Congrats to everyone who has gotten in to Duke — and good luck to those who are trying now!
2019 Duke Fuqua Full-Time MBA Essay Questions – Class of 2022
Duke has implemented flex options for accepting apps late in the season this year.
This is a school where applying later maybe could offer opportunities for the right candidate — but act fast! Especially if you’re an international candidate.
For the Class of 2022 admissions, Duke again kept its application requirements mostly the same as they’ve been for years and years, with some differences in their short-answer questions. That’s kinda good…. because these are solid questions, and they’re excellent opportunities for you to share something meaningful with the adcom! But it just feels that Fuqua has stagnated.
Anyway, here are those questions for you to start thinking about:
Duke 2019 MBA Essay Questions
There’s a lot of writing with a Fuqua MBA app! But good news: Duke’s long essays should actually be FUN! If there is such a thing as “fun” when it comes to writing essays. 🙂 That doesn’t mean they’ll be easy but at least you won’t feel like you’ve been stifled, as is a common experience with BSers struggling to fit in answers for many other schools. Our 2019 SnarkStrategies Guide for Duke is a smart place to begin. No excuses, time to get started!!
FIRST: Two straightforward short-answer questions — only 500 characters each though, and they’re asking for 3 separate things in only 1,000 characters!! Ugh, this is not the type of change we were hoping for. 🙁
- Why is pursuing an MBA the right next step for you?
- What are your post-MBA career goals? Share with us your first choice career plan and your alternate plan.
Duke is pretty much the only school that invites you to present a “Plan B” for your career goals. For most other applications you’ll want to focus on just one set of goals.
NEXT, two long-form essays
To speak of the obvious:
They’re really generous in what they allow – but that does not mean you should take advantage of that generosity in what you submit!
To be precise: We recommend not going more than perhaps 750 words at the most for each of these essays. And please please please don’t go down to 10-point font, even though they say that you can!! You can absolutely share everything you need to in a compelling fashion with a 750-word essay written in 11-point font (or heck, even 12-point!).
See the full set of Duke’s requirements around essay length and formatting and the questions in their entirety as posted on the Duke application website .
- First required essay: 25 random things about yourself [A very involved preamble, then:] [T]he Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you—beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of “25 Random Things” about YOU.
- Second required essay: The Fuqua community and you [Another preamble about Fuqua, then:] Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, how do you see yourself engaging in and contributing to our community outside of the classroom?
Duke was the first to start with this type of “culture/community” question many years back. In recent seasons, schools as varied as Wharton and MIT have also asked somewhat similar questions. Tuck also puts a very high value on community engagement. So, a similar approach may work for some of these but you’ll be writing each essay from scratch!
Our Duke MBA Application Guide is current for 2019 and the Class of 2022 application. Learn the best way to approach your 25 Things and what the Duke Fuqua admissions committee looks for in a solid set of career goals, and learn everything else about setting yourself up for success with this perennial favorite bschool.
Duke Daytime MBA Deadlines – Class of 2022
Remember, regardless of which round you intend to apply in you can get on campus from September 11 to October 9 to take advantage of their Open Interview period — which is highly recommended!!
Duke Full-time Daytime MBA Application Deadlines
- Early Action (binding):
September 19, 2019 - Round 1:
October 14, 2019 - Round 2:
January 6, 2020
As with other schools, we don’t suggest applying to Duke in Round 3 – and in fact, if you’re an international applicant, they won’t accept you then due to visa issues. However, this year it’s been a bit softer for some pools of domestic candidate and so there could be possibilities for a last-round app at certain schools. Our Late Season Targets service is a quick-hit assessment to help you set a strategy if you’re trying for end of the season.
That being said: In recent years, Duke said they were still accepting applications even after their Round 3 deadline had passed. Which is weird, and, we feel, not entirely fair. It’s pretty darned difficult to get in then. Were they really trying to say that they didn’t have enough good candidates for their class at that late date? When every other school out there was turning away well-qualified applicants right and left all season? Hmmm. EssaySnark is not a fan of this.
Check out the Duke Essay Guide to learn more on rounds, interviewing, and multi-school strategies for applying to Duke Fuqua’s MBA program!
Interviewing at Duke
Duke has two phases of interviews: the Open Interview Period when anybody can come to campus and interview at will (and when any Early Action applicants who live in the U.S. if they’re not on the West Coast must come and interview); and the By-Invitation Interview Period.
EssaySnark strongly recommends that everyone go through the Open Interview; it’s a huge opportunity and if you’re serious about Fuqua you won’t miss out on it! This year’s Open Interview Period is September 11 to October 9, 2019; see their full details at Duke’s Interview Process page . You do not need to apply in the Early Action round in order to take advantage of the Open Interview; applicants planning on submitting at any time may do so. You really should consider it.
Duke Fuqua General Info
school pages
- Duke Student Blog – this used to be an dedicated admissions blog but now it’s just a topic of posts on the student blog. It still has some useful info for BSers so we’ll leave the link.
Hmmm… Not much there huh? Duke just isn’t the most social-media-savviest school we’ve ever encountered.
