Channel and Creative Video Editing (287 Words)    
• Sample Tuck Who you are Essay Two: Early Education and Storytelling (297 Words)    
• Sample Tuck Who you are Essay Three: Music as a Healer (294 Words)    
• Sample Tuck Who you are Essay Four: Breaking AI’s Filter Bubble (289 Words)    
• Sample Tuck Who you are Essay Five: Transforming Culture to Empower Women Professionals (295 Words)    
• Sample Tuck Meaningfully contributed sense of inclusion - YouTube Competitor (291 Words)   
• Sample Tuck Meaningfully contributed sense of inclusion - Ethical Mistake (Second chance) (299 Words)    
• Sample Tuck Meaningfully contributed sense of inclusion - Deal Novice in Billion $ Transaction (293 Words)    
• S ample Tuck Meaningfully contributed sense of inclusion - Xenophobia (279 Words)   
• Sample Tuck Meaningfully contributed sense of inclusion - Overcoming personal Challenges of a teammate as a Manager (282 Words)   

Download Tuck MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (15 Sample Essays)

INSEAD MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Essay 1: Summarize Current job Nature of work Major Responsibilities (200 Words)    
• Sample Essay 2: Next Position if Remain in Same Company (198 Words)
• Sample Essay 3: Description of your Career since Graduating University (183 Words)    
• Sample Essay 4: Short-Term and Long-Term Career Aspiration (Technology to Consulting) (200 Words)    
• Sample Essay 5: Candid Description, Strengths & Weaknesses (Marketing Lead) (500 Words)    
• Sample Essay 6: Candid Description, Strengths & Weaknesses (Consulting to Product Development) (491 Words)    
• Sample Essay 7: Achievements and Failures (399 Words) (Technology Consultant)    
• Sample Essay 8: Achievement and Failure (397 Words) (International Relations) (Negotiations)    
• Sample Essay 9: Achievement and Failure (395 Words) (Woman and Non-Traditional background in IB)    
• Sample Essay 10: Achievement and Failure (394 Words) (VC)    
• Sample Essay 11: Extra-Curricular and How enriched you are (274 Words) (Hiking and Vlogging)    
• Sample Essay 12: Extra-Curricular and How enriched you are (296 Words) (Improv Acting)    
• Sample Essay 13: Extra-Curricular and How enriched you are (292 Words) (NASA and Scientific Thinking)    
• Sample Essay 14: Extra-Curricular and How enriched you are (299 Words) (M&A and Orchestra)    
• Sample INSEAD Video Essay 15 – What do you know about INSEAD MBA (183 Words)    
• Sample INSEAD Video Essay 16 – Response to Team’s Underperformance (176 Words)    
• Sample INSEAD Video Essay 17 – Work well with a person with differing opinion (169 Words)    
• Sample INSEAD Video Essay 18 – Success for me in a Career (158 Words)    
• Sample INSEAD Video Essay 19 – Unethical Leadership (194 Words)     

Download INSEAD MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (19 Sample Essays)

Cambridge MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay 1: Goals (467 Words) (Technology to Finance)   
• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay 2: Goals (499 Words) (Sales to Consulting)   
• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay 3: Goals (429 Words) (Technology)   
• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay – Difficult Decision – Learn and Changed as a Result(188 words) (Marketing)   
• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay - Difficult Decision – Looking Beyond Data (199 words) (Reducing Open Defecation and the complexity of cultural beliefs)   
• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay - Difficult Decision – Choosing Crypto over Investment Banking (199 words)   
• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay – Teamwork and lessons learned (195 words) (Leading a Dysfunctional team)   
• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay – Teamwork and lessons learned (199 words) (Exposure to International Culture)   
• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay – Teamwork and lessons learned (197 words) (Not Recognizing Strategic Objective)   
• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay – Advice to 18-year old Self (196 words) (Avoid Alcohol)
• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay – Advice to 18-year old Self (187 words) (Creative Career to Banking)   
• Sample Cambridge MBA Essay – Advice to 18-year old Self (200 words) (Friends and Purpose)

Download Cambridge MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (12 Sample Essays)

  London Business School MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class)

• Sample LBS MBA Essay: Post-MBA Goals  (489 Words)(Technology to Consulting)
• Sample LBS MBA Essay: Post-MBA Goals (493 Words)(Hospitality to Consulting)
• Sample LBS MBA Essay: Post-MBA Goals  (500 Words)(Government/Non-Profit to Technology)
• Sample LBS MBA Essay: Post-MBA Goals  (495 Words)(Medical Doctor to Investment Banking)
• Sample LBS MBA Essay: Post-MBA Goals  (458 Words)(Wealth Management to Product Management)
• Sample LBS MBA Essay: Post-MBA Goals  (488 Words)(Risk Management to Operations)

Download LBS MBA Essay Guide (2024 Entering Class) (6 Sample Essays)

Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Examples

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Duke Fuqua Essay Samples

We asked the former Duke Admissions Officers on our Stacy Blackman Consulting team, “What does Duke Fuqua Admissions look for?” The consensus they shared is, “Duke Admissions hones in on clear, concise and attainable career goals, as its team works very closely with the Career Management Center to ascertain recruit ability. As well, Duke Admissions looks for how you will contribute and fit in with the highly collaborative culture both in and out of the classroom.”

SBC has former Duke MBA Admissions Officers and several additional Duke experts on our team. We know the nuances of applying to Duke Fuqua successfully. If you’d like to speak with one of our Principals about your candidacy, please request a free analysis here.

Successful Examples of Duke Essays

Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team .

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School HBS MBA

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School Kellogg MBA

Director HBS Admissions at Harvard Business School MBA, the Wharton School

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School

Director HBS Admissions at Harvard Business School HBS MBA

Admissions Officer at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) MBA, Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB)

Asst Director MBA Admissions at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) Director MBA Admissions at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

MBA, Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) Minority Admissions, the GSB Diversity Programs, the GSB

Associate Director MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania

Associate Director MBA Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute

Director, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania Professional Writer

Assistant Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS) NYU Admissions

Assistant Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS) M.S.Ed, Higher Education, U of Pennsylvania

Associate Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS)

Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure.  Ashley  holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years,  Ashley  was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...

Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions. Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and  ...

A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally.  Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM.  For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...

Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS).  In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds.  Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students.  In additio ...

Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years.  Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...

Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years.  In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School.  Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...

Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...

Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...

Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications.  She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...

Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford.   Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...

Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year.   Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...

Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...

Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team.  During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students.  She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...

Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS).  During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...

Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business. At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...

Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director.  Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants.

Having had to create homes away from home in Chicago and New York, I realized I may have found my new home when chatting with several Fuquans during Women’s Leadership Weekend (WLW). I quickly learned that as a Fuquan, it’s impossible to not contribute to the community they call family. What drew me to advertising was the sense of community and distinct culture within the industry. With the late nights in the office over the past several years also came camaraderie, which is exactly what I know I’ll find at Fuqua. During my time in advertising, I was a key player in creating collaborative environments between the agency and clients and within the team, a skill I intend on harnessing during my time at Fuqua both in and out of the classroom.

