This was done at 11 am on a Saturday at the 23rd floor of a Marriott hotel in Shanghai. I was the only foreigner there that I could tell. I arrived a little earlier, and joined a bunch of other candidates who were there for the 11 am interviews (others had been scheduled for a 10 am interview). It seemed everyone was a little nervous, and all interviews were being done by alum. I had to wait until 11:05 until my interviewer was ready for me.
It was a pretty quick chat, very informal and friendly. There was the typical why MBA questions, but there was also a few questions about whether I had done my research (why Fuqua, what other schools had I applied to, which alum had I spoken to). My interviewer and I had some mutual friends so we were able to bond over that. She was also very interested in career path and choices. She also shared a little about living in Durham (good Chinese food), as well as her career transition and alumni network.
After the interview, all the interviewees and interviewers gathered together for a lunch buffet (the only school that offered this haha). I really got to see the strength of the Fuqua network in Shanghai then. It seemed all the alum knew each other very well, and there was no strong AO presence—they were helping to run this event together. It was also a time for students to get to know each other. It did feel collaborative!
I really enjoyed the interview and I got a great impression of Fuqua, especially the alumni network in Shanghai (it feels closer than the other schools—Wharton, SOM, Stern, UVA, etc). I wasn’t surprised by anything except how enjoyable it was. I got waitlisted at the end, but I heard most people who did the Shanghai off-campus interview got waitlisted. I wonder if Fuqua is protecting its admission rate.
Clear Admit Resources
Preparing for your Duke / Fuqua admissions interview? Check out Clear Admit’s other resources:
- Clear Admit Duke / Fuqua Interview Guide: Strategic tips for approaching Fuqua’s interview questions, and more.
- Interview Archive: More firsthand accounts from Duke Fuqua MBA applicants themselves
- Understanding the MBA Admissions Interview: Blind Interviews vs. Non-blind Interviews
- Podcast Episode 23: 5 Most Common MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace
