Class of 2022 – Case 1

プロフィール / Profile

留学形態(Sponsored or not): Not sponsored
勤務先(Previous job): Headhunter (人材紹介)
職歴(# of years at job): 3 years 3 months
職種(Function): Sales
大学名(University): University of Florida (フロリダ大学)
大学時代専攻(Major): Japanese
GPA: 3.92
TOEFL:Total  (R / L / S / W ) N/A (English Native)
GMAT:Total  (V / Q / IR / AWA ) 710 ( 41V / 46Q / 7IR / 6AWA)
海外経験(International experience): 1 year study abroad at Aoyama Gakuin Daigaku / 3yrs 3months work experience (Feb 2017 ~ Apr 2020)

 

Why Fuqua?
1. エッセイに書いたWhy / Why Fuqua you discussed in your essays

Fuqua stood out to me because of the school’s strength in healthcare, an industry I am particularly interested in learning about. The Health Sector Management (HSM) certificate seemed like a great way for someone totally new to the area to learn about all things healthcare, while also connecting with more experienced students and networking with notable people and companies in the field.

Experiential learning opportunities also stood out. One everyone talks about is the Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum (FCCP). As I also have an interest in consulting, this seemed like a great way to get hands-on experience with real projects and prepare myself for my future career. However, the best of both healthcare and consulting also shows itself in the form of the Duke University Hospital Experiential Learning Program (DUH ELP.) This is designed as an independent project, where a student is paired with a mentor at the Duke University Hospital system, tasked with a problem the hospital is facing, and work on a project that is ultimately presented to senior leadership in the hospital network.

I was hoping to bring my (Japanese) wife with me to Fuqua, the Fuqua Partners club was really important. Even people without partners spoke to the presence of partners in the Fuqua community, which made me feel confident about embarking on an MBA journey together with my wife, as she would also find her own life at Fuqua.

Finally, and briefly, Team Fuqua is something I was also aware of an wrote in my essays. I think it is very true of the Fuqua community, but in my essays Team Fuqua really played as more of a constant topic rather than a specific one

 

2. エッセイに書かなかったWhy / Why Fuqua you didn’t discuss in your essays

After 3+ years in Tokyo I was excited about the prospect of spending 2 years in a (significantly) less urban area and not having worries like squeezing in to rush hour 7:48 train out of Takaido station to make sure I arrived at work on time. Very much looking forward to having a spacious apartment and using a car as my main mode of transportation.

 

3. 合格後に気が付いた魅力 / Anything about Fuqua you have found appealing after your enrollment

Covid has made everything very difficult for all parties. I do not have to worry about securing a visa to get access to the US. That said, I believe greater Duke and Fuqua specifically have been as transparent as possible about their plans for classes. The application of Zoom for pre-program talks and get-togethers has been smooth. So while this year will certainly look different from a typical MBA, I am looking forward to what will come with the rest of the MBA.

 

受験プロセス / Application history

Applied to 8 schools R2:

Georgia Tech (Scheller) – Accepted with fellowship

Emory (Goizueta) – Accepted with merit scholarship

Cornell (Johnson) – Accepted with merit scholarship

UVA (Darden) – Accepted without merit scholarship

Duke (Fuqua) –  Accepted with merit scholarship

University of Michigan (Ross) – Rejected at paper screening

Dartmouth (Tuck) – Rejected after interview

Northwestern (Kellogg) – Waitlisted

 

受験対策 / Your approaches and know-hows to each application item

1. TOEFL

N/A

2. GMAT

I used the official GMAC books + mock exams 3 & 4, Kaplan’s online premium self-prep course, and GMAT Club’s free resources. Probably spent ~140,000 JPY on prep materials. It was 100% self-study and I spent roughly 3.5 months studying, with about 2 weeks in the middle where I burnt out and took a break from studying. Originally I planned to apply to schools in R1 for the 2021 cycle, but after scoring a 710 (below my target of 720) on my first attempt, I decided I would throw a few applications, which then turned into 100% effort towards making my MBA goal happen 1 year earlier in 2020.

My biggest take on the GMAT is that both the quant and verbal sections are purely logic. Quant uses math for its foundation and verbal used English for its. Learning the absolute basics of each will be more than enough for one to parse the required information. After that, it is about repetition and practice. I would get home from work every day around 20:30. I would start studying at either 21:00 or 21:30 and go until anywhere from 23:00 to 24:00. Saturdays I would do more practice questions. Every Sunday I also took a practice test (skipping AWA.) Always time yourself too. Taking more than 60~120 seconds, depending on the question, is unrealistic practice. Speed and accuracy are critical.

As a native speaker, the verbal section came more naturally to me. However, the disadvantage native speakers have here is that we are adjusted to “improper” speaking, which the GMAC knows. Many questions are designed to trick native speakers. So, while non-native speakers certainly think every answer looks the same, most native speakers run into the same problem. It comes down to pattern recognition and practice. I would grind practice questions in areas I was weak, and I saw my verbal score rise significantly.

Quant was trickier for me. I hadn’t done any sort of number work since freshman year in university. My strategy here was the same as verbal. On the real test I fell below my expectations. On mock exams I was able to score a 49 regularly, but on the real deal I panicked early and missed an easier question, which really impacted my score.

 

3. エッセイ / Essay 

I worked with a fantastic counselor at Stratus. She and I clicked in a lot of different ways and she had great experience with Fuqua on the admissions team. Essays are all about introspection and figuring out your stories. It is important that they are genuine and tell the reader more about you. Taking time to 1.) Think through and write down all of your personal stories that impacted your life, 2.) Understand essay prompts, and 3.) Write outlines for every essay question before writing are the biggest first steps. I also highly recommend having multiple people read through your stories.

 

4. インタビュー / Interview

Be ready for “What does Team Fuqua mean to you?” There’s not a “right” answer, but there are definitely “wrong” answers. The interview is just another way for you to display who you are as a person. If you do the introspective work for the essays, then all you need to do is model your stories to typical interview questions. Relax, and be yourself. No need to fake who you are, because the interviewer will know. It really is like a conversation, not a proper interview.

 

最後に / Message to applicants

The Fuqua community is tight-knit and incredibly supportive. There are lots of people here from all parts of the world and from all walks of life. You being you is the absolute best thing you can do to ensure you maximize your chances for a great experience in Team Fuqua.