I plan to jump start my MBA at the Program for Entrepreneurs (P4E) summer kickoff. During P4E, I intend to vet my travel app idea during the “Opportunity Evaluation” course and recruit a team of classmates to help build the app. Additionally, I will become an active member of the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, which will give me the opportunity to better understand how and why startups are funded and meet other entrepreneurs during panel and networking events. In order to fully immerse myself in the entrepreneurial experience, I plan to get involved with Durham’s growing startup community in the Triangle. Building a community within Fuqua and Durham will allow me to integrate the two together and bring more hands-on experience to the classroom.

As a woman of color, I was most impacted by my interactions with the Association of Women in Business (AWIB) during WLW. I plan to prioritize involvement with AWIB because of their commitment to women representation in business and would like to help plan next year’s WLW. All the AWIB members I met were a source of comfort and assurance as I began to navigate the challenging business school process. Mentorship is extremely important to me and, evidently, to the AWIB women who did not hesitate to lend an ear or a helping hand after WLW. As someone who is currently building a new mentorship program for my agency, I am excited to continue my passion for mentorship by seeking out an AWIB Career and Mentorship position. By joining AWIB and its efforts, I aim to provide future prospective students the same sincerity and commitment I had felt at every AWIB event.

As evidenced by my career aspirations, travel is one of my biggest passions and I want to share that with my classmates by becoming a trip lead for the Global Academic Travel Experience (GATE) program. Planning an extensive trip for a large group would expose me to people’s various travel habits, behaviors, and planning approaches – observations that I could leverage as qualitative research for my travel app. Additionally, I would also like to plan a Week-in-Cities trip, like Tech Trek, where my classmates and I could further develop our understanding of the tech industry and network. Participating in experiential learning such as GATE and Week-in-Cities are invaluable opportunities to grow strong relationships with my classmates and to build upon the Fuqua family legacy.

Lastly, food has always given me a chance to connect with people in a more meaningful way, which is why I’m excited to join the Food and Agriculture Club. As a member, I’d like to help organize speaker-series events, such as FoodCon. Additionally, I plan to be a regular at the famous Durham Farmers Market and become a member of Durham’s local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). As current Brooklyn CSA-er, I want to share my love and appreciation for eating locally and seasonally with Fuqua and the broader Durham community.

I am most excited to start my new chapter with Fuqua and Durham because of the one-of-a-kind, tight knit community that they both undeniably offer. Fuqua offers extensive opportunities for me to pursue my passions all while building a strong foundation for business acumen. As someone who has successfully started new beginnings in multiple cities, I have learned how to build my own communities in new environments by embracing change and committing to integration. Ultimately, I intend to be an active member of the Team Fuqua community and I would be happy to call Duke and Durham home.

1. In fifth grade, I dressed up as broccoli for Halloween.

2. I am a creature of habit, so my instinct is to sit in the exact same seat every day. My coworkers joke that stealing my seat regularly and forcing me to sit elsewhere is a key part of my professional development plan.

3. My mom is Jewish, my Dad is Episcopalian, I went to Catholic school for three years, attended a Presbyterian preschool and college, and taught Hebrew school.

4. If I’m going to a new restaurant, I will spend at least fifteen minutes beforehand reading the menu online and picking out what I’m going to order (as well as what I’d like the people I’m going with to order so that I can taste it).

5. For my senior year at college, I lived in an incredibly dirty, loud apartment with four of my best friends, right in the middle of campus. I don’t know if I could ever do it again, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

6. Growing up, I played competitive soccer for thirteen years. Those experiences engrained my work ethic and effectiveness in a team environment.

7. I had terrible shin splints in high school. They got so bad before my junior year that I had to wear air casts on both of my legs for two months – it was a good look!

8. One of my favorite childhood memories is practicing piano while my family’s dog “sang” along while sitting next to me.

9. I grew up in (city) but am somehow freezing 80% of the time in (location). Living in the South for seven years has weakened me!

10. A huge component of what drew me to (college) was the honor code. While most undergraduate institutions have honor codes, the way that (college) emphasizes its importance in our admissions literature and at the beginning of freshmen year makes its influence on academics and student life unique.

11. From childhood through my senior year of high school, I was convinced that I would become a pediatrician. As advanced science classes became less exciting to me, I realized that I was passionate about the idea of this career because it was rooted in helping others and building long-term relationships with patients.

12. My final round interview at Consulting Firm was a three-hour dinner with eight of my future teammates. While it was an exhausting several hours, I love that they wanted to get to know me as a person in addition to assessing whether I would contribute to the firm.

13. I pride myself on never forgetting any family members’ or friends’ birthdays and on being an excellent gift giver.

14. I absolutely love being a middle child as it allows me to experience the best of both worlds. I get to be a role model to my younger brother while having my older sister to look up to.

15. My first job was at a property management firm in the summer between seventh and eighth grade. I called tenants to collect rent that was several weeks overdue – needless to say, it was an abrupt entrance into the working world.

16. In 2007, I spent a weekend canvassing for Obama in Iowa.

17. My friends make fun of me for having terrible taste in music as my choices are eclectic and have no rhyme or reason. The artists of my top 100 “most played songs” on Spotify range from Justin Bieber to Idina Menzel in Frozen.

18. At the end of a stressful day of work, nothing is more relaxing to me than coloring books.

19. When I was fifteen, my eighty-year-old grandmother got married in my backyard. Unfortunately, I fainted in the middle of the ceremony due to dehydration. Fortunately, people thought that it was because I was so overcome with emotion.

20. At airports, I am the annoying person who anxiously lurks around the boarding gate way too far in advance. Upon landing, I stand up from my seat immediately after the fasten seatbelt sign is turned off even though I know I will not move for at least another ten minutes.

21. A few years ago, I started playing tennis regularly. I love participating in a competitive sport again – it relieves any frustration from my day, increases my patience, and helps me to manage stress.

22. My favorite snacks are pop chips dipped in ketchup and sweet potatoes with Greek yogurt.

23. I see tremendous overlap in the values that define Consulting firm and those that are most important to me: integrity, a strong sense of community, an emphasis on the value of hard work, and the importance of supporting those around you.

24. In middle school, my friend and I caught a foul ball together at a MLB game. Every week for the next three years, we would trade off whose house the ball got to “live” in.

25. My family enjoys having long debates over dinner about topics such as whether the Byzantine empire was actually the Roman Empire or a separate entity. This particular gene skipped me as I would prefer to discuss almost anything else!

I attended my first Fuqua Friday with (name), a current student, when I visited campus in March. If I join Team Fuqua, this will certainly become a part of my weekly routine. It was wonderful to see students actively choosing to be together in their free time. Per the “loyal community” paired principle, they are clearly engaging in the full Fuqua experience as I also plan to do. The sense of community at Fuqua Friday was underscored by my concurrent discussion with (name). She told me about the lifelong friendships she’s made at Fuqua, that it is true that students choose to stay on campus over the weekend, and that the “supportive ambition” paired principle is not a myth even in situations when you’re directly competing with your classmates for a role. (Grad), a Fuqua alumnus, described that most of the Fuqua student body live in one of three buildings near campus. This unique, close-knit situation provides the opportunity to build even more meaningful relationships with your peers. I want to be fully immersed and live in this environment at Fuqua.

I will jumpstart my Fuqua experience by participating in the HSM Bootcamp. I will build relationships with classmates in the tight knit, supportive HSM community prior to orientation. The experience will confirm my interest and build foundational healthcare knowledge so that I can take full advantage of the HSM courses to come. Later I aim to work on a Duke University Hospital Experiential Learning Practicum. Given my experience on a range of consulting projects, I am confident in my ability to quickly pick-up key components of my HSM courses and apply them to support my DUH-ELP client. Additionally, I will leverage my ability to effectively build rapport with clients over a short period, collaborate with multiple stakeholders with conflicting priorities, and distill large amounts of information into actionable insights to contribute to my project. Through DUH-ELP, I will make a positive impact on Duke University Hospital, and better prepare myself for my summer internship.

Given my goal to further develop my career in management consulting, I aspire to serve as a co-President of the Consulting Club, leading with a peer who’s focused on larger firms; this will facilitate a balance of perspectives. Through serving as (Consulting) training lead, I have experience leading amongst peers which will create a smooth transition into this role. One priority will be organizing networking and interviewing opportunities for students with midsized consulting firms. Additionally, I want to help prepare classmates taking summer internships in consulting for the first time. At (firm), I created and implemented a best practice checklist to more effectively onboard new consultants to client-facing projects. I’ve thought about the prioritization and simplification of questions to ask and actions to take when entering a new client situation. I will lead a team in gathering input from second years and Fuqua faculty members, synthesizing and streamlining, and creating clear best practice recommendations for new summer consultants. This will strengthen Club resources.

As a member of Team Fuqua, I want to serve as an Admissions Fellow. I was a tour guide in middle school, high school, and at college. I enjoy engaging with prospective students through sharing information on organizations about which I am passionate. At (firm) I take candidates to coffee and show them around the office which I consider to be the adult equivalent of “tour guiding”. I believe in the importance of cultural “fit” and as an Admissions Fellow, I can contribute through helping prospective Fuqua students ascertain this intangible.

I’m also excited to join the Association of Women in Business Club at Fuqua. For my first year at (company), my project teams were primarily comprised of men and therefore I had limited opportunity to identify female role models. This finally changed on my most recent project giving me the opportunity to grow relationships with other women who I can identify with more closely and now look up to immensely. I hope to have this same opportunity through engagement with the Association of Women in Business Club at Fuqua. I plan to contribute to the club through organizing fun events such as “Dinner with Six Strangers” to provide additional opportunities for women from all backgrounds to build relationships with one another.

When I visited campus, I attended a Women in Business coffee run by a current Admissions Fellow. Among many things, (student) discussed learning to work with her C-Lead team which highlighted how Fuqua’s “collective diversity” paired principle comes to life. In one of her team’s first meetings, they discussed a seemingly straightforward topic: “What time would you arrive for a 3:00 meeting and when would you expect the meeting to get started?”. One of her teammates was from Colombia and had a completely different answer to this question than (student)– with a variance of 20 minutes! What would be a clear-cut conversation amongst most groups that I’ve been a part of turned into a nuanced discussion about cultural norms and effective ways of working in a diverse group. At Fuqua, I want to absorb as many of these learnings as possible while having the opportunity to contribute my own background and experiences.

Fuqua’s location in a smaller city appeals to me and it will be great to explore local restaurants with Fuqua’s Culinary Club. I’d also love to contribute through joining Fuqua On Board, with the aim of serving a non-profit working to reduce the inequity in our education system. The program’s focus on mentorship will demonstrate how to benefit organizations through impactful board membership. I will also contribute the learnings from my leadership-focused Fuqua courses and experiences serving on the Junior Board of the (organization) to add a fresh perspective.

Following my day on campus and conversations with current students and alumni, I am confident that Fuqua’s people, culture, location, and opportunity to be both supported and challenged is the right place for my MBA. I will engage with and contribute to the Fuqua community in the same way that I’ve impacted organizations I’ve loved so much in the past, ultimately leaving Fuqua an even better place than I found it.

1. I have been to 23 countries on four continents. One of my favorites was a safari in Botswana because for the first time I was completely disconnected – no internet, no cell phones. As a result, I truly detached and enjoyed the beauty of the nature and animals around me. My goal is to hit 30 countries by age 30!

2. In college I won the Founders Award and a $500 monetary prize for best analytical historical paper at Emory, writing on the transition from courtship to dating in 1920s America. Ever since my high school American History class, I’ve been fascinated by the role gender has played throughout history.

3. When I was 15, I desired to see the world beyond my hometown of Cleveland. After researching study abroad programs, I lobbied my parents and school to allow me to take part in a non-school sponsored program where I spent a semester living with a French family and attending French school. The experience greatly impacted me; it ignited a sense of curiosity and passion for meeting new people and seeing parts of the world different than my own.

4. In high school, I spent a summer volunteering in Costa Rica, helping run a day camp for underprivileged children. As a result of our team’s efforts, we were awarded “Visitante Distinguida” (distinguished visitor) by the Mayor in a televised ceremony for outstanding community service.

5. I started an international food and wine club with my friends; each month we pick an international location and make food and bring wine from that region. I always try to make recipes that I have never made before. Some group favorites include chicken saltimbocca and quiche frommage.

6. In undergrad I was elected as a Campus Visit Coordinator. I met weekly with the Director of Admissions to discuss applicants and planned three Admitted Student Weekends. I loved getting to know each applicant and determining who would be a good fit for the program – it was my own way of leaving my legacy at Emory!

7. I went to one of the world’s largest camel and livestock fairs in the world in a desert in Pushkar, India. I was amazed by the literally thousands of camels along with nomadic people and gypsies.

8. My sister and I both love to bike and travel. We’ve meshed the two and gone on international biking trips in the Loire Valley, France, Tuscany, Italy, and the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. My favorite trip was to Cario because my grandparents are from Egypt; it was a great way to connect with that part of my culture.

9. I am the proud aunt of two-year-old little Peter, who lives in Spain with my sister and her husband. While I do not speak much Spanish, I think learning a foreign language at a young age is an incredible opportunity; so whenever I visit, I love playing games with him so that we can both learn Spanish.

10. I am actively involved with the Girls Scouts Association in Atlanta, GA For its 100th anniversary, my team successfully raised $10,000 for scholarships for underprivileged students in the Atlanta. area. As a result, I was elected as the youngest member on the Executive Board.

