from bench to board

Fall 2 is the second 6-week term for the Duke MBA. 1st year students continue to take core courses and this is also when recruiting really heats up for the consulting and finance folks. Many student clubs also have their annual conferences this term. We learned from orientation back in the summer that Fall 2 is ranked the most stressful term in the entire Duke MBA experience by most students.

The CED Life Sciences Conference is the largest biotech event in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) and spans 2 days with over 1,000 attendees. You can check out the agenda for the 2014 conference here. Students have an opportunity to volunteer for one shift during the 2 days and in return get a discounted ticket price ($100) and access to the conference. A couple of MBA students from Fuqua and UNC Kenan-Flagler volunteered and it was a great time.

A reader had made a blog post request to learn more about what the classroom experience is like in the Duke MBA. Thank you Sakthi for asking this! I'm glad that this was asked as it is an important experience that so far has been missing from this blog.  Please leave any future requests in the comments section in this post. I get email alerts for any comments so you can expect a response within the same day.

This is Part 2 of a 2-part series on the NCI/Avon Breast Cancer Startup Challenge. I've already introduced the challenge in Part 1 and wrote about my team and why we're in the challenge. Part 2 will be about my team's experience in the challenge.

This is the last post in the series on Health Sector Management (HSM) at the Duke MBA outside of classes. The Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum and the Duke University Hospital Internship are another set of wonderful experential learning opportunities that are offered to students who are interested in pursuing careers in health care.

One of the most attractive aspects of the Duke Fuqua MBA for me was to be surrounded by other students who were passionate about health care. The 90-plus students in the Health Sector Management (HSM) program at Duke definitely helps create a very immersive environment. Student leadership for health care opportunities shines in the activities run by the Duke MBA Health Care Club.

Recruiting is a major activity for MBA students and networking with firms is important. During term breaks, the Fuqua Health Care Club (HCC) organizes treks where Duke Health Sector Management (HSM) students visit companies together. We call these treks "Week in Cities". They are a structured way for students to learn more about the companies that they are interested in and meet alumni who are working in relevant functions post-MBA. It was also a fantastic opportunity for 1st year bonding! I got to know a lot of my classmates better through going on this trip together.

As appreciation to my blog's readers, I'm giving away a copy of MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools (http://www.mbaadmissionforsmarties.com/), a book by Accepted's CEO & founder, Linda Abraham.

All you have to do is leave a comment below and share with me one idea to make the blog better and give me one blog request. The request can be for be anything related to the MBA or the Duke MBA.

The first person to respond to this post will get the copy of the book. I haven't personally read the book, but it should be helpful to anyone who is applying to MBA programs in the future.

Even if someone has already commented, please still let me know about your feedback or any blog requests you have. I'd be happy to accommodate any requests!

Almost all Duke MBA students choose to do a full-time internship during the summer (10-12 weeks). For students looking for something in the fall or spring, Fuqua’s mentored study program offers an internship for one semester (12 weeks). For students in the Duke MBA Health Sector Management (HSM) program, there are many opportunities in health care.

A reader had asked me what type of health care experiences that the Duke MBA Health Sector Management (HSM) program offers outside of classes and seminars. Because of this, I'm starting a blog post series on this topic. If you have a question, just leave me a comment and I'll help answer it for you, my reader.

P4E, short for Program 4 Entrepreneurs, is an experiential course that Duke Fuqua MBA students can take in their first or second years. There are 3 courses in total, New Ventures 1 (NV1), NV2, and NV3. In short, in NV1 students evaluate the opportunity; in NV2 students develop the business strategy of the venture; in NV3 students develop the operation strategy and launch the company. NV1 is typically taken in the fall semester of first year, NV2 is taken in spring semester of first year, and NV3 is taken fall semester of the second year. This is the short version – for more detailed information, visit P4E’s official website. I’ve also written about the P4E kickoff that I had attended in the summer before starting my first year. Read about it here.