If you haven’t heard already, one of the most amazing things about being at Fuqua is the unlimited access to the “Fuqua network.” It goes without saying that some of the most prominent leaders in business are Fuqua alumni, including Steve Jobs’ successor at Apple, Tim Cook, and philanthropist/business woman extraordinaire, Melinda Gates, just to name a few. One thing I didn’t realize until I arrived, however, was the amazing resources, network, and alumni that Fuqua has right here within its walls.

Throughout the admissions and moving process, I was lucky to form great relationships with two members of the MMS admissions team. They were encouraging and helpful before I even arrived in North Carolina. While settling down in Durham, I reached out to both of them on good days and bad, and they supported me along my Fuqua journey.

Not only did these two people provide me with endless advice and guidance throughout some of the tough decisions I had to make while at Fuqua, but they also gave me tremendous opportunities. Before I found my job, they helped to put me in touch with their friends (including Fuqua alumni) who worked in industries of interest to me. Some of these contacts eventually turned into career mentors and coaches — they brought me into their companies for informational interviews, and looked over my cover letters and resume before I applied to positions.

Over and over again, I heard how important networking is. But as a busy student, sometimes it’s easy to forget how many people and resources there are right in front of you. At Fuqua, everyone you meet is a resource. Do the best you can to build relationships early, and foster them along the way. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to connect with Fuqua’s staff, faculty, and alumni, as well as your own classmates and MBA students. Find people that you connect with, and build relationships with these people. I bet you’ll learn from their experiences and you’ll have valuable takeaways.

I’m proud that I left Fuqua with the knowledge that I will always have advocates and friends in this school — hopefully, you’ll feel the same way when you graduate from Fuqua.

• This is going to be hard for everyone – everyone will struggle. Don’t feel alone!
• The Ford Library carries all of the textbooks needed for the program. You can save some money by using these, instead of buying your own.
• Bring a sweater to class during the spring and summer. It can be 20 degrees colder inside than outside.
• They say dress “business casual,” what they really mean is don’t dress like a child. You’re not in college anymore. Don’t come to school looking like a slob. Casual is ok, but never messy. Stay sharp, look presentable, be comfortable. Don’t go on a shopping spree before you get here and spend a lot of money on clothes you probably won’t wear that often. You will need a suit, however, or something that looks like one.
• Parking is a pain, but where there’s a will there’s a way.
• Get used to being at school all the time. Don’t fight it. Bring snacks.
• When you have free time, enjoy it. Some terms are “easier” than others, don’t spend too much time questioning it, just go out and have fun when you have the chance.
• 10 months FLY by. Don’t wait until the last minute to do things in the area. Plan weekend trips and activities early, because before you know it, you’ll be leaving this place and wishing you had seen Asheville, or the beach, or gone to the state fair.
• Believe in Duke basketball. Try to believe in Duke football.
• When you have the opportunity to sit outside of Fuqua, take advantage of it. You’ll spend entire days sitting inside, and that gets depressing.
• Get to know the Fuqua service staff – the people in the kitchens, at the racetrack, and who clean up the campus. They are amazing and are working all the time. Appreciate them, and say thank you when you can. They make the place run.
• Eat at the Thomas Center. It is delicious, and you’ll probably spend the same amount of money there (eating a great meal) as you will in the Fox Center (eating an OK meal).

Favorite Professor: Sharon Belenzon

Favorite Off-Campus Hangout: Guglhupf or the Washington Duke patio

Best MMS Social Event: Winter Formal

Best BBQ: Blue Note Grille and Q-Shack

Favorite Late-Night Eatery: Cookout

Best Local Deals/Happy Hour: Carmike Movie Theater – $1 Popcorn on Tuesdays!!

One Thing I Wish I’d Done Differently: Taken advantage of “free” weekends and gone on more road trips

Bucket List: Get to Asheville, Greensboro, and the beach

A Quote Encompassing my MMS Experience/Memories: Work hard, play hard

How quickly things change! Just a few weeks ago I was anxiously shooting my resume out to companies, hoping to make plans for after graduation. Now, I am looking for apartments and figuring out how to enjoy my last few weeks of free time before I start my new job in June. I am thrilled to be joining a marketing research firm in Atlanta, called The Link Group! It is young, energetic, and a perfect fit for me. Weeks ago I knew that I would find a job I loved, but I wasn’t sure when it would happen. Staying positive, focused, and motivated proved to be my biggest assets.

