The interviews at Fuqua are done by second year students who volunteer for the task. Mine was very professional, but I still don’t feel that I’m being taken as seriously as I would be if I were interviewing with an adcom. I got the impression that the interview isn’t a very important part of your application at Duke, and this is confirmed by the fact that they are technically optional. I think it’s mainly to show that you’re interested, and to get a basic sense of your interviewing capability.
Anyway, the interview was a strict 40 minutes, with 30 for the interview, then 10 for your questions. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and I had an affable second year conducting, but it was also pretty rushed. She had a long list of questions to get through in 30 minutes, and I’m almost surprised she managed to cover them all. It was very rapid-fire. It wasn’t terribly conversational because of the limited time, but she was interested in what I had to say and took copious notes. I wasn’t even sure if my answers mattered so much as my ability to handle myself in the interview.
There were the usual questions: Why MBA? Why now? Why at Fuqua? Then a long list of other questions, including:
- What the 2 best and worst things about you?
- Name the 3 biggest risks you’ve taken in your life.
- Give an example of your performance on a team.
- Tell me about a time when your team failed.
- What do you do about a team member who won’t cooperate?
- What is your role on a team?
- What do you like least about working in teams?
- How would you explain your job to a 6 year old?
As you can see, they are very team-oriented a Fuqua. My interviewer said it was a big part of the culture, but not to think it was everything at Duke. She said people’s impressions of the school before they attend probably overstate the teamwork aspect, and there are still plenty of things you have to do on your own.