11. I recently volunteered for Soul Fiesta, an annual block party in my neighborhood that celebrates heritage and culture among low income Latino and African American neighbors. I helped run carnival games with the children and served food from some of the neighbors’ native homes, such as Salvadorian and Mexican cuisine. I enjoyed volunteering for an event that promotes different cultures, especially amongst my neighbors.

12. I love few things more than trying a new restaurant. I have a running Excel spreadsheet with lists of restaurants in different cities (D.C., New York, Atlanta, Nashville, San Francisco, etc.), broken down into type of cuisine, location, setting and price. I am considered the go-to resource for restaurants!

13. My favorite part of my job after completing the quarterly valuations of my portfolio companies, is getting to present my findings at the quarterly Board meeting to the Board and C-Suite level executives. I feel excited when presenting, and enjoy learning from this level of executives.

14. I taught a Financial Literacy class in the Bronx to underprivileged elementary and middle school children. I found it rewarding to help young students begin to understand the importance of their finances.

15. My favorite book is Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, which argues that the most successful people in our time achieved this status due to a combination of hard work and being in the right place at the right time. I have tried to live my life to this effect, by not only working steadfastly, but also by putting myself in positions to take advantage of any opportunity if it should arise.

16. I’m an active member of Emory’s Alumni Association. I was drawn to Emory by the strong sense of community and school spirit.

17. I love to smile and laugh…my high school superlative was for “Best Smile!”

18. Growing up, I was the baker in my family and always had freshly baked treats ready to go. Some personal favorites include coconut cupcakes, homemade brownies and apple pie.

19. I really enjoy getting in a workout – whether it’s going for a run, spin or barre class. Working out makes me feel healthy and that I’ve accomplished something strictly for myself.

20. I love dancing too. In high school I directed and choreographed my Spanish club’s salsa dance at the cultural extravaganza.

21. Emory doesn’t have a business major, so despite knowing before college that I eventually wanted an MBA, I chose to major in History because I loved writing and had a great high school history teacher. I never realized at age 16 just how much my high school teacher would impact such important decisions.

22. I don’t like sitting at my desk all day never interacting with anyone. I am definitely a people person!

23. Going to India on a cultural expedition was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. I found that it was a place of contrasts – 30 foot high piles of trash on the side of the roads, set against spice markets or beautiful cloths and silks that were so full of color and life. I also saw the contrast between the rich and the poor, and the divergence amongst the two.

24. I studied abroad in Paris and became close friends with three other girls from across the States I never would have met without this program. Every time we get together now, we start the weekend cooking French food like crepes.

25. In college I was hand-selected by Emory’s Chancellor Goldman to take a class he taught on the Federalist Papers. Every week for a semester, ten of us met in his office to discuss the Founding Fathers of our country. It was one of my favorite classes because I think it spoke to how involved the Chancellor wanted to be in the school. With this in mind, I am also impressed that Fuqua’s Dean Bill Boulding continues to teach classes in addition to his duties as Dean.

Throughout my application process, family, friends and colleagues have asked me why I want to attend Fuqua. I always share with them that Fuqua is my first choice for all the following reasons:

Anyone who knows me well already understands my passion for travel. I have studied abroad in France and Mexico four times, and have also traveled extensively through Europe, Central America and parts of Asia and Africa. I find being in new places, surrounded by people with different backgrounds and culture, to be absolutely invigorating. Those who know me will also tell you that my career goal is to follow this passion, becoming a Management Consultant for a company like Bain in its Travel, Hospitality & Leisure practice. After gaining the skillset necessary at a larger firm, I plan to transition to a smaller, niche consulting firm in the industry, eventually achieving the rank of Partner. There, I will lead the practice to ultimately help our clients offer rewarding travel experiences.

Academically, Fuqua is the best place for me to achieve my goals. While as a CPA I have a solid understanding of accounting, Fuqua’s rigorous foundation within the general management core disciplines and variety of teaching methods will give me a more well-rounded skillset. I also am drawn to the emphasis on teamwork because after having spent considerable time working on teams during graduate school and at EY, I enjoy collaborating with a diverse range of people; I believe that working together is the best way for me to learn and solve problems. While at Fuqua I plan to earn concentrations in both Strategy and Management, which will provide me with the skills I need to excel in my career in management consulting. I am excited to take classes like Strategy Implementation with Professor Joao De Figueiredo and International Strategy with Professor Arie Lewin; the former will teach me how to broadly execute strategies to successfully deliver value to my clients, and the latter will help me to better understand some of the specific nuances and global challenges my Travel & Leisure clients might face. The Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum also offers a unique opportunity to tailor my education, and I hope to pursue a project aimed at solving a Travel & Leisure company’s real-world issues. I also tell my family, friends and colleagues how excited I am to participate in Fuqua’s Global Academic Travel Experience, and my desire to travel somewhere new like China. Learning firsthand about all aspects of China’s business, politics, economics and culture will prove extremely useful when I am staffed on engagements for Asian hospitality companies. As a whole, GATE will give me greater exposure to international businesses, which is crucial for my desired career path.

Outside of the classroom, Fuqua has all of the professional extra-curriculars in which I am interested. I am excited to join the Consulting Club, and aim to eventually become a Cabinet Member of the organization, so that I may facilitate networking and coordinate case interview preparation with other members. I also plan to be involved with the International Business Club, which will help me learn more about international business opportunities and connect with fellow students from different countries, learning about some of their personal travel experiences both in the U.S. and overseas. Finally, I will become a member of The Association of Women in Business, because coming from the male-dominated field of private equity, I appreciate some of the unique challenges women face in the workplace. I want to surround myself with people who are supportive of one another.

Fuqua on Board is another program that personally excites me about Fuqua. I am a member of the Executive Board for Girl Scouts Association (GSA), a non-profit that provides educational events for GSA members and raises money for scholarships. Serving on a non-profit board through Fuqua on Board will enable me to continue my involvement with a non-profit, further develop my leadership abilities and allow me to give back to the Durham community in a way that’s meaningful to me.

Arguably what I am most excited to tell my family, friends and colleagues about matriculating at Duke is the resounding sense of Team Fuqua that permeates throughout the student body. When looking at undergraduate colleges, I was drawn to Emory’s strong sense of school spirit, which ultimately drove me to be actively involved both in and out of the classroom. This spirit is also what has propelled my strong involvement as a current member of the Emory Alumni Association. I appreciate the unquantifiable benefits of an active and spirited school body and am looking for a similar engagement with my MBA program. Speaking with Jason DeValdenebro, a Fuqua first-year and former undergraduate school classmate and friend, he relayed that Fuqua’s sense of school spirit is palpable, and noted that Fuqua’s emphasis on collaboration and teamwork is similar to that of Emory. I felt this sense of school spirit firsthand during my visit to Fuqua, where everyone from my tour guide to the students on the Curriculum Panel seemed genuinely excited about Fuqua. This made me even more thrilled to be there than I already was. My visit also allowed me to truly envision myself as a Fuqua student, and daydream about what my life would be like, the sorts of classes I would take and the lifelong friends that I would make.

When the people who matter to me most ask me “Why Fuqua?” it is not always a quick answer, despite being one I am truly excited to give. Academically, Fuqua offers the best of both worlds for me – a solid general management foundation, with countless options to tailor my studies to prepare me for Management Consulting within the Travel & Leisure space. Outside of the classroom Fuqua offers the extracurriculars that excite me both professionally and personally, including Consulting Club and Fuqua on Board. Finally, Fuqua’s spirited and collaborative student body are intangible assets unique to Fuqua that excite me not only about starting my MBA program at Fuqua, but also about giving back to Team Fuqua for many years beyond.

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2 Strong Duke Essay Examples

With a very low acceptance rate, Duke is one of the most competitive U.S. colleges to get into. Alongside killer stats, extracurriculars, and letters of recommendation, admissions officers are looking for engaging, concise, and thorough essays to put you over the top.

In this post, we’ll share a Duke essay written by a real student and analyze what it did well and where it could be improved. Hopefully, you can take away some insight that will help you write your Duke essays.

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized. 

Read our Duke essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts. 

Duke Pratt School of Engineering Essay Example – Why Engineering?

Prompt:   If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as a first year applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke (250 words).

One Christmas morning, when I was nine, I opened a snap circuit set from my grandmother. Although I had always loved math and science, I didn’t realize my passion for engineering until I spent the rest of winter break creating different circuits to power various lights, alarms, and sensors. Even after I outgrew the toy, I kept the set in my bedroom at home and knew I wanted to study engineering. Later, in a high school biology class, I learned that engineering didn’t only apply to circuits, but also to medical devices that could improve people’s quality of life. Biomedical engineering allows me to pursue my academic passions and help people at the same time.

Just as biology and engineering interact in biomedical engineering, I am fascinated by interdisciplinary research in my chosen career path. Duke offers unmatched resources, such as DUhatch and The Foundry, that will enrich my engineering education and help me practice creative problem-solving skills. The emphasis on entrepreneurship within these resources will also help me to make a helpful product. Duke’s Bass Connections program also interests me; I firmly believe that the most creative and necessary problem-solving comes by bringing people together from different backgrounds. Through this program, I can use my engineering education to solve complicated societal problems such as creating sustainable surgical tools for low-income countries. Along the way, I can learn alongside experts in the field. Duke’s openness and collaborative culture span across its academic disciplines, making Duke the best place for me to grow both as an engineer and as a social advocate.

What the Essay Did Well

A strength of this essay is how it grows in specificity as it progresses, and in college-essay-writing, specificity is key. In the first paragraph, there’s a smooth yet concise transition from a general childhood fascination with engineering to a more mature and specialized field of interest. We learn more and more about this student, almost in layers; first we learn they loved math and science, then engineering, and then biomedical engineering. In every sentence, each of this student’s personal qualities and traits builds off of the one before it, adding more dimension and nuance to their character.

In shifting from her past experiences to Duke’s academic offerings, this student uses their similarly interdisciplinary natures to connect the two. This penchant for smooth, concise transitions is an especially important asset when working with a sub-300 word limit. This applicant chose Duke-specific opportunities to discuss, giving no generic desires for “great professors,” a “top” program, or empty appeals to emotion (“The campus just felt like home!”)

The final sentence serves to nicely tie the essay up, re-affirming the student’s personal qualities and how they suit the student for Duke, personally and academically.

What Could Be Improved

This essay could be made stronger with some improvements to the second paragraph. When including Duke opportunities they want to take part in, this student tells us “ I am fascinated by ,” and it “ interests me ,” but this is fairly basic writing. The reader shouldn’t have to be told about your interest and excitement over something; it should jump off the page.

Rather than telling us they are fascinated by interdisciplinary research, they could write something like this: “ I’d take the thrill of finding connections between two seemingly unrelated topics, knee-deep in library archives, over the drop on the Kingda Ka rollercoaster.”  Notice how this sentence doesn’t explicitly say anything about how they find research fascinating, but by describing it as a more thrilling experience than a rollercoaster, the reader gets a strong visual of the student’s passion.

Another thing missing from this essay is the  why behind this student’s interest in helping others. They clearly flush out their motivation for pursuing engineering, but they never explain what draws them into being a social advocate. Throwing in how they want to “ improve people’s quality of life “, “ create sustainable  surgical tools for low-income countries “, and be a “ social advocate ” has little impact if we don’t understand the importance. A sentence or two that provides background on this student’s compassionate side and where it originated from or what it looks like in action would help bring more weight to their claims of becoming a social advocate.

Duke Essay Example – Why Duke?

In the last six years, my community has been disconnected from the national grid. The result? I watched my mother spend so much money on fuel and patronizing nearly every generator technician in town so we could access electricity. I developed the habit of going to my tutorial centers with my phone charger, hoping that by some streak of luck, the generator would be on. However, with Duke’s minor in Energy Engineering, all these could become things of the past. I especially look forward to courses like ENERGYER 310: INTRODUCTION TO ENERGY GENERATION and ENERGYER 490:RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, which will equip me with the knowledge I need to design cheap and environmentally friendly energy systems.

Outside the classroom, I hope to contribute to Duke’s mission of supporting positive change worldwide by participating in some of Duke’s signature programs, especially the Duke engage gateway program. I am a big fan of math competitions and math in general. As a result, I worked with some of my friends in 2019 to set up a math enrichment organization for high schoolers. I plan to someday have the Duke engage program work with our organization to help provide STEM classes and encourage hand on design projects among Nigerian high school students. I look forward to the academically challenging classes, interactions with strangers, and all the other things that come with being a blue devil.

This essay, which is responding to a textbook example of the “Why This College?” prompt, does a nice job of clearly explaining this student’s motivation for pursuing the specific opportunities at Duke they mention. Because of the story at the beginning about what this student and their mother went through to access energy, the reader understands the personal connection this student has to energy engineering. That personal connection, coupled with the fact the student names specific energy engineering classes at Duke, proves that their interest in the subject is genuine.

The student’s discussion of the Duke engage program is also backed with a personal story that deepens the connection between their past experiences and the things they hope to accomplish at Duke. Rather than just saying they want to join the engage program because they like creating positive change, their description of creating a “math enrichment organization” in high school shows Duke admissions officers that they have already embodied that value of making the world a better place.

One way this essay could be improved would be to more empathetically drive home the theme of making the world a better place. Between this student’s passion for bringing energy solutions to their community and helping Nigerian students access STEM resources, they clearly have a genuine desire to be a force for positive change. Right now, however, the essay feels somewhat like two distinct anecdotes stuck together, rather than a cohesive story focusing on this aspect of their personality, with Duke-specific opportunities woven into that story.

Centering the essay on this quality would shift the focus from the programs at Duke, and how the student fits into them, to the student’s personality, and how Duke aligns with it. It might seem like a subtle difference, but the result would be an essay that both flows naturally and highlights the student’s admirable character.

How would the student go about making this change? The essay could start with a sentence that shows us their passion for helping others in general, rather than in the context of their local power grid of the math organization they cofounded. This line could be quite simple, for example: “ ‘To help others!’ That’s how I answered my mom every year when she asked what I wanted for my birthday. ” 

Then, the student could move into talking about the helplessness they felt not being able to fix the power grid, and how that feeling motivated them to pursue energy engineering. Their story would continue by transitioning into a discussion of how they hope to help people in a variety of ways, not just by improving their access to electricity. They could cite their math organization as an example of another way they’ve worked to make people’s lives better, and demonstrate their commitment to that organization by describing how they hope to grow it with the skills they learn from the Duke engage program.

This version of the essay, by centering on their personality from start to finish, would feel more cohesive, while still incorporating why the student wants to attend Duke specifically.

Where to Get Your Duke  Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your Duke essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Honors and Laurels Earned by the Class of 2024

National, university and departmental awards presented to members of the Class of 2024

The following is a partial list of national, university, school and departmental awards presented to the members of the Class of 2023. In some awards where there are multiple winners, only members of the Class of 2023 are included.

Nationally Competitive Scholarships

Mitchell Scholarship : Chloe Nguyen will do graduate work in Ireland specializing in technology, privacy and internet law. (Read more in Duke Today. )

G oldwater Scholarship : Sofia Guerrero received the scholarship that encourages students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. (Awarded in 2023. Read more in Duke Today .)

Udall Scholarship : Ariella Chukwuma received the award for students who have demonstrated a commitment to careers in the environment, health care or Native American tribal public policy or health care. (Awarded in 2023. Read more in Duke Today .)

Knight-Hennessy Scholarship : Daniel Collins will do graduate work in ocean studies at Stanford. University. (Read more in Duke Today. )

Schwarzman Scholarship : Sejal Mayer-Patel will do graduate study on global affairs in China (Read more in Duke Today .)

Gaither Fellowship : Kristin Zhu will work with the American Statecraft program, where she hopes to contribute to the Pivotal States series and research gaps in American foreign policy. (Read more on the OUSF website .)

Departmental Awards

African and African American Studies

John Hope Franklin Award for Academic Excellence: Tashia Ayanna Ethridge

Mary McLeod Bethune Writing Award: Sanceray Sanai Smith

Walter C. Burford Award for Community Service: Khilan Jamaar Walker, Moorea Rose Mitchell

Art, Art History & Visual Studies

Mary Duke Biddle Foundation Visual Art Award: Gabriella Caroleena Underwood

Nancy Kaneb Art History Award: Ruth Sarah Player

Sue and Lee Noel Prize in Visual Arts: Elayna Yilan Lei

Visual Studies & Media Studies Award: Malynda Ellen Wollert, Willa Fabian Gilbert-Goldstein

Rodger Frey Film Essay Award: Annie Zhang

ACC Plaque for Excellence, Scholarship and Athletics:  CJake Anthony Naso and Brianna Danielle Smith

Bass Connections

Excellence in Collaborative Leadership Award: Rachael Ellen Lau

Student Research Award:  Thanh-Nhu Tran Bui, Erika Lili Berlik, Zixin Zhang, Shuaichen Liao ,Micaela Elanor Simeone, Kashyap Sreeram, Chloe Williams, Keena Gao, Emily Rose Hallock, Sunggun Lee, Darienne Rae Rogers, Rohan Gupta and Sujay Alluri

Edward C. Horn Memorial Prize for Excellence in Biology:  Zachary Mathias Pracher

Excellence in Plant Science Prize: Mira Isabel Polishook

James B. Rast Memorial Award in Comparative Organismal Biology:  Brennan David McDonald

Maggie Schneider Award in Marine Biology:  Catalina Rose Lopez

Biology Faculty Award:  Anna Clare Sparling

Biostatistics and Bioinformatics

Overall Academic Excellence Award: Ryan Butcher, Molly Ehrig, Hui Huang, Alexander Joseph Thomson, and Danielle Jayne Vaithilingam

Student Leadership Award: Alexandra Sarai Da Silva, Catherine Gervais

Most Outstanding Master's Project Award for Clinical & Translational Research: Hui Huang. Honorable Mention: Catherine Gervais

Most Outstanding Master's Project Award for Methodology: Qin Wang. Honorable Mention: Caroline Anne Falvey

Most Outstanding Master's Project Award for Biomedical Data Science: Alexander Joseph Thomson, Yilong Qu

Office of Health Professions Advising             

Raymond Lublin, M.D. Award: Anna Clare Sparling

Classical Studies         

Classical Association of the Middle West and South Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Classical Studies: Stephanie Allison Morgan, Jacob Alexander Rosenzweig

David Taggart Clark Prize in Classical Studies: Stephanie Allison Morgan, Jacob Alexander Rosenzweig

Anthony Fauci Award in STEM and Classics: Stephanie Allison Morgan

Computer Science     

Alex Vasilos Memorial Award: Yuxi Long, Muhang Tian, Shiyou Wu, Chloe Qinyu Zhu

Rebecca DeNardis Memorial Award: Andrew John Fate-Bolognone, Brandon Derick Lopez, Joshua Oshotse, Alyssa Wang Zhao

Cultural Anthropology               

Judith McDade Prize in Cultural Anthropology: Sebastian-San Miguel, Malynda Ellen Wollert

Paul Farmer Award for Justice and Social Responsibility: Corali Salomé Francisco-Zelkin, Huiyin Zhou

Doctor of Physical Therapy   

ACAPT National Student Honor Society: Alyssa Marie Bush, Madison Rose Catalano, Brielle Rose Ciccio, Miles Scott Moore, Shannan Leigh Mueller and Hope Wendy Reynolds

Helen Kaiser Alumni Award: Kimberlyn Michelle Hayes

Jan Gwyer Student Recognition Award for Academic, Clinical, and Scholarly Excellence: Hope Wendy Reynolds, Miles Scott Moore

Robert Bartlett Student Recognition Award for Service and Leadership Excellence: Wesley Joseph Bell-Pritzlaff

DPT Inclusive Excellence Award: Razan Mazin Fayyad

Documentary Studies               

Julia Harper Day Award for Documentary Studies: Staci Grimes

Duke Arts          

Benenson Award in the Arts: Huiyin Zhou, Staci Grimes, Keena Gao, Ruby Wang, Yixuan Sun, Foxx Hart, Catherine Suzanne Grafe Knothe