I’ve learned A LOT throughout this program … there were endless lessons about firm valuation techniques, marketing methods, and how to properly make a PowerPoint presentation. There were also lessons I never could have prepared for, and won’t give up for the world, like learning how to be proactive, how to effectively and efficiently build relationships, write a cover letter, structure a resume, present myself in an interview, and walk into any room with confidence. I think of myself as reasonably personable, yet this program has given me so much insight on improving my communication skills, including focusing my story-telling when talking to potential employers. I’ve also learned to talk about business-related matters and economic issues with conviction and self-assurance — that is a skill I never thought I could have!

This program has been a whirlwind. In one week here, I completed more work, studying, and projects than I did during an entire month of undergrad. There were times when I found myself gasping for air, trying to stay afloat under the weight of the workload, academic pressures, and job-hunting stresses. But looking back on it all, those were the moments in which I learned the most.

I came to graduate school hoping to be pushed, hoping to exceed expectations, and work harder than I ever have. Isn’t that the point?

This Master of Management Studies program completed the circle of my education. I had the liberal arts background, and knew how to look at things qualitatively, and holistically. What I lacked, however, was the ability to answer problems and assess situations with a quantitative understanding and a fiscal standpoint.

There were moments when I didn’t know how I was going to get to the finish line, but now it’s here and I’m anxious to cross it! I will be leaving behind friends, professors, and a community that I have grown to love. Fuqua had faith in me and trusted in my ability to succeed here, even when I wasn’t sure that I was capable of it. For that, I want to say thank you.

Fuqua family, for life!

Three “Turner Talks” were scheduled throughout the day. The first was a seminar on corporate transitions to cloud computing called, “Real Life Struggles of a Company Moving to the CLOUD.” Later in the afternoon was “Web Analytics and Marketing to Consumers.” In the middle was the March Madness seminar, exploring the strategies that brought together sports and technology, making the craze that is March Madness available to sports fans everywhere through an online interactive interface and via tablet mobile technology.

Turner Broadcasting sent high-ranking executives to speak with us at Fuqua. They were engaging, personable and truly successful professionals in their field. It was such a treat to hear about decisions that had to be made, technology that had to be developed, and sports fans’ needs that had to be addressed to create the company’s online live-stream.

What better place than Duke to learn about the intersection of sports and technology? This is a school that’s known as a basketball power-house and as one of the most innovative, forward-thinking universities in the world!

A few of the MANY goodies we made for classmates.

It is safe to say that February 14 is most everyone’s least favorite made-up holiday. If you’re in a relationship, it’s that frustrating day where you have to get someone a gift for no real reason, or that sad day that you expect something special from your loved one and get nothing. For those who are single, it’s mostly annoying because it truly is made up.

It is precisely for these reasons that the MMS Connoisseurs Club decided to make Valentine’s Day into a day that everyone can enjoy, because everyone loves baked goods. Members of the club joined forces to create some of the tastiest treats known to man: red velvet cupcakes, frosting coated sugar cookies, chocolate-dipped pink rice krispy treats, brownie cupcakes stuffed with Oreos and peanut butter, and chocolate chip cookies (to name a few).

The day before, secret Valentine’s elves who only come out on February 13, put together candy-grams and delivered them to MMS students warning them of the sugar-bomb that was to be dropped on them the following day. The turnout was fantastic, the sweets were short-lived, and I can confidently say that between the hours of 11:15 and 1 pm on February 14, no one hated Valentine’s Day.

Landing the Job

I applied to a few companies for marketing positions. After interviews with two companies, I was offered a position with Improv’eat, an organic, non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) health-food company based in Atlanta, GA. I was also thrilled about the fact that I would telecommute for the internship, which allowed me to return home to California to visit family and friends, who I haven’t seen in months.

