Recently, we were fortunate enough to be able to speak one-on-one with Liz Riley Hargrove, Associate Dean for Admissions at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Here are some highlights from the conversation, as well as the full transcript below:
Fuqua is focusing on expanding international diversity and has grown application volume in its daytime program by 21%, with increases in international applications for all programs
Ms. Hargrove suggests that candidates apply as early as possible without sacrificing quality
Ms. Hargrove explains Fuqua’s unique approach to interviews—sometimes by applicants’ request and sometimes by the school’s—and discusses how to prepare for one
mbaMission: The first question I always ask the admissions office when I do these interviews is what do people not know about Fuqua that you believe they should?
Liz Riley Hargrove: Hmmm, interesting question! I think it would be our recent work in defining and developing an education and research strategy based around industry verticals in consulting, finance, energy/environment, IT/media, health care and consumer goods. Fuqua has nine research centers now, and if you include the new research centers we launch this year, we will have a dedicated research presence in each of our industry verticals, allowing for a greater depth of access to the most important leaders and firms in these industries.
This is quite an innovative approach and will allow us to identify cross-disciplinary opportunities to broaden students’ exposure to the industries and firms that are driving the global economy of the 21st century. The centers support the students’ academic and career exploration, and the focus on industry verticals really differentiates Fuqua from other business schools.
What do I need to do to prepare for my business school interview? What types of questions will I be asked? Is an interview with someone from the admissions committee better than one with an alumnus/alumna? Are you may be asking yourself these types of questions. If so, mbaMission is here to help bring you some clarity. In an interactive presentation in conjunction with Kaplan, mbaMission Founder Jeremy Shinewald will offer advice on best practices to help you prepare for and succeed in your business school interviews. We will explore the different types of interviews and what each admissions committee is looking for, and will share tips on time management and what to do if you are stumped.
A Q&A session will follow the presentation, after which Jeremy will remain available to respond to additional inquiries.
Date: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m. EST Location: Kaplan Inc. Headquarters, 888 Seventh Ave., 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10106 Price: Free!
1. Commonplaceness; flatness; dullness
2. A trite or obvious remark, uttered as though it were fresh or original
Many candidates unwittingly start their essays with platitudes. For example, when responding to the HBS essay question “Tell us about a time when you made a difficult decision,” a candidate might mistakenly write the following:
“Managers constantly face difficult decisions. Still, everyone hates indecision.”
The writer doesn’t “own” this idea and can’t lay claim to this statement. A simple alternative would be to insert his or her experience and viewpoint into the sentence:
“Yet again, I was in the boardroom with Steve, anticipating that he would change his mind on the mbaMission file.”
By discussing your unique experiences, you take ownership of your story and engage the reader. Avoiding platitudes and generalities and ensuring that you are sharing your experience, rather than one that could belong to anyone else, is a simple but often overlooked step toward creating a compelling message.
Because you spend so many of your waking hours at work and because the MBA is the vehicle you are choosing to use to drive your career forward, you may naturally believe that your professional experiences are all that matter to the admissions committees. Don’t get us wrong: you need to have (and share) strong professional stories, but top-tier business schools are looking for much more than just examples of professional excellence. If you discuss only your work experiences in your application, you will present yourself as a one-dimensional character, and today’s managers need to demonstrate that they can handle a multitude of tasks, situations and personalities—both inside and outside the workplace.
At the end of the year, we at mbaMission post an offer on our blog to review 20 applications, submitted by candidates who did not use our services and who did not receive an offer of admission from a single program of their choice. We find that the most common error committed by these applicants is that they discussed only their work accomplishments and gave no sense of who they truly are as well-rounded human beings. Although professional accomplishments definitely have a place in your applications, do not go overboard and focus on this one aspect of your candidacy to the exclusion of all else—balance is crucial. To the best of your ability, strive to offer a mix of accomplishments from the professional, community and personal fields. Your goal is to keep the reader learning about you with each essay. A diversity of stories will reveal that you have the skills to accomplish a great deal in many different fields and circumstances, which is the hallmark of a modern general manager.
How can you write essays that grab the attention of MBA admissions committees? In our latest event with Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions, Jeremy Shinewald, founder of mbaMission, will use this basic but often perplexing question as a starting point in a workshop for prospective business school applicants. Attendees will complete a series of exercises that challenge them to uncover their personal and nuanced stories, craft compelling opening statements, develop meaningful goal statements, connect their goals to their target school’s resources and more. A Q&A session will follow the presentation, after which Jeremy will remain available to respond to additional inquiries.
Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2010 Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m. EST Location: Kaplan Inc. Headquarters, 888 Seventh Ave., 22nd Floor, New York, NY 10106 Price: Free!
A first-of-its-kind, on-demand MBA application experience that delivers a personalized curriculum for you and leverages interactive tools to guide you through the entire MBA application process.