Duke Divinity School

Award for Excellence in Bible- Old Testament: William Paul Vines Sharkey

Award for Excellence in Bible-New Testament: Katherine Jane Bracy Limkeman

Award for Outstanding Student in Theology: Joseph Neil Reigle

Award for Excellence in Worship and Liturgical Leadership: Leah Benn Miller

Jameson Jones Preaching Award: Beth Regena Glenn, Katherine Christine Mangum

Hoyt Hickman Award for Excellence in Liturgics: Patrice Elizabeth Turner

McMurry Richey Award in Field Education: Emily Lynn Stambaugh

McMurry Richey Award in Missions: Britt Anliza Taylor

McMurry Richey Award in Student Pastor: Evan A. Smith

Seminarian Award of the Fellowship of United Methodist in Music and Worship Arts: Leah Benn Miller

Frederick Buechner Writing Award: Jaime Steiert McGlothlin, Vivian Grace Saxon

Duke Global Health Institute                 

Madeline Boccuzzi Outstanding Master of Science in Global Health Student Award: Maria Espinoza Gonzalez

Earth and Climate Sciences

Thomas V. Laska Award: Emily Marie Nagamoto

Economics      

Master's Program Award for Leadership: Timothy Chiu Ching-Lih Kusuma, Yuhao Zheng, Uyanga Gansukh

Master's Program Award for Academic Excellence: Yangfan Wang

Edward Tower Best Thesis Award: Marcos Hirai Catao

Craufurd Goodwin Distinction in Research Award : Lilia Yimin Qian

Best Thesis Finalist: Jakobe Zamir Bussey, Zixin Zhao

Outstanding Honors Poster – Faculty Choice: Heera Rajavel

Outstanding Honors Poster – Student Choice: Lucas Michael Johnson

English                 

Award for Most Original Honors Thesis: Heidi Ann Smith

Victor Strandberg Award for Excellence in the Literary Arts: Marina Jinghang Chen, Sita Conde

Barbara Hernnstein Smith Award for Outstanding Work in Literary Criticism or Theory: Skijler John Hutson

Stanley E. Fish Award for Outstanding Work in British & Anglophone Literature: Eliana Alex Genatt

Louis J. Budd Award for Outstanding Work in American Literature: Madeline Rubin, Milla Surjadi

George P. Lucaci Award for Creative Nonfiction: Ruby Wang . Second Prize: Rowan Huang

Anne Flexner Memorial Award for Poetry: Jocelyn Andrea Chin

Anne Flexner Memorial Award for Fiction: Makee Gonzalez Anderson

Reynolds Price Award for Fiction: Tomas Elias Esber

Academy of American Poets Prize: Nima Babajani-Feremi

Evolutionary Anthropology    

Mossé Award for Excellence in Research in Evolutionary Anthropology: Elizabeth Anne Siebeneck, Rachel Lorraine Poutre

Fuqua School of Business     

Alan D. Schwartz Award for Mentorship: Bhavna Tripathy

Asa T. Spaulding, Sr. Award for Leadership: Louis Wu

Deans' Recognition Awards: Hilary Shea Badger, Keerthana Rao Balusu, Alyssa Diane Barnea, Lauren Camille Boone, Kunj Chheda, Vasileia Christaki, Louis A. Fierro III, Kandasi Kalyse Griffiths, Felipe Guevara Aguero, Jenna Kathleen Houchins, Ashley Marie Pech and Gabrielle Mercedes Rogers

Fuqua EMBA HSM Leadership Award: Dhruv Choudhry

Keohane Leadership Award: Arya Diwase, Stephen Chinedu Ezekoye

Team Fuqua Award (MMS): Kenneth Beau Allen, Piper Lorraine Hampsch, Olivia Louise Kohan, Aakash Nankani, Adèle Clarissa Swanson

Team Fuqua Award (MQM): Alexia Berenice Torres Calderón

The Breeden Award in Finance: David Chioma, Hannah Lillian Deichman

Distinguished Service Award (MBA): Annie Moore Forrest

International Comparative Studies Program              

Capstone Research Prize: Grace Marguerite Endrud

Distinguished Thesis Award: Maya Ghanem

Journalism and Media Studies            

Melcher Family Award for Excellence in Journalism: Charlotte Kramon

Fischer-Zernin Award for Local Journalism: Chloe Mai Nguyen

Patterson Prize for Excellence, Leadership and Integrity in Journalism: Milla Surjadi

Mathematics 

Julia Dale Prize in Mathematics: Aram Tabrizi Lindroth

Mathematics  Julia Dale Prize in Mathematics: Nguyen Nguyen, Jiaxi Zhang

Mathematics  Excellence In Research Award: Aram Tabrizi Lindroth, Luke Finley Triplett, Jiaxi Zhang

Karl Menger Award: Nguyen Nguyen

Excellence In Community Service Prize: Elaijah Roger Lapay

School of Medicine    

Brenda Armstrong Living the Dream Award: Braylee Nicole Grisel

Dean's Merit Scholarship: Mariam Mina Ardehali, Tamar Chukrun, Vikram Freedman Gupta, Ryan Joseph Kramer, Margaret S. Min, Charles Phifer Nicholson Jr., Sophie Evelyn Nick, Katherine Nancy Penvose, Albert Jacob Rechenmacher, Roshini Srinivasan, Troy Q'mars Tabarestani, Vishal Venkatraman, Eric Scott Warren Jr .

Dean’s Tuition Scholarship: John Lewis Atwater, Alexandria Mullikin, Ernest Neil Barral, and Prince Jeffrey Boadi, Alejandro J. Carruyo, Amanda Christina Del Risco, Julia Marie Denniss, Nicole Marie Diaz, Romel Joseph Holmes, Jr., Nia Michaela Mitchell, Mary Elizabeth Moya-Mendez, Jennifer I. Okunbor, Edwin Simeon Jusi Owolo, Camille Noelle Pierre, Chidyaonga Shalita, David Alexander Webb Sykes, Kenyon Wright and Marilyn Melelani Fryar Yamamoto

Humanism in Medicine Award: Prince Jeffrey Boadi

Palmer/GSK Award: Alexander Daniel Cherches, Sophie Evelyn Nick

Rauch Future Leaders Merit Scholars: Kristina Moriah Stenstedt Dunworth, Bronwen Emily Foreman

Unsung Hero: Stacy Meredith Goins

Music  

Henry Schuman Music Prize: Andrew John Fate-Bolognone , Julia Michelle Leeman, Joseph Cristofori Scarpa

Julia Wilkinson Mueller Prize for Excellence in Music: Julia Michelle Leeman , Aram Tabrizi Lindroth

Paul R. Bryan Award: Nina Zhang , Satya Yalamanchi

Ciompi Quartet Award in Chamber Music: Aram Tabrizi Lindroth , Jaewon Jung, Alexander Zhaokun Du, Allen Yiyang Zhang, Jean-Luc Pereira Rabodeau, Claire Yijun Li, Kenneth Kaishi Gong

Duke Symphony Orchestra Conductor's Award: Andrew S. Kelbley , Amira Axelle Arellano Miel, Spencer Samuel Schutz, Zachary Mathias Pracher

