Duke Fuqua MBA Essays: Analysis & Tips for 2025-26
When it comes to MBA applications, Duke Fuqua arguably has the most distinctive and personality-driven essay prompts. While many top schools focus heavily on leadership stories and career goals, Fuqua tries to understand the person behind the application. The Duke Fuqua MBA essays reflect the school’s values of authenticity, collaboration, and community engagement. Let’s take a closer look at each of the essay prompts and how you can approach them.
Required short-answer essay question
What are your post-MBA career goals? Share with us your first-choice career plan and your alternate plan. (100 words)
This short-answer question is fairly standard and aligns with the expectations of most business schools. It allows the admissions team to assess your clarity of vision and whether Fuqua can realistically help you achieve your professional aspirations.
How to approach it
- Be specific with your immediate post-MBA goals. Mention industry, function, and ideally a target company or two.
- Ensure your alternate plan is not drastically different but a realistic pivot within your area of interest.
- Keep language tight and impactful. Every word counts in a 100-word limit.
- If you have the space, link your short-term goals to long-term goals and explain the impact you want to make. Keep in mind that your first choice and alternate immediate post-MBA plans should lead to the same long-term goals.
While most schools only ask about your primary goals, Fuqua values adaptability and wants to know how well you are prepared to deal with uncertainty. This reflects its pragmatic, real-world culture.
I have discussed how to write a winning career goals essay with examples in this article.
Need Help With Your MBA Application Essays?
Required Essay 1: 25 random things about yourself
The ‘Team Fuqua’ spirit and community is one of the things that sets the MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. 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. Share with us important life experiences, your hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are.
Your list will be limited to 2 pages (750 words maximum). Please present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be brief, while others may be longer.
This is one of the most distinctive MBA essay prompts across all business schools. It invites you to show your full self—quirks, hobbies, life experiences, values, and sense of humor included.
What it reveals about Fuqua
- The admissions team genuinely wants to know you beyond your resume.
- Fuqua’s culture places a high value on authenticity, humility, and camaraderie.
- The school is seeking candidates who will contribute to a tight-knit, down-to-earth community.
How to approach it
- Be original, vulnerable, and human. This is not the place to rehash your resume.
- Mix the light and the deep. For example:
- I once bungee-jumped off the highest bridge in South Africa.
- I taught my grandmother how to use WhatsApp during the pandemic.
- I collect vintage travel postcards.
- I was the first in my family to attend college.
- Aim for diversity in your list – childhood memories, personal values, quirks, cultural roots, travel experiences, odd talents, guilty pleasures, or even favorite books/movies.
- Write in a conversational tone. Don’t overthink the language; just be you.
- If you are not sure whether an item belongs, ask yourself: Would this help my classmates know me better as a person?
Required Essay 2: The Fuqua community and you
Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student culture and to the development of leaders. Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, what are 3 ways you expect to contribute at Fuqua?
Your response will be limited to 1 page (500 words maximum).
This question gets to the heart of what it means to be part of “Team Fuqua.” It’s not enough to benefit from the community; you must also enrich it.
What Fuqua is looking for
- Genuine understanding of the school’s culture and student life
- Evidence of your initiative and collaborative spirit
- Alignment of your values with Fuqua’s – leadership, service, diversity, and community spirit
How to approach it
- Start with research: review Fuqua’s clubs, conferences, CASE initiatives, and diversity programs.
- Choose three contributions that are:
- Specific (e.g., leading the Tech Club’s annual trek)
- Personal (e.g., sharing your journey as a first-gen student through storytelling events)
- Value-aligned (e.g., mentoring peers or initiating DEI-focused initiatives)
- Explain the why behind each contribution – What motivates you? Why do you connect to these causes? What strengths or experiences will help you contribute to these clubs/initiatives?
- Avoid generic statements like “I want to be part of student government” unless you explain how and why.
Few schools ask for such concrete ways you plan to contribute. Fuqua emphasizes intentional engagement, not passive participation.
I have discussed how to showcase extracurriculars in your MBA application in this post.
Get Your Profile Evaluated
Optional Essay
If you feel there are circumstances of which the admissions committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g. unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance). Note that you should NOT upload additional essays nor additional recommendations in this area. The Optional Information section is intended to provide the admissions committee with insight into your circumstances only.
Your response will be limited to 1 page (500 words maximum).
Use this section only if necessary to address gaps or red flags in your application, like:
- Academic inconsistencies
- Unexplained job gaps
- Low test scores
- Recommender choice that needs context
How to approach it
- Be honest but concise
- Take ownership for your choices or setbacks
- Focus on what you learned and how you grew
Show maturity, self-awareness, and resilience. Do not use this space to write a personal statement; use it only to clarify information that is not addressed elsewhere in the application.
Read this article to learn about that most common MBA essay mistakes applicants make and how you can avoid them.
Final Thoughts
What makes Duke Fuqua MBA essays so unique:
- Depth of personality: The “25 Random Things” essay is a rare opportunity to showcase the real you – not an opportunity most B schools provide.
- Community-first mindset: The second required essay is about contribution, not consumption. Fuqua looks for givers, not just achievers.
- Balanced realism: Even in its short goals essay, Fuqua wants to know you have backup plans and are not rigid in your thinking.
Fuqua’s essays give you chance to showcase your candidature beyond accomplishments. Show them who you are, how you care, and where you will make your mark—not just in business, but in the Fuqua family.
Have More Questions?
