Sofie Jacobs, Duke Fuqua MBA Class of 2024
Age: 26
Hometown: Rockville, MD
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Michigan; Major: English Language & Literature, Minor: American Culture
Pre-MBA Work Experience (years, industry): 2 Years at ICM Partners (international literary and talent agency); 1 Year at a startup focused on connecting e-commerce companies with brands and retailers; 1 Year at a marketing agency for nonprofit organizations
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
I wanted to pivot industries, and I needed the skills and network to make that pivot.
It had long been my dream to be a literary agent — I had been an English Lit major in undergrad, interned at literary agencies over the summers, and finally worked at a literary and talent agency out of college. When I was laid off from the agency during a COVID reorg, I had a chance to consider what really made me interested in agenting in the first place. I realized that what I was most excited about in being an agent —the opportunities to be entrepreneurial, think outside of the box, and find solutions — were characteristics inherent to any kind of business. I wanted to go to business school to dig into the knowledge I never had a chance to gain in undergrad, and gain networks and skills in new industries.
Why did you choose Duke Fuqua? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose Fuqua for its culture and community, hands down. I’ll begin by saying that it can be really tough to decide where to apply (and then go!) to business school! It can feel like all of the schools in the same tier have a similar quality of resources, employers, and networks. In order to make my decision, I had to get really clear about the things that were most important to me. After gaining those stellar resources, the main thing I wanted out of business school was a strong and supportive community. Nowhere did I find a community like the one offered at Fuqua. Almost every conversation I had began with the student saying, “Oh yeah, Team Fuqua is no joke,” and in learning about the programs offered at Fuqua — such as its COLE Fellowship, which prioritized leadership and mentorship at the school; or Fuqua on Board, which allowed students to give back to Durham nonprofits through board membership — I saw that Fuqua walked the talk in creating a strong and supportive community.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2024?
Definitely my background! I come from entertainment and start-ups, I’m a published author, and I never took a business class while at undergrad! I worried about how this would affect me while at business school, but I’m so glad that my “untraditional” experience has given me a different perspective and skillset. And, I know that when accounting and finance begin in the fall, I’ll have plenty of friends who can help me out!
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
One of the best parts of Fuqua’s application is its “25 Random Things About Yourself” essay, which basically guarantees that any fun fact you have will make it onto your application! Of my 25 fun facts, I’m probably most excited I was able to include a tidbit about how, in undergrad, my best friend and I decorated and sold sunglasses for Michigan football games as the company “Shady Babes.” To quote my 25 Things essay, “We broke even, but realized two girls with glue guns wasn’t scalable.”
Post-MBA career interests:
Ask me in a month, and I’m sure it’ll be different! My 25-year plan is to start the next Peloton, with lots of strategy roles in entertainment and fitness tech in between. I think this will begin by beefing up my business acumen at a management consulting firm — cliché for business school, I know, but cliché for a reason!
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Talk to as many people as possible at your desired school! Prioritize talking to current students, but also include professors, admissions, alumni… anyone. Talking to students helps you gain specific insights into the human experience of an MBA program and learn more about the different parts of the school that you’re interested in (which you can then take back to your essays and interviews). A lot of the schools I applied to also had options to talk about the students with whom you’ve connected — one application asked me to list all the students I’ve spoken with, while at Fuqua, current or former students can submit letters of recommendation on an applicant’s behalf.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I applied to business school in round three, and it definitely made my application experience more stressful. I never expected I’d apply in round three, but when my company was acquired and the culture quickly shifted, I knew that this year was the right time. Round three is more competitive, though, and knowing that definitely made me anxious about my chances.
After I applied, I realized that there were a lot of merits to round three. I was applying with an untraditional background, which was great as admissions were looking to “round out” their class. Additionally, I had friends in rounds one and two who waited months to hear back about interviews and admissions — I applied on March 24 and got into Fuqua (a very stressful, but short) five weeks later!
All that said, I wish I hadn’t let the stress of “the round three curse” get to me. But, take it as a lesson from me — round three isn’t ideal, but it can be done!
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
Standardized testing! The Kaplan test book, and a GRE prep course, really helped, but a friend also recommended I take MBA Math, a prep course for your quant classes, but I took the course over my application process and submitted those scores, along with the scores of my GRE. By submitting MBA Math, I showed admissions that, while my quant scores might not have been quite as high as preferred, I had drive, work ethic, and ambition, and I could still succeed at math and understand difficult quantitative analysis — just maybeeeee not in a standardized test.
What is your initial impression of the Duke Fuqua students/culture/community?
My first impression is that Team Fuqua is no joke! The collaborative, supportive, and compassionate community of Fuqua is real and it is incredibly special. We just finished orientation last week, and over the three-day experience, the school interspersed traditional orientation information — details about the Career Center, educational resources, etc. — with “Section Olympics.” The Section Olympics showed me how much Fuqua cares not just about our professional and academic success in business school, but our personal success, too. They want us to make friends, feel comfortable with our classmates, and even have some fun.
What is one thing you have learned about Duke Fuqua that has surprised you?
I’ve been surprised by the school’s commitment to mental health. Throughout orientation, the school held a variety of panels about the different pressures and responsibilities we’d have at Fuqua. It was surprising that the school so openly acknowledged how difficult (while still rewarding!) the next two years would be, and I was so pleased that they not only had resources available for that, they didn’t want us to feel any stigma in talking about it.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Even though I was incredibly intentional about choosing a school with a supportive community, I know we’ll ultimately be competing for a lot of the same jobs and opportunities during recruiting. I worry about feeling behind and comparing myself to my classmates, but I’ll try to remember everything we learned at orientation — we’re all on different journeys with different goals, and as long as I keep in mind my values and try my best, I’m doing what’s best for me!
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
Getting involved with clubs and extracurriculars! B-school is a time to experiment with new things, build a network, and hone your leadership and team-building skills. I can’t wait to become involved with all of the cool opportunities Fuqua has to offer — be it student government, career-specific clubs, or, my favorite, the wine club!
Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your personal application or admissions process in any way? If so, how?
I don’t think there’s any facet of our lives that hasn’t been affected by COVID! My career path was totally upended by COVID, and this led me, for the first time, to think about business school. Aside from that, it was definitely easier to study for the GRE when I wasn’t commuting, and working from home made conversations with current students and some lunch-break-application-work much more convenient!
