I knew that the prospect of landing a career in venture capital (VC) was risky, given the limited job openings but it was a risk I was ready to take.

I began my business school search broadly, looking for a program that stood out. I had little doubt about making close friends in a tight-knit community. But could that collaborative, team-first mentality really make a difference when it counted?

Before embarking on business school and then the business world, I was terrified. I soon discovered there were nice people who genuinely cared and wanted a better world too.

I decided to use my two years in business school to learn more about what it's like to work with smaller companies—especially startups—and try my hand as a founder, experimenting in entrepreneurship. Fuqua has turned out to be the perfect place to do this.

Here at Fuqua, we believe that design thinking is a fun, creative way to answer questions, design products, and ideate process improvements. We strive to introduce these skills and provide a fun environment in which to practice them.

Even with 2020's challenges, our employment report boasts impressive numbers and tells the stories of what our Duke MBA grads overcame.

Getting your MBA provides an opportunity to explore different interests and build on existing skills. The challenge is weighing the desire to be busy and explore new opportunities with maintaining a healthy balance in your life.

I had heard how fast time flies once school starts, but it only really registered in mid-December while I was walking out from my last exam of the term. Time and tide wait for no man, but man did I wish I had known a few things before the craziness came and went.

When I was a prospective student, I remember reading marketing materials about Fuqua. Now that I have graduated, I have seen how the elements of that content have been brought to life.

As I was boarding my flight for a spring break ski trip in early March 2020, I thought our class had already been tested. And that had nothing on what was yet to come.