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SEPTEMBER 19, 2001 CHAT TRANSCRIPT A Chat with Fuqua's Director of MBA Admissions Elizabeth Riley from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business with tips for applicants and how admissions have been affected by the terrorist attacks
Riley's comments came during a live BusinessWeek Online chat on Sept. 17. She was responding to questions from the audience and BW Online's Jack Dierdorff and Mica Schneider. The following is an edited transcript of their discussion: Q: Liz, what a week we've faced in New York City and Washington, D.C. due to terrorist attacks. How have those events impacted MBA admissions? A: I don't want be too melodramatic, but it has certainly impacted our planning and recruiting for the next several weeks. Our prayers and our thoughts are with all of the families that were affected by this tragedy. We've postponed several of our recruiting events and canceled others. Our biggest struggle right now is deciding what is appropriate in terms of getting back to business and what is inconsiderate. Q: Some people on our B-school forum have expressed a few doubts about the value of an MBA now. How would you answer a question like that? A: My personal opinion is that the value of an MBA hasn't changed in light of the recent events. What has changed is whether or not someone could actually focus in on pursuing graduate school at the present time. Perhaps more of a focus on life priorities and what's important [will result]. Q: How is recruiting being affected by the economy and recent events? A: Right now, our career-management center is taking a very aggressive and responsive approach to the downturn in the economy. There are some companies that are scaling back their on-campus recruiting activity, and by this I mean they are canceling some schedules but not canceling the entire campus visit. We're trying to put good information out there for our students and be proactive, as opposed to responding to the rumors that all the companies are canceling their on-campus recruiting, that there won't be any jobs for second-year students. The bottom line is that their on-campus recruiting activity has been reduced some, but we are confident that our students will be successful in the job-search process. Q: How many 2001 graduates are currently employed? A: This is really a career management center question. Ninety-two percent were placed by graduation. We are aware that some companies pushed back the start date due to the economy. I'm not able to get an answer right now on how many are placed. Q: How do you view applicants who have recently been laid off due to the economy and who may not have found a new job when they apply? A: If you've been laid off recently, the admissions committee will want to know what you've been doing with your time since the layoff. We understand that you might be engaged in the job-search process, or perhaps using your time to prepare for graduate school, depending on how much time there has been. I recommend that you explain that you've been laid off and build a case around why you feel that you need an MBA. You don't have to apologize for being laid off -- we understand the downturn in the economy and that many people have been laid off. Q: What is the most important element of Duke's MBA application? A: There isn't one piece of the application process that we care about any more than the others -- we care about them all. There is no magic formula that we use to determine admissibility. It is a holistic view of the candidate, from GMAT scores to undergraduate record, to essays, recommendations, and the interview. Q: What are some major reasons for those 81% of applicants who failed to join the other 19% of the people who got accepted by Fuqua? A: Competition for the available number of spaces! If the question is, what are some of the biggest mistakes applicants make, I do have a list! One is, they don't proof their applications carefully. Spell-check is your friend! But remember, there are some words spell-check won't catch. Another of the biggest mistakes people make is that they are not focused when putting their applications together in terms of why they want an MBA and what they hope to do long term. It might sound like a simple thing to do, but sometimes we get essays from candidates who really don't know what they want to do with an MBA -- they just know they want one, and that's really not a good enough reason. Also, don't cut and paste another school's essays into the Fuqua format. Be sure to answer our questions. You'll make too many mistakes if you try to [reuse an essay]. Q: As the application process begins, what advice can be given to those with lower GMAT scores? Some applicants have taken the test twice, resulting in the same score. Is three times too many? A: We normally do not recommend that a candidate take the GMAT more than three times. Fuqua will always use the highest score obtained on the GMAT. The reason we don't recommend that a student retake the GMAT more than three times is because, after three times, the score will not increase dramatically. If you've taken the GMAT three times and have not seen an increase in your score, at that time you should focus in on the elements of the application that you have the ability to control. For instance, making sure you take the opportunity to go to campus to interview; making sure that