Duke Fuqua Interview and Impressions

Continuing my series of hopefully candid evaluations of B-schools I've recently visited, I'd like to talk about Fuqua ("few-kwuh").

Arriving
First off, if you visit Fuqua, know that there is a parking lot across the street from the main entrance on Science Drive. Upon checking in at the admissions desk, you'll get a parking decal that will get you free parking for the rest of the day. I made the mistake of parking in one lot, paying $4, then finding out that there is a lot specifically for Fuqua visitors, then paying $4 there, only to get the free parking pass. Don't be stupid like me -- save yourself $8!

Anyway, Fuqua's facilities rock. Everything is new and sleek and modern. As a prospective student, it's hard not to be swayed by this. The admissions office is on your left when you walk in, behind the glass wall. It's a huge office with a waiting area out front. They'll have a folder with your itinerary and some promotional materials. Then you can sit in the waiting area, where there are several very comfy chairs, and even half a dozen computers available so you can check your email. Nice.

Fuqua students volunteer to man the waiting area. There was always at least one student there doing the meet and greet with any prospectives, chatting with them, and answering questions. There were a lot of prospective students there, but it was a nice environment, with the chairs arranged so they face each other.

Durham itself was great, and very affordable. I've spent some time here before, and it's a very comfortable place to live, especially the area surrounding Duke.

Class Visit
My class visit was excellent. I went to a decision modelling class when they were doing Monte Carlo simulations. I was told that I was not in the class with the better professor for that class, but nonetheless, the "lesser" professor was prety good. More importantly, the class was very engaged. Fuqua has a no-laptops-in-class policy, so no one can sit there and surf or check email during class. I have to say that it works. I have been to other schools where this was a small problem - not rampant, but even a few students doing this can be irritating.

Classes are 2.5 hours at Fuqua with a short break halfway through (remember, they do 2, six week terms per semester). The prospectives attend the first half of a class. We were introduced to the professor, and then we introduced ourselves to the class. We were asked to dance or sing, but politely declined. Then the class applauded us anyway in welcome. The classroom, like everything else at Fuqua, was nice and modern. The professor was projecting spreadsheets onto a screen using an integrated projector and computer at the front. Technology is not a problem here. Oh, and the chairs were comfortable, too, which is important if your classes are 2.5 hours long!


Tour
We toured the facilities, which I had already explored on my own that morning. Everyone has lockers in the main hall, and all the organizations advertise upcoming events, etc on the walls of the hallway. They have flags from the country of every current student hanging as well.

The Fox Center is the main student hang out, where there's also a nice cafeteria with stations for salads, grilled items, hot foods, burritos, etc. They have a weird system where you fill out a form describing your choices, then hand it over to the preparers. (Note that admissions does not pick up the tab for lunch at Fuqua, but prices aren't unreasonable.) This scheme seemed like something that an Operations Management class might come up with. It was also a pretty silly way to do things, and it didn't improve accuracy: they still forgot my fries.

Interview
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.

As a side note, I don't understand how any school can make interviewing optional. Your main goal in B-school is to get a job. Recruiters are on campus almost as soon as you get there. Your ability to handle yourself in an interview is crucial to getting a job. Getting a job is crucial to the school's reputation and ranking. But what do I know?

Anyway, the interview is a strict 40 minutes, with 30 for the interview, then 10 for your questions. It 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 covered them all. It was very rapid-fire. Unlike the Cornell interview, it wasn't terribly conversational because of the limited time. 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.

Summary
Overall, I really loved Fuqua. The students were busy when I was there, and there was an enthusiasm in the classes that I liked a lot. Everyone I met seemed smart and capable. The facilities are very nice, and very large, spanning two buildings (though most of the Daytime MBA students stay in one). I liked the skylights that kept the place sunny. And the weather never gets too cold in Durham.

Fuqua is a great school, especially if you're interested in healthcare. 20% of the students participate in the Health Sector Management program, which is important not only because of its coursework (only a few required electives and a speaker series are required to get the certification), but also because of the number of industry recruiters that it draws to campus. I found this to be particularly enticing as someone who is interested in that sector.

It was a great visit, and Fuqua made a strong impression on me. I just wish they hadn't forgotten my fries at the cafeteria.

Cornell Interview and Impressions

I got the chance to spend a little time at the Johnson School recently. Here are some impressions for those considering Cornell:

I flew in the night before my interview and stayed at the infamous Best Western University. Actually, my room was quite nice, and the breakfast spread the next morning was excellent. Ithaca was cold that night, but not as cold as it can be.

The next morning, I had a whole array of activities planned at JGSM. I had a class visit, then an info session, then an interview. I found my way over to campus, parked, and walked to Sage Hall. Not 30 feet into the building, the school's character was shown: I stood before a map of the building, looking for the admissions office. A student who was walking by immediately approached me and asked if she could help me find my way. She kindly pointed me in the right direction. The school is super-easy to get around, as it's a square building with a square atrium in the middle.

The admissions office was well-prepared, but surprisingly small. They had a folder for me with an itinerary and lots of materials on Johnson. Every morning, the dean provides coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc. for the students, and I sat in the atrium and took advantage of this before my class visit.

I only saw one classroom, but my first impression was simple: "Blackboards?!? In this day and age?" The classroom was only mediocre compared to the other B-school classrooms I've seen, and this was surprising considering that everything else in Sage Hall was new and modern.

But we all know that it's the content, not the package, that counts. The class I visited was fine, and the professor knew his stuff. However, I found that student participation was alarmingly limited. Everyone was paying attention, but when the prof asked questions, the same three (out of about 40) people answered almost all of them. Sometimes after he asked a question, there was a long pause before one of the these three relented and answered yet another one. Maybe this is because it was a second year class, I don't know. But I would have liked to have seen the students more engaged.

Then I had an info session with two first years. They spent an hour candidly answering whatever questions we had on the program and were very helpful. A lot of what they said centered on how much the students help each other. They even gave us tips on the interview, and insight into the recruiting process at Johnson. The admissions office pays for your lunch, so I ate a sandwich through all of this.

Finally, I had the interview. This was really a great experience, and the admissions rep I interviewed with was experienced and professional. The interview was very much like a conversation in that she let one answer lead to another question. She was directing the flow of the conversation so that she got the information she needed, but without peppering me with questions. She also talked with me about a few of my answers. In other words, she wasn't just there asking questions. I felt very comfortable, and I felt that I was taken seriously. The usual questions were in there (Why an MBA? Why now? Why here?), but the rest of the questions were further queries about my responses. There were no oddball questions, or cheesy attempts to throw me off guard, just a serious consideration of my work experience.

After the interview, I hung out in the atrium for a while, chatting with students. Whenever I asked a question, I was referred to a student who could best answer it, then that person would hand me off to someone else who had something to say. They were all very enthusiastic about Johnson and the Ithaca region.

My impression of Cornell Johnson was that it's a pretty laid back place, with enormously charismatic students. Everyone seems to be part of a tight community that is looking out for the school as a whole. This character is reflected in where they send their alumni -- they skew toward general management rather than IB and MC (though there's still a lot of that). They're not quants, and their GMAT scores are lower than a lot of similar programs, but they are genuinely personable people. Leadership seems to be a theme at Cornell, and as much as it can be 'taught,' they are trying their best to instill it at Johnson.

I also felt that the interview was a more important part of the application process at Cornell than most schools. They made it seem like it was a key part of the application, and that makes sense, considering the sort of students they appear to attract.