I was a non-traditional applicant (2nd year in medical school) who was interested in Duke’s Health Sector Management program. Some current Fuqua students mentioned that the HSM was the “Gem” of Fuqua because it was one of the best funded programs there and very integrated into Duke’s vast medical resources. Another insight mentioned by Fuqua students is that on-campus interviews are highly encouraged and receive some brownie points. Perhaps its because Durham is not as easy to reach like school in the northeast so they give props for those who make the effort to travel there. From my experience interviewing, I think doing it on campus also provides the benefit of getting you going into your interview after you’ve walked around campus and taken in the atmosphere.
I interviewed with a second year student (from what I understand, that’s how Duke does all their on-campus interviews)
The questions were:
- Why MBA? (for non-traditional applicants)
- What are your plans after Duke?
- Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond.
- Tell me about a time when you resolved conflict within a team.
- Tell me about a time when you lead by organizing a complicated situation.
- What achievement are you most proud of?
- What is something you think you will have difficulty with at Fuqua?
– (be careful about giving an answer that is a positive dressed in a negative, like mentioning a weakness and then immediately assuring them how you plan to make up for it. She pointed that out and asked me the question again, looking for a true potential area of difficulty. Do you have any questions for me?
The interview lasted 1 hour and for the most part, they seemed to read from a script. Their demeanor was polite but restricted as I could tell they tried to catch themselves after beginning to laugh at some of the jokes/stories.
- One issue I think a lot of people were confused about was the “business casual” dress code mentioned in the Interview invite. Among guys, roughly 1/3 actually followed that and didn’t come in a full suit. I think if its more your style to be laid back, this is a good opportunity to be more in your element. For those who feel more comfortable in a suit, you’ll still fit in with 2/3 of your peers on interview day.
Result: Admitted