After lots of phone calls and email exchanges with Improv’eat CEO Todd Fitts (who graduated from Fuqua’s Cross Continent MBA program in 2002), we settled on a few action items and deliverables for me to work on. This included assisting with the company’s social media strategy by helping to create Twitter posts. I also looked into how the company can best utilize a Facebook fan page and blog. Essentially, I’ve helped to consolidate and streamline information that’s offered via each social media channel. Mr. Fitts and I communicate weekly (if not more often) and I turned in developments and assignments as they were completed.

Real-World Experience

This is the first time I’ve worked on my own to develop a marketing strategy. And I love it! Prior to coming to Fuqua, I had little marketing experience. I had worked with a startup company where I assisted with website content and messaging, but that was always part of a larger team effort and was less independent that what I’ve been doing at Improv’eat.

After taking MMS courses in marketing and strategy, I knew that I wanted to explore career options in those areas. This Winternship has given me the opportunity to gain unparalleled insight on designing a marketing strategy, prioritizing product-messaging needs, and utilizing social media platforms. I was given the freedom to create ideas for future blog posts, a Twitter strategy, and suggestions for streamlining Facebook use.

The two courses I mentioned earlier – marketing analysis and strategy – have really come in handy during the Winternship. I’ve drawn upon lessons learned from those classes, such as assessing demographics, creating cohesive messaging schemes, and establishing a corporate identity. It has been thrilling to put what I’ve learned into practice. I’ve gained a tremendous amount of real-world skills already, and I can’t wait to report on the final product!

The truth of the matter is that “Leader of Consequence” has a different meaning for each student, but I’d like to share what it means to me:

The term is heard a lot in Fuqua’s hallways. It is the cornerstone of Fuqua’s educational philosophy and it’s a phrase students try to live by within Fuqua’s walls. We also strive to fulfill its demands once we graduate – it is an ideal to continually aim for.

Initially defined by Professor Blair Sheppard, Fuqua’s former dean, a Leader of Consequence is someone who is able to effectively perform as a leader and as a team player; they are brilliant and also human; they are analytical and a globalist. The “and” is at the core of the idea – we are not this OR that, we are this AND that.

Professor Sheppard speaks further about leaders of consequence in this video.

I also think that the intent of the term is something that each student must define for themselves.

Business today is global: there is overlap in industry and function, culture and language. For me, being a Leader of Consequence means being a leader who cares not only about the impact I have in my workplace, but the impact I leave on the rest of the world – whether that be by transforming the way business is done, or enhancing the way a company interacts with its community.

A Leader of Consequence is a person who can walk out of Fuqua on graduation day and walk into the hallways of a corporation, not-for-profit organization, or government office and use their business skills to strengthen professional relationships, elevate work efficiency, and cultivate internal and external office communication, cohesion and connections.

When assessing applicants, Fuqua looks for students who have these aspirations and goals. The school wants people who strive for more than a graduate degree, we want people who will use the degree as a platform to change the way businesspeople think and interact. Personally, earning this Fuqua degree is one step I’m taking toward (hopefully) changing the world I live in and making an everlasting, positive difference, in any way possible.

I cannot believe how quickly the time has passed. Somehow it is December. I feel like it was only weeks ago that we were sitting in orientation learning about the adventure all of us were about to embark on. We had just met our teams, were learning the ins and outs of Duke and Durham, and figuring out what it meant to be a grad student.

Back then it was still stiflingly hot and humid as can be. We were all strangers to each other. Since that time, however, all 112 of us have become fast friends. We’ve spent more time with each other than with our own families, and Fuqua has become our second home (first term’s workload made it more like our only home!). It has been a real whirlwind. I won’t speak for my classmates, but I can safely say that I have learned more in these past five months than I did in my first two years of college.

Socially and academically, I’ve grown in ways that I could never have imagined. My abilities to work in an academic team and make presentations have improved tenfold. I have learned how to interpret graphs and data, create excel spreadsheets, and concisely, yet thoroughly, write business documents. To think where I was when this all started and where I am now … I am a stronger, more thoughtful, more capable and more confident person than I thought possible in such a short amount of time.

I’m thrilled about this MUCH needed winter break, but can’t wait to start up again in January.