Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog

Prior to coming to Fuqua, I was a fraud consultant and auditor in Washington, DC. I received my undergraduate degree in finance and political science from the University of Notre Dame, and received a master’s in accountancy from the University of Virginia.

While at Fuqua, I was involved in the Finance Club, the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, and the Duke Microfinance Leadership Initiative. I graduated early in December 2011, and immediately returned to Standard & Poor’s, where I had previously completed my summer internship. My wife and I relocated to Jersey City, NJ, not far from where I grew up.

Posts by Mike:

• The Tables Turn — Student Becomes Teacher - July 5, 2012

  People always tell me that I’m hopelessly addicted to education. It is true, in a way; I spend a lot of time reading, even when I’m under no obligation to do so. I…

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• Personal Leadership Lessons - June 7, 2012

  When I applied for MBA programs, almost three years ago, virtually every interview question, essay, and interest statement carried an overtone of leadership. Almost by definition, it’s an amorphous term, and I suppose…

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• Commencement 2012: The World That Awaits - May 18, 2012

  Ever since I graduated early and left Fuqua in December, I’ve been anticipating this moment — the official graduation ceremony. I’ve always appreciated the duality of graduation: it is both the end to…

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• What I Miss About B-School - April 25, 2012

  It’s funny how quickly one can do a full 180 after graduating. I think about this a lot when I get home from work. My hours aren’t too bad now, and with daylight…

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• Gradual Graduation - April 2, 2012

  University of Virginia lore indicates that founder and American president Thomas Jefferson didn’t initially confer degrees on graduates, thinking that doing so would imply that the educational process was complete; idealist that he…

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• Madness Men - March 23, 2012

  People kept asking me if I was conflicted. They told me that Duke would play Notre Dame in the second round if both schools were to win. I attended both schools, and I…

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• Thoughts from the Other Side of the (Interview) Table - March 9, 2012

  It’s funny, in a way, that business schools should seek such well-rounded students to fill their ranks. You come in as someone who’s excelled in academics, in work, and in any other avenue…

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• Business School is Applicable in the Real World - January 24, 2012

  Lessons From My First Month On The Job It’s been about a month since I started my new job, and a little longer since I left Durham, Fuqua, and the relatively carefree existence…

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• Graduating Early: The Pros and Cons - December 19, 2011

  It wasn’t my plan to graduate from business school early. It just sort of happened. I had planned on doing a dual degree program with the International Development Policy Program, but through a…

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• Thoughts on Graduating - December 13, 2011

  Yup, I’m Done … On Saturday, I finished my last final exam of my business school career. Assuming I didn’t fail anything, this is it. No more pencils, no more books. It wasn’t…

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