Office of the Provost 

Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award: Elaijah Roger Lapay

Global Health

Michael Merson Undergraduate Student Leadership Award in Global Health: Shanzeh Mishal Sheikh

Physics               

Daphne Chang Memorial Award: Alexander Dun Yin Tong

Rodney I. McCormick Award: Alexander Christian Migala

Political Science          

Alona E. Evans Prize in International Law: Sanjit Beriwal

Elizabeth G. Verville Award: Koby Samuel Cohen

The Jerry B. and Callie Irene Stone Award: Frank J. Cejas Rodriguez

Ole R. Holsti Award in American Foreign Policy and International Relations: Robert Stefan Miron

The Robert S. Rankin Award for Leadership and Academic Achievement: Ruthie Ann Kesri

The Robert S. Rankin Award in American Government and Constitutional Law: Nicole Sara Rosenzweig

The Robert S. Rankin Award in American, National, State, and Local Governments: Kay Yanily Maldonado

Pratt School of Engineering  

American Society of Civil Engineers Outstanding Senior Prize: Sarah Ann Bailey, Grace Eunhae Lee

Aubrey E. Palmer Award: Sarah Ann Bailey

Marie Foote Reel Undergraduate Research Award: Arya Kishan Tschand

Charles Rowe Vail Memorial Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award: Claire Yijun Li

da Vinci Award: Alexandra Leigh Hoffman, Benjamin Alfred Johns, Jonathan Caswell Piland

David Randall Fuller Prize : Ian Marcos Morales

Eric I. Pas Award: Sarah Ann Bailey, Annie Wollmuth

Edward D. "Ned" Light Memorial Award: Jacklyn Leah Herzberg

George Sherrerd III Memorial Award in Electrical and Computer Engineering: Andy Summers He, Sophia Marie Williams

Helmholtz Award: Joanna Rui Peng

Howard G. Clark Award for Excellence in Research: Anand Manohar Chundi, Dahlia Halabi, Selena Halabi, Jack R Kovach, Claire Yijun Li, Benjamin Charles Perry, Rajiv Sundar Raman, Bowie Nathan Shreiber, Mia Ellen Woodruff, Sophie Ru Wu

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Faculty Award: Benjamin Alfred Johns, Isabelle Warger Sanz

Otto Meier, Jr. Tau Beta Pi Award: Keith Alexander Cressman

Pi Tau Sigma Scholarship Award: Miranda Liu, William Joshua Guanzon King

Pratt School of Engineering Student Service Award: Kishen Mitra, Jack Stuart Rhodes

Raymond C. Gaugler Award in Materials Science and Engineering, Spencer Samuel Schutz, Raymond Kelly Lennon

Theo C. Pilkington Memorial Award: Jacklyn Leah Herzberg

Walter J. Seeley Scholastic Award: Brandon Kunjun Bae, Andy Summers He, Alexandra Leigh Hoffman, Benjamin Alfred Johns, Minjun Kwak, Jonathan Caswell Piland, Cathylin Wen Wang, Chengyang Zhou

William Brewster Snow Environmental Engineering Award: Sarah Ann Bailey

Karl E. Zener Award for Academic Excellence in Psychology: Priscilla La

Jerome S. Bruner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research: Caimiao Liu

Public Policy  

Terry Sanford Leadership Award: Grace Marguerite Endrud, Chloe Mai Nguyen

Joel Fleishman Distinguished Scholar Award: Grace Marguerite Endrud, Hannah Kate Galdes, Katherine Elizabeth Heath, Anisha Reddy

Best Honors Thesis: Christina Zemong Wang

Religious Studies         

Best Paper Award: Mariami Shanshashvili, Ruthie Ann Kesri, Christina Stewart Lewis

Romance Studies        

Guido Mazzoni Prize in Italian: Jacob Campbell Carnes

Richard L. Predmore Award in Spanish: Brooke Lauren Sevchik

Robert J. Niess / Alexander Hull Award in French: Rebecca Valerie Boss

The Paol Keineg Prize for an Honors Thesis Written in a Language other than English: Brianna Rose Cellini

School of Nursing        

Annie Beery Bieber Award for Outstanding Leadership Award: Sandra Okeke Bates

Ruby L. Wilson Excellence in Clinical Practice Award: Katherine Alexandra Sundt

Thelma Ingles Excellence in Clinical Expertise and Scholarly Activities Award: Iris Mayoral

Distinguished PhD Dissertation: Melissa Ann Powell

Outstanding DNP Scholarly Project Award: Chantal Howard

Ida Harper Simpson Award: Mackenzie Elizabeth Culp

Linda K. George Award: Amber Claire Smith

Highest Academic Achievement Award: Caimiao Liu

Statistical Science     

Outstanding Mentor of Undergraduate Researchers: Edric Cheuk Yin Tam

Statistical Science MS TA of the Year Award: Yicheng Shen. Honorable Mention: William Tirone

Statistical Science PhD TA of the Year Award : Yi Ji . Honorable Mention: Shariar Vaez-Ghaemi, Emmanuel Kene Mokel

Student Affairs               

Distinguished Leadership Award: Expanding the Boundaries of Learning: Robert Addison Sprung

Distinguished Leadership Award: Building Alliances Through Collective Engagement: Christopher Zollino Lloyd, Amber Claire Smith

William J. Griffith University Service Award: Outstanding Contribution to the Duke Community: Essence Renee Hughes

William J. Griffith University Service Award: Outstanding Contribution to the Durham and Local Community: Dedriek Jalisa Whitaker

William J. Griffith University Service Award: Outstanding Contribution to the Global Community: Chanté Davis

Duke Cornerstone Award, Undergraduate: Catherine Xia

Duke Cornerstone Award, Graduate: Trevor Sytsma

Theater Studies             

Award for Excellence in Acting: Emi Marie Hegarty (Read on D

Award for Excellence in Acting: Benjamin David Taylor Davies

Harold Brody Award for Excellence in Musical Theater: Sam Carpenter

John M. Clum Distinguished Theater Studies Graduate Award: Emi Marie Hegarty, Isabella Perle Mellody

Feldman Collaborator's Award in Memory of Kenneth J. Reardon: Yixuan Sun

Reynolds Price Award for Best Original Script for Stage, Screen, or Television:   Isabella Perle Mellody

Forlines Family Theater Studies Grant: Elise Mignonne Gutierrez

Award for Excellence in Design or Theater Technology: Yixuan Sun

Trinity College of Arts and Sciences                 

Bascom Headen Palmer Literary Prize: Shourya Agarwal

Louis B. Sudler Prize in the Creative Arts and Performing Arts: Emi Marie Hegarty (Read more in Duke Arts)

Undergraduate Research Support Office    

Student Team Grant: Angela Nana-Akua Darkowaa Addae, Brendan Simmons Kelleher, Jeehye Rose Lee, Taylor Corbin Parker, Dedriek Jalisa Whitaker

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