you've taken a second and third look at your essays; and that you've coached your recommenders on the work you've done and how you might contribute to an MBA program. Q: Many applicants have asked about the GMAT, and how heavily it's weighted against other pieces of an application, such as the essays, recommendations, interview, and GPA. Can you give us an idea which piece carries the most weight? A: As I mentioned earlier, there is no specific weight assigned to any one piece of the application process. All factors are given equal weight. The GMAT gives us an indication of how you will perform in the core curriculum. The rest of the pieces of the application process will help us in determining fit with our program. Q: Can you tell us about the application analysis of graduate GPAs as opposed to undergraduate GPAs? If there is a significant difference, how is this taken into account? A: The common denominator for all applicants to business school is the undergraduate record, and we will use the undergraduate record as the basis for our decision. If an applicant has taken additional coursework, we will factor the additional coursework into the decision, but it's not factored into the grade-point average. This also includes candidates with a second undergraduate degree or a Master's degree. Q: Do letters of support from alumni hold any weight with the admissions office? From relatives and/or associates? A: Recommendations from a direct supervisor or someone who has worked in some capacity with the candidate are of most value to the admissions committee. Alumni who would like to write a letter in support of the candidate are welcome, but that really doesn't take the place of a letter from a person who has worked with the candidate. Q: How would you suggest managing the process of obtaining recommendations? Many MBA-hopefuls apply to a number of schools, each school asking for its own set of recommendations. This can be quite burdensome for the recommenders. A: Yes, I understand. This is a common question. You can help your recommenders by preparing some information for them ahead of time. Most business schools will prefer that you use their form. In addition to giving the recommender the Fuqua recommendation form, I would also prepare bullet points that you would like the recommender to mention in his or her writeup. I would also give the recommender a copy of your essays along with your resume, so that he or she can see how you will present yourself to the admissions committee. Q: Speaking of essays, what particular traits are you looking for? A: I really like our essay questions this year. They are focused on finding out who you are and what your potential contribution might be to Fuqua and the Duke community. We are not looking for cookie-cutter essay responses. Be yourself and tell us who you are, and, most important, if you're not funny, don't try to be! Q: Are there any disadvantages or advantages to having gone to Duke as an undergrad? Does Fuqua try to put a cap on the number of undergrads returning? A: We love our Duke undergrads! And if you would enroll at Fuqua, you'd be a double Dukie! We do not have a cap on the number of undergrads returning to Fuqua for an MBA. In fact, we consider it a positive sign that so many undergrads had a good experience at Duke and recognize that an MBA at Duke would be a good choice for them. There's no significant advantage over other candidates, though. Q: How does Duke view couples applying together? Are there currently any couples attending Duke in the same class? A: In both our first-year and second-year class, there are several couples pursuing the MBA together. We ask in the application if a spouse or significant other is also applying to the program. If both candidates are applying in the same admission round, we will most likely try to review their applications together. That is not a guarantee that both would be admitted. If one of the pair is stronger than the other, we would still extend the offer of admission to that one applicant, but we recognize that would make the couple's choice more difficult. Q: Some applicants don't have much work experience -- two years, for example. If they apply now and aren't accepted, does it lower their chances of getting into B-school a couple of years later? A: We aren't necessarily trying to assign good and bad to your work experience based on the number of years you've worked. We understand that everyone's work experience will not be equal. What we want to know is, based on the amount of time you've worked -- however long or short that may be -- what is it that you've accomplished? For some people, they have the opportunity to demonstrate initiative, teamwork, and leadership in two years. For others, it might take five or six years. Q: If you have been rejected once, does it make sense to reapply? A: In some instances, yes. We offer denied applicants the opportunity to get feedback on their applications. We can only offer this kind of service during the summer months. We will be very honest and candid with you and give you advice on whether you should reapply. Q: Can you address the advantages or disadvantages of applying in the first vs. second application round? Is there any reason it might be strategic to wait until the second round (i.e. after many of the very strongest candidates have already been admitted)? A: My advice is that it's best to apply as early in the