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JUNE 2002 MBA JOURNAL: HOME STRETCH Jeremy Rogers: Second Year Winds Down "The business school experience, as I've tried to convey from the outset, is less about the classwork and more about the opportunity to live, learn, and socialize with superstars from all walks of life and every corner of the globe." Don't get me wrong - it has been an action packed two years here, and there is very little need to suddenly crank up the social outings. But with only a few weeks to go before many of us depart for locations across the globe, most of us are feeling pressure to finish with a flourish, and to suck every last ounce out of the time we've had here at Duke. Palm Pilots are being used less to schedule team meetings and more to coordinate all the social events scheduled for the last two weeks of the two-year MBA journey. No complaints here. A WHOLE LOTTA EVERTHING... The business school experience, as I've tried to convey from the outset, is less about the classwork and more about the opportunity to live, learn, and socialize with superstars from all walks of life and every corner of the globe. Watching and learning as a former captain of the Army football team leads by word and deed. Shooting stick and enjoying pints with a Bulgarian backgammon master. Traveling to Tuck and HBS to play hockey with other Canadians who've made the transition to life south of the 49th parallel. Cooking dinners with many who've managed to participate in all things Fuqua while simultaneously being husbands, wives, and parents. Trips to NASCAR events with racing aficionado Big Daddy Kaufman as diversity is taken in an entirely new (and somewhat disturbing!) direction. Cheering on Special Olympians in the Duke MBA Games. Watching as a young family took ownership of the "House that Fuqua Built", a Habitat for Humanity project spearheaded by classmate Matt Haggenmiller and his team of dedicated volunteers. Cheering on summer internship mates from CSFB who trekked down here for the Duke MBA Rugby World Championships, a competition between 22 rugby teams from all over the world. Helping to organize a leadership conference with West Point heroes. Business school offers the gamut. At least, this business school does. And I can see it in the eyes of some of the students who didn't take full advantage of all the opportunities here. They are searching for a rewind button so that they can go back and make time for the Fuqua Fridays (drinks and food with the Fuqua Community and friends/significant others who visit for the weekend), the FuquaVision skits (drinks and parodies of classmates and topics de jour, held once a term), MBA Games, social mixers, coaching of the Special Olympics athletes, and all the other things that make this place such a fun place to be. There are some proposals, however, that I would make where Fuqua's Admission policies are concerned. NEW ADMISSIONS POLICIES... First, admissions interviews should include a brief skills test, where potential admits are tested on their ability to shoot hoops, shoot, or save a hockey puck, and shoot or save a soccer ball. Olympic Champions are great, and I've very much enjoyed watching the smoke come off the shoes of Fuqua's Olympians during flag football games, but we really need a hockey goaltender and a striker for the Fuqua Soccer Club. Second, smart people who do none of the work but who have all of the answers should no longer be admitted. They are free to attend Duke Law, where they will serve as ushers (read: control freaks) at Duke basketball games, but under no circumstances do we need anyone else at the B-school like my roommate (he of the 24/7 sleep/drink schedule and gaudy GPA). Third, we need more people from Utah. Ditto California. What great states, and what great Fuquans. Outdoors lovers. Big-ass SUVs full of ski stuff and mountain climbing gear. And none of the hyper, Type-A tension that often typifies the B-school crowd. Finally, and in all seriousness (unlike my first two suggestions), we need stepped up efforts to recruit stars from West Point, Annapolis, and other military schools/institutions. I have learned more about teamwork, leadership, and work/life balance from my officer classmates than I could possibly learn at the 1st Annual Fuqua Leadership Conference or in two years of leadership development workshops/courses here. They are that good, and we are lucky to have such an amazing group of current/former officers here at Fuqua. My cap is duly tipped. PRE-GRADUATION. At this point, all that remains is to wrap up a few cases, do some final BBQs/dinners, enjoy an annual pilgrimage to the Outer Banks for a pre-graduation blowout, and welcome the parental units into Raleigh-Durham airport. It is bizarre to think that the two years are almost up, but what an experience it has been. I have been fortunate to be part of the Fuqua community, and I look forward to being an active alum and part of the large contingent heading up to NYC to re-enter the workforce. With that, it is time to take my leave. It has been a lot of fun to write these journals, and I hope my ramblings have helped describe what it means to be a business school student, and part of Team Fuqua. Best of luck in the admissions process and happy B-schooling.  Get BusinessWeek directly on your desktop with our RSS feeds.  Add BusinessWeek news to your Web site with our headline feed. Click to buy an e-print or reprint of a BusinessWeek or BusinessWeek Online story or video. To subscribe online to BusinessWeek magazine, please click here. Learn more, go to the BusinessWeekOnline home page  | | JUNE Learn about your online education options |
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