In my five years of working in Admissions at Fuqua, I’ve been fortunate to meet countless prospective students, read their applications and conduct their interviews. Fuqua takes a very holistic approach to its admissions process, which makes each new year feel exciting and fresh. We are not just looking at applications for the numbers. We are searching for students who truly want to embrace the Team Fuqua spirit, who want success for their entire team, who aren’t just in it for themselves.

Finding people who will become engaged and collaborative members of our community requires a lot of work. We carefully read every single application submitted to us from start to beginning, and evaluate each in the following five categories. These categories, though very different, are of equal importance as each one tells our Admissions committee something different about an applicant.

1. Academics

One of the biggest concerns our applicants have is their academics, but it is important to keep in mind that this is just one section of the application. Test scores and grades are important because they demonstrate an applicant’s readiness to join a rigorous program. When reviewing this section of an application, our Admissions team reviews undergraduate institutions, GPA, courses taken, and test scores. We accept SAT, ACT, GMAT, or GRE test scores for the MMS application, and we do not prefer one exam over another.

2. Work History

We understand that our applicants may not have much work experience, with many hoping to attend Fuqua immediately after completing their undergraduate degree. So, our one-year master’s programs do not have a minimum requirement for work history. But we still enjoy learning about any relevant work experience our applicants want to share with us.

Whether it’s a full-time or part-time job or an internship, I encourage applicants to list any work experience in their application. One other piece of advice — keep that resume to one page! An easy section to cut is any volunteer experience, not because we don’t want to hear about it, but because it can be included in the Leadership and Community Involvement section. Speaking of that section…

3. Leadership and Community Involvement

Too often, applicants skip the leadership and community involvement section of their application. This is just as important in the application process as any of the others. (Are you noticing a theme yet?)

From attending a service trip to being an active member of a club, we want to know all about our applicants’ experiences as leaders and the different ways they have engaged with their communities. A few tips when filling out this section:

• Be sure to indicate the nature of the activity or organization
• Explain your role and contribution to the organization
• Outline the dates of involvement and the time devoted to each 

We are eager to find contributing members of Team Fuqua, and this section helps us visualize how an applicant will be involved as a Fuqua student. For anyone worried about this section, there’s an opportunity to provide more information and context later in the application.

4. Recommendation

To fully get to know applicants, we want to hear from someone who truly knows them. We typically prefer a recommendation come from a former supervisor or someone who knows an applicant in a professional setting. Of course, applicants of our one-year master’s programs may not have a past supervisor, which is completely fine. If that’s the case, I recommend they try to find a professor of a small class who knows them well. Asking the president of your institution probably won’t be the best idea, unless they know you!

5. Essays

Essays are the most fun part of the application, but they may be intimidating for some. This is the section where Admissions can get a better sense of who an applicant truly is, why they want to attend Fuqua and/or a specific program, how they plan to be involved, and so much more. 

The 25 Random Things essay is something truly unique and special to Fuqua. It’s an opportunity for applicants to share what makes them unique, what they’re proud of, or to otherwise give Admissions a window into their lives.

Other things applicants should keep in mind when crafting their essays: Is there anything in your application that you’re really itching to explain? Perhaps your GPA is lower because you started in the wrong major but your grades started skyrocketing after switching majors, or you experienced a life-changing event that prevented you from engaging in student clubs or other activities for a time during undergrad. The optional essay is the perfect place for applicants to explain anything and everything that they think may give the admissions committee pause. Again, we really do want to get to know every single applicant and their personal situations, so I urge everyone to take advantage of the optional essay!

Other Things To Know

In addition to the optional essay, I encourage applicants to pay close attention to our optional background information section. This is a space for applicants to share more information about their background, any lived experiences they have, or any other pertinent information about themselves. As the title suggests, this section is not required and there are no “right” or “wrong” answers here. We encourage applicants to be vulnerable similar to the 25 Random Things essay. The admissions committee will use this section to learn more about an applicant’s background and consider how their experiences could contribute to our Team Fuqua culture.   

Once our team reviews each application, evaluating each of these categories, we will extend interview invitations to a select group of applicants. Our advice for those navigating the interview process can be found here.

Some of my final pieces of advice to applicants: attend virtual events, connect with alumni and current students, and continually monitor our website. As the world is ever-changing, our requirements may change, too! Our Admissions team is here to help, I encourage anyone with questions to please reach out to us!