ESSAY-1 (not more than 500 words)

The MMS: FOB program is shaped each year by the

diversity of the class.

Students bring a unique

combination of professional and personal experiences

that add value to the learning environment. By
engaging with each other, MMS: FOB students grow
personally as well as professionally over the course of
the program. The admissions team is looking for
students who are eager to engage with, and learn
from, one another both inside the classroom and
through their involvement in extracurricular activities.
How will you be engaged as a student (both in and out
of the classroom), and how will your background and
previous experiences add value to the experience of
your fellow students?

In my academic and professional journeys till date, I

have been a part of many teams playing roles of
both leader and team member. Personally, I believe
that one has to understand ones peers completely

through active listening and engagement in order to

get the most out of them.
My undergraduate class consisted of students from
20 out of the 29 Indian states, giving me an
opportunity to interact with a diverse set of people
coming from different economic, social, cultural and
religious backgrounds. I combined my interactions
with my peers in the classroom and outside with
formal and informal sessions with my seniors,
learning from their experiences and taking their
guidance in matters, both academic and otherwise.
My people skills won me the Training and Placement
Coordinator position, which I used effectively to
achieve a record placement rate of 75%.
At SS Constructions, I volunteered to drive programs
to improve the safety of workers. Implementing my
belief that in a team, individuals bring their unique
talents to the table, improve each others current

skills and learning new ones, I established healthy

dynamics with the team and honed my skill set, and
organized machine operating seminars at different
sites, achieving lower fatality rates among workers.
My work at FrameInn, a startup in the fashion space,
has enabled me to experience a completely different
work culture and meet different kinds of people.
Through classroom discussions, I hope to share my
experiences, and learn from those of my peers,
catalyzing our personal and professional growth. I
can share my experiences of interacting with a wide
range of people from grass-root level employees to
CXOs, and the different strategies I adopted with
each group. I would also like to discuss the
importance of balancing economics and creativity, as
both are important. With people relations, both
internal and external, being extremely crucial for the
successful functioning of a business, I can add value

to discussions and projects with my experience in

stakeholder management and CSR activities. With
Indias rapidly increasing economic power, I will
bring to the program my experience working in this
most dynamic of emerging markets.
With over 42 different clubs based on industry focus,
community service, etc., MMS will provide me a
perfect platform to interact and network with the
crme de la crme of the business world, including
industry experts, thought leaders, established alumni
base and my experienced peers. Bringing with me
my experience of multi-lingual and multi-cultural
India, I look forward to actively participating in
various activities such as the Entrepreneurship Club,
which will motivate the self-starter in me, and
workshops and seminars that will provide me a once
in a lifetime opportunity to listen to top leaders and

understand what it takes to make it to top leadership

roles in multinational enterprises.
The MMS program will widen my perspectives,
enriching me with a stronger understanding of
business cultures and market opportunities. I will try
my best to contribute to the Schools tradition of
value creation and excellence.

Essay 2:

The "Team Fuqua" spirit and

community is one of the things that
set the Fuqua experience apart, and
it is a concept that extends beyond
the student body to include faculty,
staff, and administration. When a

new person joins the Admissions

Team, we ask that person to share
with everyone in the office a list of
"25 Random Things About Yourself."
As an Admissions team, we already
know the new hire's professional and
academic background, so learning
these "25 Random Things" helps us
to get to know someone's
personality, background, special
talents, and more.
In this spirit, the Admissions
Committee also wants to get to know
youbeyond the professional and
academic achievements listed in
your resume and transcript. You can
share with us important life
experiences, your likes/dislikes,
hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or
anything that helps us understand
what makes you who you are.

1.Im the first person from my family who plans to

pursue Post Graduation.
2.Nobody in my family has the same job - My
paternal grandfather, my biggest inspiration, was
in the Army, and retired as Superintendent of the
Punjab State Electricity Board; my paternal
grandmother was a Homemaker; my sister is a
Senior Software Developer; my father is an
Educator; and I am a Mechanical Engineer
aiming to be a Management Consultant.
3. When I was awarded INR 2000 (about

$30) for my good performance onsite,

my voluntary celebratory team lunch for over 25
colleagues cost $250!
4. As a child, I was shy and introverted kid, but
have learned the art of social interactions over
the years.

