Earning my MBA from an elite university has always been a goal of mine, but I found it difficult to leave a fulfilling career and my personal obligations in order to return to school. That’s when I discovered I could have the best of both worlds by attending the Weekend Executive MBA (WEMBA) program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

I researched a number of MBA programs before deciding to apply to and attend Fuqua. What became readily apparent to me was that Duke does not make any compromises regarding the quality of the faculty, admission standards, or resources provided to students.

I chose this program for a myriad of reasons, and below are some of the biggest factors that contributed to my decision:

Culture

Finding the right culture fit for my MBA experience was one of the most important factors of my admission decision, and it is ultimately why I decided to attend Duke.

From the moment I stepped foot on campus for an open house, I immediately felt the energy of the Team Fuqua culture. Team Fuqua is a philosophy of authentic engagement, collective diversity, and supportive ambition that all students, faculty, and staff share and apply in order to bring out the best in those around them. The energy, excitement, and collaborative nature of the Fuqua community was evident upon initial glance and genuinely gives you the feeling that something great is happening here.

There is only one MBA degree awarded at Duke and it is identical across all the program formats. Your classes are taught by the exact same world-renowned faculty that teach in the Daytime MBA program and the courses are every bit as rigorous.

Network

The Duke University and Fuqua School of Business alumni network is one of the most engaged and powerful business networks in the world, and you will have lifetime access to it. This network includes passionate alumni like Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and over 140,000 other impressive alumni that are making a significant impact in industries across the globe.

As a business professional, it was very important to me to have a strong alumni network and a highly engaged cohort of current students. The Duke MBA program leadership does an excellent job of facilitating alumni panels, guest speakers, and social activities that allow current students and alumni to connect and build enduring partnerships that will last a lifetime. There are also Fuqua Fridays most weeks that provide interclass networking opportunities among students in the different MBA program formats.

Interested in learning about who your classmates could be? Have a look at this WEMBA class profile.

Career Advancement

I’ve been very fortunate in my career as a marketer to have had the opportunity to take on various leadership roles across multiple industries within the Fortune 500. However, I was reaching a point in my career where an MBA would be necessary to accelerate my short-term growth and sustain my long-term career trajectory.

Through much introspection, I recognized that I needed a MBA program that would enable me to coalesce my passions, strengths, and aspirations to grow into exceedingly greater positions of marketing and eventually the top ranks of executive leadership.

I found what I needed at the Fuqua School of Business. The Duke MBA would allow me to build off of my previous experiences to master my leadership abilities, equip me with the necessary skills to create a greater social impact in my community, and implement the positive management practices that will shape how business is conducted across the globe.

WEMBA students have full access to all the Career Management Center services, including on-campus recruiting, recruiter and alumni panels, executive career coaches, and a host of other resources to plan your career path and land your dream job.

Joining the Fuqua Community

Making the decision to attend Duke University and earn my MBA from the Fuqua School of Business was one of the best decisions that I have ever made and it is already paying dividends, both personally and professionally.

Interested in becoming part of the Fuqua community? Your admissions counselor is eager to speak to you.