How to Write Duke Fuqua MBA “25 Random Things” About You Essay­

Imagine a world where every science graduate had Sheldon’s (from the Big Bang Theory) obsessive need for structure and one where every Indian in the world mirrored Raj’s selective mutism..

What would happen in such a world if these people had to get an MBA?

A uniform parade of idiosyncrasies and predictable actions from all the people who make up an applicant pool would replace the diversity, creativity, and innovation that make higher education and global education transformative as we know today. Business schools would turn into degree-stamping machines and produce graduates who are indistinguishable from one another and ill-prepared for the dynamic challenges of the real world.

The Duke Fuqua MBA 25 Random Things Essay aims to test exactly that. Are you so stereotypically fitting into your applicant pool’s typecast profile that the adcoms could effortlessly replace you with another candidate exhibiting similar traits?
Or are you someone who can challenge the admissions committee’s preconceived notions and create the kind of intriguing, opposite personality typecasts that make the admissions committee sit up and take notice? If you understood the objective behind the question, you have understood the task well.

The Fuqua 25 Random Things About You essay is one of the most loved essays in the B-School academia community.

FUN FACT of Duke 25 Random Things Essay: The adcom officials have said that when new members join the committee they also have to write this essay. Yet, applicants often experience bursts of frustration when contemplating the endless possibilities of facts they can share with the school. Here are my tried-and-true strategies, gleaned from successful Duke applicants who excelled on this otherwise open-ended essay.

Strategies for the Fuqua 25 Random Things Essay

Be Unapologetically You / Show Your Personality

It is one thing to say, “I dont take things too seriously” and totally another to say,

“During my first informal introduction to my colleagues at the current firm, I mentioned ‘almost dropping a baby’ as an embarrassing fun fact about myself. People still quote it as the most bizarre icebreaker ever! Given the laughs it got, I have no regrets about my clumsiness. But the silence that followed still rings in my ears.”

Being unapologetically you and not hiding or altering your words to fit in or please others is what impresses the adcoms the most. Your authenticity shows your ability to build genuine connections, build self-respect, and show you live a life that is true to your own principles and desires.

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Balance The Themes You Touch Upon

The admissions officers want to learn about areas of your life that could not be covered in the goals and contribution to Duke Essays. What is your perspective on life? What important memories do you cherish the most, and how have these things (not relevant to other Duke questions) shaped the person you are? I am sharing a list of themes that you could use to think about interesting facts from your life that you would otherwise not have mentioned to the admissions committee. If you cover two to three facts in these buckets, you will easily know you have touched upon a variety of themes:

• Your superpowers, for example, emotional resonance or being able to diffuse tense situations with ease
• Your regrets in life, for example, having loved and lost OR reflecting on a chance not taken that could have altered your life
• Your pride in something, for example, completing a marathon after a bad injury through hard work and determination
• Your likes and dislikes, for example, a deep love for classical literature
• Your aspirations and wants / hopes and dreams, for example, your vision for your professional future, such as starting your own business or making a significant impact in a certain field
• Overcoming fear and phobias, first time doing things in life, for example, taking a solo trip abroad despite initial anxieties about navigating a foreign country alone
• Hurdles and challenges, for example, balancing full-time work with part-time studies to pursue higher education, or coping with a setback or loss and emerging stronger from the experience
• Your habits and obsessions, for example, collecting vintage vinyl records and exploring their history and music
• Your heroes, heroines, and inspirations, for example, exploring how someone close to you influenced your values and aspirations

This is your opportunity to showcase who you are. The adcoms encourage students to be creative, so feel free to include YouTube links or projects you would like to showcase, or even pictures.

Add Deep Reflections, Takeaways, and Learnings

Now, given the limited word space, this may not be possible for all points. But for the most important experiences that have shaped you in some way, you should allow more space to show your capacity for deep thought. Here’s an example:

“The balcony of my current home in a metropolitan city has the view of the city’s skyline, vastly different from the balcony view at my parents’ home in the village – that of a Sacred Fig tree in the middle of a grassland; I look at this as a sign of growth but also as my motivation to contribute toward a better environment.”

Add Humor

Admissions officers are human too, and after reading their 273rd essay on “leveraging synergies” and “driving impactful change,” they could probably use a good laugh. A dash of humor can make your application memorable, and this essay in the Duke’s application is the perfect space to do just that.

Arrange Your List for Emotional Highs and Lows

Remember that you should create the list at random. If you list the most interesting facts only at the beginning or only towards the end, the reader will have a long boring period to remember. I suggest that you think about the order of the facts so that it gives a mixture of laughs, emotional moments and hard-hitting facts. This will ensure that reading the essay never gets boring.

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