process as possible. Would you like to try to get one of the 340 spaces available in round one or one of the last 50 slots available later in the cycle? I anticipate that the quality of rounds one and two, as well as the number of spaces offered, will be about the same. Last year, round three was our biggest deadline. We had 1,300 applications, and we extended about 250 offers. Q: Which holds more weight at Duke: on-campus or off-campus interviews? A: Our preference is that students come to campus for an interview. However, we recognize that this is not always possible. That's why we offer alumni interviews for international candidates or candidates who are living abroad, or for candidates living in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. We would like for you to come to campus so that you can get a sense of what Team Fuqua is all about. You can sit in on a class, have lunch with our students, and tour our facility, in addition to the interview. It's a great way to determine if you would want to spend the next two years here. Q: What types of questions should candidates be prepared for in B-school interviews? A: An applicant to an MBA program should prepare for an admissions interview the way you would a job interview. Make sure you do your research before you come to campus. Make sure you know why you want a Duke MBA and what you are prepared to contribute to the program. We're not trying to trick anyone with the questions we ask in the interview. It's a conversation about your qualifications, about what you hope to do long term, and what you bring to the table. It's also the candidate's opportunity to ask us questions and find out if Duke is a good fit for them. Q: Is there any advantage if someone holds an advanced degree, say an MD or PhD in genetics, to apply for Fuqua's health sector? A: Not necessarily an advantage, but we would want to know, with an advanced degree, why you also want an MBA. We expect that you would explain that in the application process. Q: What programs or areas of study is Fuqua currently concentrating on developing? A: Fuqua's curriculum is continuously evolving. Much of what you'll see happening with our curriculum is in response to the way business is being done throughout the world. Recent courses that have been added include global asset allocation and stock selection, which is a Webcast course; high-tech marketing; and starting and growing your own business. Q: On that note, can you sum up Fuqua's academic strengths? What are Fuqua grads known for -- their skills in finance or their creativity in marketing? A: Well, as you know, in the recent BusinessWeek survey [of] companies to find out where [recruiters] find students with the greatest strengths, Fuqua ranked in the top 10 for marketing, finance, operations, technology, global scope, and general management. Companies find that Fuqua students are very well-rounded. Another academic strength is that Fuqua faculty was ranked No. 1 in intellectual capital. And a national basketball championship didn't hurt. (Go Blue Devils!) Money magazine also ranked Research Triangle Park the No. 1 place in the South to live. Q: Age and work experience: How old is too old for a full-time MBA program? How much experience is too much? A: First of all, age is not a consideration in the admission process. The full range of work experience for Fuqua students is 0 to 21 years of work. Again, it's not a question of how much experience you have, but based on the amount of experience you have, why is it that you want an MBA and what is it that you hope to accomplish? Q: Some applicants would qualify for an executive MBA with their experience in industry. However, they may be inclined to enroll in a full-time program. Is there any difference between the two? Does one carry more weight than the other? A: Yes. Executive MBA programs are designed for people to whom it is not necessarily to their benefit to quit their jobs to get an MBA. If you are interested in changing your career focus and need lots of elective courses to help you round out your educational and professional experience, then you need a full-time program to accomplish this. However, if your objective is to stay within your current field and apply what you're learning immediately, then an executive MBA might be the route to go. Duke offers three executive MBA programs in addition to the daytime program. It is the same quality of degree and the same faculty. The program is delivered in a different format. Q: Liz, can you sum up for us what it is about Fuqua that sets it apart from the competition? A: The three C's: We will provide you with a curriculum that is flexible, and we will give you an opportunity to customize or tailor-make an MBA. Our community, or Team Fuqua spirit, provides our students with an excellent balance and a work-hard, play-hard mentality. And our career-management center provides a number of outstanding career-development programs enabling students to explore many different job opportunities. And there are more companies recruiting on Fuqua's campus than there are students in Fuqua's class. Last year, we had 400 companies and 340 students enrolled in the class. For more information about Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, please call the admissions office at (919) 660-7705. And check out Duke's online profile at BW Online.  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