EssaySnark content
- ($) If this is your Rd 1 list – Tuck, Duke, Kellogg – read on. (July 2016)
- Firsthand experiences on Tuck, Kellogg and Duke, from a military candidate (July 2016)
- Queries from a concerned BSer: “EA/ED vs a fave school. Worth the risk?” (March 2014)
- Timing your Duke campus visit (July 2013)
- Duke Early Action and scholarship money (July 2013)
- What do you want to do with your life? (December 2010)
We’ve reviewed a number of Duke essays on the blahg:
- essay critique: Duke essay 2, What do you tell your friends? (March 2014)
- essay critique part 2: Duke “friends and family reasons” continued (March 2014)
- Crowd-sourcing an essay critique for Duke (November 2011)
- Duke’s main essay: What do you tell your family, friends and colleagues? (October 2012)
The Duke adcom looks for the same strong career goals and personal angles as Ross and other schools, so check these reviews out for some additional guidance:
In terms of the Fuqua Principles, you might want to peruse some posts we’ve written about Berkeley: Haas and culture and A BSer is sick of the “culture” shtick.
For Reference: Duke’s Past-Season MBA Essays & Analysis
We don’t have every year listed out separately here since Duke has kept nearly the same essays and requirements for many years running.
Click to view past-year info (2016-2018)
Duke Application Information
Once again, Duke kept its application requirements the same as they’ve been for years and years.
Hmmm.
That’s kinda good…. because these are solid questions, and they’re excellent opportunities for you to share something meaningful with the adcom! But it just feels that Fuqua has stagnated.
Three short-answer questions of up to 500 characters each (please note we said CHARACTERS and not WORDS – yes these need to be SHORT):
- What are your short-term goals, post-MBA?
- What are your long-term goals?
- Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?
Not changing stuff is kinda disappointing, given how all the other schools are working so hard to innovate. Our Duke Essay Guide explains strategies on how to answer them. It could be said that Duke was an early adopter of the more innovative form of bschool essay, with their 25 Random Things list, and we do concede that that’s a great question which applicants tend to have fun with, and which can reveal a lot about a person. But…. keeping the status quo is kinda communicating that Duke is fine with how things are going, and it just seems like they’re a little bit stalled out and stagnant right now. Granted, they hit #3 on the BusinessWeek rankings in 2016, so who is the ‘Snark to say?
Good news: Duke’s essays should actually be FUN! If there is such a thing as “fun” when it comes to writing essays. :-)That doesn’t mean they’ll be easy! Our 2018 SnarkStrategies Guide for Duke is a smart place to begin. Duke is pretty much the only school that invites you to present a “Plan B” for your career goals. For most other applications you’ll want to focus on just one set of goals.
Duke’s second essay question is quite similar to what Wharton is asking, and it’s also got a lot of parallels with Columbia essay 2 as well as with the MIT pre-interview “mission” essay. Duke was the first to start with this type of question, so you can see how they’ve put an emphasis on culture for a long time.
In 2016, they cleaned up the “culture/contribution” prompt which made it easier to tackle for Class of 2019 applicants compared to what previous crops of BSers had to deal with.
We’ve done lots of posts on the Duke essays over the years, so that’s an advantage, too!
[end discussion of 2016-2018 info]
Click to view 2015 questions
2015 Duke Information
Duke kept its same questions for 2015 except that they’re giving you more space in the important Career Goals short-answer questions. YAY DUKE!! Our Fuqua strategy guidecovers everything you need to know on tackling these questions and the essays.
Three short-answer questions – just 250 characters each — NOW 500 CHARACTERS EACH! THAT’S HUGE! You’ll be able to actually pitch a complete career path now.
- What are your short-term goals, post-MBA?
- What are your long-term goals?
- Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?
Two essays, up to two double-spaced pages each:
You really need to read the full questions as posted on their website .
- [T]he Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you—beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of “25 Random Things” about YOU.
- Choose one:
- When asked by your family, friends, and colleagues why you want to go to Duke, what do you tell them? Share the reasons that are most meaningful to you.
- [A very involved question asking you to understand the 6 Fuqua Values and then:] At the end of your 2 years at Fuqua, if you were to receive an award for exemplifying one of the 6 Principles listed below, which one would it be and why? Your response should reflect your knowledge of Fuqua and the Daytime MBA program and experience, and the types of activities and leadership you would engage in as a Fuqua student.
Very minor changes to the wording of that option #2 question: They deleted the phrase “should reflect the research you have done.” Hmmm. Interesting, Duke!
For the career goals, Duke is pretty much the only school that invites you to present a “Plan B.” For most other applications you’ll want to stick with just ONE set of goals. It’s tough enough to convey those in the limited space the schools allow!! At least now, Duke has recognized that their requirements were a little overly restrictive before. You have a fighting chance this year, Brave Supplicant! You’re applying at like the best time ever. 😉
Also, that second question sure does have traces of Berkeley-Haas lingering around it! Unsurprising. Both of these schools have a distinct focus on culture, and both want you to understand what that culture is about before applying. The risk with the second option for essay 2? You could come across a little stilted if you try too hard. Check out the Duke Essay Guide to learn more.
Duke 2015 Deadlines
- Early Action (binding):
September 15, 2015(two days earlier than 2014) - Round 1:
October 14, 2015(almost a week earlier than last year) - Round 2:
January 5, 2016(same day as last season) - Even though Round 3 is closed, they’re accepting apps on a rolling basis until April 25 (with decision coming on May 6 – are they saying that they would really be able to admit you in that little time?!?? we don’t suggest trying now)
[end discussion of Fuqua’s 2014 questions]
Click to view 2014 questions
2014 Duke Information
Duke won our informal Best MBA Questions contest for two years in a row (2012 and 2013) – their essay questions are awesome! We’ve therefore been thrilled that they’ve kept them exactly as they are for so long – including this year! They keep resisting the urge to make changes just because all the other schools are changing. Bravo, Fuqua! 😀
[end discussion of Duke’s 2014 application]
We’ve got the 2019 SnarkStrategies Guide for Duke available to help you craft a strong strategy for the Fuqua MBA application!