5. Introduced to Astrology by my uncle, and deeply

impressed by it, I learned the art and am now a
good astrologer myself.
6.My weakness being my communication skills,
when I first moved to the Central Board, I was
unable to communicate with my peers, but I
persevered and improved myself by honing my
listening skills and taking up various leadership
roles, making the most of every opportunity that
came my way.
7. During college days, my room was constantly
attacked by monkeys in the search for food, and
while I constantly defended myself and my
belongings with the help of big sticks and water
sprays, I realized that the cricket series IPLs
blow horn was extremely effective as it
resembled the trumpet of a wild elephant.
8.I enjoy watching detective series such as
Sherlock and Grimm, and romantic comedies.

Serendipity and 500 Days of Summer are my

favorites but I draw the line at The Notebook.
9.I once dislocated my elbow in an accident, a bad
experience, but not as bad as The Notebook.
10. I can cook various dishes, including tasty
fast foods.
11. Although not a body builder, I increased my
weight from 49 kgs to 68 kgs in college by
following a strict diet and exercise regime,
motivating others around me to become a
motivation for many people in college.
12. When I started working in a startup, I was
extremely confident that I would be able to
acquire clients easily, but how wrong was I: It
took me 6 attempts to win my first client.
13. An avid motorbike enthusiast, I have
covered many parts of country on my cherished
Hero Honda bike, covering over 1000 kilometers
in less than a year of on-off touring.

14.

Hosting and organizing a number of events

in college was my secret way of getting free

exclusive backstage passes.
15. I am a well-known langar (free food
distributed after religious prayers or ceremonies)
distributor in my colony and college.
16. I speak Hindi as well as three regional
Indian languages : Punjabi, Dogri and Pahari, in
addition to having a good command over the
English language.
17. I have friends from over 20 out of 29 Indian
states thanks to the diverse crowd in my college.
18. Im the go-to guy when it comes to making
the most wickedly awesome cocktails. Ask my
friends, theyll vouch for it!
19.

I enjoy watching TED Talks featuring various

eminent and accomplished personalities, with

my favorite one being The Power of Introverts
by Susan Cain.

20.

I am greatly impressed by Anand Kumar,

Founder of Super 30, who selects few

underprivileged students every year, training
them for the the toughest engineering exam in
India, and ensuring they get admits to the
prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, setting
benchmarks for the rest of us to give bak to
society.
21.

My room was the hostels informally

designated laptop repair room and home theater

as Id managed to convince the administration to
allow me to install the colleges projector here,
allowing my peers and I to watch movies, sports,
etc.
22.

Fond of the peaceful atmosphere associated

with high altitude places, I have visited almost all

such tourist spots in India.

23.

I love to watch Cricket, and dream of soon

watching a match at Lords and Melbourne

Cricket Ground (MCG).
24.

I am determined to achieve the goals I set

for myself, a fact that is evident in my GMAT

score and career decisions.
25. I try to find humor in almost every situation,
and have the rare ability of being abel to laugh
at myself.

1) Why are you pursuing the MMS

degree at this stage in your
professional development? (100
words).
Having worked in diverse industries,
supplementing my academic credentials
and getting a taste of how business
functions in the real world, I believe that
now is the right time for me to gain

formal management education, and I

hope to do this through Dukes MMS
program, which will help me enrich my
thinking, sharpen my approach to a
multitude of things ranging from
negotiation to problem solving, and gain
diverse perspectives. I look forward to
polishing my existing skillset and
extending my repertoire of skills and
knowledge to fill the gap required for me
to achieve my goals.
2) What are your immediate career
goals after completing the MMS
program? ((100 words)
After completing the MMS program, I
would like to pursue a career in
management consulting, starting as an
Associate or Junior Associate in an
established leading global firm such as
McKinsey, Bain and Co, or Boston
Consulting Group.

3) Life is full of uncertainties, and

plans and circumstances can change.
As a result, navigating a career
requires you to be adaptable. Should
the immediate goals that you
provided above not materialize, what
alternative directions have you
considered? (100 words)
What interests me most about my chosen
field, i.e. management consulting are the
processes involved and the opportunity to
work with diverse projects. In case this
goal does not materialize, I will choose to
pursue a career in general management,
an area, which though less data driven,
will provide me significant exposure to
the various business functions.