“Team Fuqua” may seem like a tagline or gimmicky motto, but that’s far from the truth.

Duke Fuqua’s Duke Fuqua’s mission is to transform its students into leaders who are equipped to inspire organizations in a way that enhances the bottom line and makes a positive impact on the world. Admissions is looking to create a class profile that will embrace this mission and foster strong relationships between students, faculty, staff, and their families. One unique way Fuqua evaluates candidates is through the Duke 25 Random Things essay, where applicants share personal insights that go beyond the traditional resume and showcase their individuality. This essay helps admissions understand how applicants align with Fuqua’s culture of collaboration and community impact.

The Duke Fuqua essays and short answer questions are an opportunity for you to tell your story in a way that speaks to Fuqua’s core values of collaboration, diversity, integrity, respect and community engagement. That is why the first Duke Fuqua essay is so important. View my related post for advice on positioning your Duke Fuqua application. 

 

Required Fuqua Essay 1

25 Random Things About Yourself: Please share with us “25 Random Things” about you. The Admissions Committee wants to get to know YOU — beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript.  (2 pages/750 words max)

To get to know you beyond the professional and academic achievements, Duke Fuqua asks you to share 25 random things about yourself that aren’t listed on your resume While many applicants are intimidated by the prompt, I absolutely love this essay (see a full example of a successful Fuqua 25 random things essay response at the end of this post). This is your opportunity to connect on a personal level by showcasing a different side (or sides) of yourself that may not come through in traditional MBA applications. If done right, this essay can turn admissions reviewers reading your list into advocates.

For this Duke Fuqua essay, think about your values, your hobbies, your interests and important life experiences. These can and should be a mix of poignant, humorous, playful, deep and everything in between. Some may be a paragraph, whereas others may be a simple sentence. Also, keep in mind that they should resonate with the core values of the Fuqua community mentioned above.

It’s also important to highlight your cultural competency. Fuqua has always put an emphasis on diversity and takes pride in the fact that its student body is consistently around 40 percent international. In fact, the main hallway is lined with flags representing the many countries students come from. 

Teams are purposefully made of individuals from different genders, ethnicities, and functional and industry backgrounds. It’s important that your savvy self- and cultural awareness shines throughout your application. Look for ways to stress your experience working with globally diverse teams and why a global perspective is important to you personally and professionally.

Required Fuqua Essay 2

The Fuqua community and you: Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, what are 3 ways you expect to contribute at Fuqua? (500 words)

While the essay topic has remained the same over the last few years, the word count increased to 500 words. While candidates appreciate the expanded space, they typically have more ideas than the essay allows. 

That said, it’s more important than ever that you dig deep into the engagement opportunities on campus and pick three that clearly align with your story, both past and present. Dedicating a significant amount of time to networking with students and alumni is essential so that you can envision yourself on campus and articulate how you will add value to the community.

The essay prompt explicitly refers to extracurriculars such as student-led government, clubs, centers, and events. “Outside the classroom” is key here. All too often applicants ignore that part of the prompt and wax poetic about how their experience will add value in class discussions. You must go deeper. 

Fuqua boasts 60+ student clubs, each started and run by students. These clubs and other experiential opportunities allow you to take initiative and flex the leadership muscle you are building in the program. Think about the groups you will be a part of — professional clubs and/or those that are more fun and avocational, like the Outdoors Club or Wine Club. Don’t forget the MBA Games, the MBAA leadership cabinet, international GATE trips, and other opportunities to share your talents.

Reflect on your past experience and how it will contribute to mission and goals of whatever opportunities you choose. If you have networked effectively, you’ll be equipped to articulate how you can add value in vivid detail.

For a deeper dive on essay and application strategy, view Fortuna’s MBA Admissions Masterclass on NYU Stern, Duke Fuqua, and Johnson Cornell.

Required Fuqua Short Answer

What are your post-MBA career goals? Share with us your first-choice career plan and your alternate plan. (500 characters with spaces)

At Fuqua, Admissions and the Career Management Center (CMC) are well connected. Career Center staff educate the team on what to look for in resumes and the key skills/experience required for certain career paths. If questions arise about a candidate, their experience, and how realistic their goals are, they will bring in the Associate Dean of the CMC to get her feedback. That said, you need to be quite clear about your development so far, the skills needed from the Duke MBA, and how it all translates post-MBA.

While I wouldn’t recommend spending too much character count on your plan B, it is an incredibly important part of your answer. The MBA is a dynamic and transformative experience. At orientation, staff would often joke with the new class that more than half of them would end up doing something completely different than what they wrote about in their Duke Fuqua MBA Essays and application. The point of plan B is to show that you have thought clearly about more than one option and how they will get you to your goals short- and long-term. That way, when the wind changes (and it will), you will be prepared to adjust your sails!

For more guidance on crafting post-MBA career goals along with some great examples, view this terrific article by Fortuna’s Heidi Hillis.

 

Example of a Successful ’25 Random Things About YOU’ Essay

(2 pages/750 words max)

1. Having gained seven siblings all at once at the age of nine, I’ve come to have a loose definition of the word “family.” My definition is based more on time I’ve spent with someone than our legal or biological bonds.
2. It took time (and a new addition to the house), but eventually, my newly extended family fell into a rhythm. Our home was louder but filled with more laughter. Together, we learned to discuss topics such as subliminal racism and police violence against people of color with sensitivity, directness, and when appropriate, a sense of humor.
3. I have a pet Quaker parrot named Blue. I was told it was a male bird, so I was shocked when “he” laid an egg!
4. I’m deathly scared of spiders. My first month living in Chongqing, a spider about 3 ½ inches across found itself in front of my doorway; after frantically FaceTiming my dad, I dropped a textbook weighing about five pounds on it. I didn’t move the book for two weeks.
5. When I am stressed out, I like to watch documentaries about space… or the children’s show “Arthur”—totally different but equally effective.
6. Ever since I watched the show Madeline at age 5, my interest in studying another language was piqued. While it only included snippets of French (“bonjour,”, “merci”) I was enchanted by the idea of learning French and connecting with a group of people otherwise unreachable.
7. On Thanksgiving when I was 5 years old, I finally put it together that the turkey we were eating was “turkey,” the bird. I surprised my parents by announcing I was now going to be a vegetarian. I surprised them further by remaining vegetarian until the end of high school.
8. In college, I volunteered in China with an NGO building libraries in rural schools. When the children first saw me, they ran and hid. It was their first time laying eyes on a foreigner. While they were initially frightened, we eventually bonded over Chinese paper cutting (which I never did quite get the hang of).
9. One of my first nights in Hunan Province, I tried “huajiao,” a pepper known for its numbing effects on the mouth; I had no idea what I’d eaten and was convinced I was having an allergic reaction. Since we were hours from a hospital, I was also half-convinced this could be the end. Now, huajiao is one of my favorite spices.
10. My college roommates and I met on our hall freshman year and the five of us lived together the rest of our time at Penn. We still have yearly reunions despite all living in different cities.
11. This summer, I had a small “family reunion” in a cozy Italian restaurant in NYC’s West Village. Around the table sat Tao Tao, a close friend from middle school, Alex, Roon and Angie, my hallmates for two years in boarding school, Nick and Amanda, my college roommates and Freddie and Mark, who lived with me in Chongqing. It was surreal to bring these “family members” from different stages of life and corners of the world together.
12. I failed the written portion of the driving test three times before passing. My family, who often made fun of me for being the “nerdy” one, got a huge kick out of this.
13. I once took a 10-day trip around the deserts and plains of southeastern Mongolia with two women I had just met from Australia and Canada. Despite 10 days in very close quarters, we became great friends and confidants.
14. My favorite moments living in China are those in which I completely mess up (e.g. first time I tried to hike Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan province and ended up about a hundred miles off on the Tibetan border.) I had to squeeze into a 4.5ft. bed and go straight back the next day — hilarious and humbling.
15. Over the past few years, a couple of clients’ passion for physics has rubbed off on me. Now, I listen to physics podcasts almost every night. Concepts like particle-wave duality and quantum field theory blow my mind!
16. I used to be more of a night owl until I walked onto the crew team freshman year of college. Even after I stopped my second year, I maintained the habit of waking up early, and now I’m a total morning person.
17. My closest friends in Beijing identify as queer. Through them I have become involved in the LGBTQ+ community in Beijing, where there is still political danger associated with being queer/attending LGBTQ+ events. Locations are never released until just beforehand and only via private message.
18. One of my favorite memories this past year was trying to teach my 7-year-old niece how to play Mancala. Unfortunately, she never mastered the game… her 4-year-old sister kept flipping the board over.
19. While studying in France, I decided to stay abroad over the holidays and spent Christmas going on an impromptu tour through Lausanne, Switzerland, given by a professor from the Ivory Coast who I bumped into on the street.
20. My first job was working in a fine jewelry store. I got to see treasures like an inscribed platinum watch a family managed to bring with them after escaping France at the start of WWII or a Victorian locket that still contained a black-and-white photo of a young boy. I loved learning the stories behind the pieces and then sharing them with customers.
21. My youngest adopted brother was drafted by the Miami Dolphins this past spring (my mom immediately bought an aqua and orange phone case to celebrate).
22. During my freshman year at Penn, I thought I had signed up for a writing seminar until I showed up for class and realized midway through that I had, in fact, registered for a seminar about sleep in the nursing school. I have no idea how I managed to mix that up, but I ended up sticking with it, and it became one of my favorite classes!
23. I had two pet rats, Chai and Cappuccino, in college. Side note: Between its Parisian location and the fact that the main characters are rats, you may not be surprised to learn by now that Ratatouille is my favorite Disney movie.
24. Since high school, I have always had an interest in storytelling. One of the reasons I chose to work at ESC was its mission: Help students craft a narrative that tells their unique story.
25. The first time I played flag football was in open meet-and-greet game. I had a classic moment of almost making a touchdown and the football landing straight on my face. I still joined the team, though!

Let’s Get You In.

Fortuna Admissions is a dream team of former MBA admissions directors and officers from top business schools, including Duke Fuqua. With our unparalleled collective expertise, we can help you develop a clear vision of your goals for business school and beyond. We work closely with you throughout the application process and provide expert guidance at every stage to maximize your chances of admission to a top school.

Our free consultations are consistently rated as the best in the industry. To learn more about Fortuna and get a candid assessment of your chances of admission to Wharton and other top programs, book your session now.

 

Want More Advice?

Check out our team’s latest articles, videos and analysis related to how to get into Duke Fuqua MBA:

• 5 Essential Tips on Applying for the Duke Fuqua MBA
• Business School Profile for Duke Fuqua

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Fortuna Admissions Expert Coach Catherine Finch Tuttle brings deep MBA experience as a former Associate Director at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. For five years she worked in the Career Management Center creating, implementing, and evaluating programs and coaching MBA’s to achieve their career goals. She also served as the liaison to Admissions having worked with them earlier in her career as a Marketing Manager. For a candid assessment of your chances of admission success at a top MBA program, sign up for a free consultation.