BusinessWeek released its much awaited biannual, full-time MBA rankings. The rankings showed slight movement: Columbia went from #10 in 06 to #7 in 08. Wharton went from #2 to #4. Kelley climbed from #18 to #15.

Frankly, don't pay too much attention to the absolute ranking or even slight movement. Take advantage of BW's rich, informative database and fantastic resources for applicants. Then choose what's important to you and do your own ranking.

Top 30 U.S. Programs
1 University of Chicago
2 Harvard University
3 Northwestern University (Kellogg)
4 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
5 University of Michigan (Ross)
6 Stanford University
7 Columbia University
8 Duke University (Fuqua)
9 MIT (Sloan)
10 UC Berkeley (Haas)
11 Cornell University (Johnson)
12 Dartmouth (Tuck)
13 NYU (Stern)
14 UCLA (Anderson)
15 Indiana University (Kelley)
16 University of Virginia (Darden)
17 UNC - Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
18 Southern Methodist (Cox)
19 Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)
20 University of Notre Dame (Mendoza)
21 Texas - Austin
22 Brigham Young (Marriott)
23 Emory University (Goizueta)
24 Yale University
25 University of Southern California (Marshall)
26 University of Maryland (Smith)
27 University of Washington (Foster)
28 Washington University (Olin)
29 Georgia Tech
30 Vanderbilt University (Owen)

Top 10 Non-U.S. MBA Programs
1 Queens University
2 IE Business School
3 INSEAD
4 Western Ontario (Ivey)
5 London Business School
6 ESADE
7 IMD
8 Toronto (Rotman)
9 IESE
10 Oxford (Saîd)

BW bases its rankings on employer and student surveys as well as school research output or "intellectual capital."  This year for the first time, in a nod to the economic crisis, it is also including a ranking based on ROI and years to recoup the MBA investment. Not surprisingly, European schools, which tend to be one-year programs, are at the top of the chart. More surprising: HBS ranks 50 out of 50 in this chart. I guess assumptions matter.

It is with great pleasure that I welcome Natalie Grinblatt to Accepted's staff. Natalie previously served as:

• Assistant Dean at Arizona State University's W P Carey School of Management.
• Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Cornell's Johnson School
• Director of MBA Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at the University of Michigan (where she also earned her MBA).

She is a wonderful addition to our already excellent staff.

If you would like to work with Natalie on your application, please register and request her in the comments box.

Duke University is planning a major global initiative that will expand its reach around the world. Here are excerpts from its press release:

Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business will announce on Monday an innovative expansion plan that will establish a network of campuses around the world to conduct research and deliver programs.

This network will embed and connect Duke’s research and teaching activities in key economic and cultural centers of the world: New Delhi, India; St. Petersburg, Russia; Dubai, UAE; London, UK; and Shanghai, China, as well as on Duke’s campus in Durham.

Partnerships with individuals, municipalities and organizations will facilitate the simultaneous launch of the business school’s campuses in each of these five regions. In addition to establishing the business school in each of these regions, the expansion plan includes current or future participation from other parts of Duke University, including the Nicholas School of the Environment, the Duke Global Health Institute and the Sanford Institute for Public Policy.

Fuqua Dean Blair Sheppard noted the significant shift in business education represented by the school’s global initiative.

“With the simultaneous launch of our new international locations, Fuqua will be the first truly global business school, shaped and driven by the fundamental issues of our time,” Sheppard said. “The depth of our activities in each location ensures we will become truly embedded in each region. By engaging with these regions through education and research, we will be able to examine the world’s opportunities and problems, explore interdependencies between regions, create solutions to address world issues, and prepare practitioners to be change agents and informed leaders.”

Fuqua’s new global plans call for a significant presence in each location rather than the casual affiliations that define the international programs of most U.S. business schools, Sheppard said. Each of Fuqua’s regional campuses will support all Duke MBA programs, including the Executive MBA programs. Each also will include a Duke Corporate Education site or partnership, open enrollment executive education, at least two research centers and Fuqua faculty, as well as service learning activities tied to local needs. Duke’s commitment to civic engagement will extend to these new initiatives.  

The leading activity in Fuqua’s global expansion will be The Duke MBA – Cross Continent program, which begins in August 2009. This program will be held in each of the five regions before closing at the Duke campus in Durham, N.C. More details can be found here.

The school’s first regional partnership, with the Graduate School of Management in St. Petersburg, was to be announced at the launch event. Fuqua will announce its plans for the India location in October.  

For further information about the global initiative, visit Fuqua’s web site.

Duke Fuqua 2009 Deadlines

                              Deadline            Notification

Early Action       Oct 15, 2008      Nov 14, 2008

Round 1              Oct 27, 2008      Dec 19, 2008

Round 2             Jan 7, 2009         Mar 10, 2009

Round 3             Mar 16, 2009      Apr 23, 2009

Duke Fuqua 2009 MBA Essay Questions

My comments are in red.

Three short answer questions and one long essay question must be completed before submitting your application. Prepare your essays carefully. The Admissions Committee considers your responses to the following questions important in the selection process. Please respond fully and concisely using 1.5 line spacing.

For the short answer questions, please restrict your response to a single page each. For the long essay question, please restrict your response to two pages. Please avoid using a font size smaller than 10-point.

Candidates who applied to Fuqua between September 2007 and April 2008 are considered reapplicants.  All reapplicants are required to complete the Reapplicant Essay in addition to the Applicant Essays. 

All applicants have the opportunity to submit an optional essay to explain any extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware.

Duke is very proud of its community: Team Fuqua Consequently, it carefully chooses team members. The questions below are an opportunity for you to introduce yourself as an individual, a member of your community or team, and as a professional and future leader. As the questions show, all facets are important to Fuqua.

Duke has shuffled the essay deck this year. It is asking for three short essays (as opposed to two last year) and one long essay (as opposed to two last year.) It is asking two new questions and has removed the element of choice that was part of last year's application.

Applicant Essays
Short Answer Essays - Answer all short answer essay questions.

1-What do you hope to gain from The Duke MBA? How does it fit into your short- and long- term goals? If you are interested in a joint degree or the Health Sector Management program, please address in this response.

Connect the dots between your past experiences your future goals and show how Duke's MBA program will bridge the gap between the two.  (For different ideas on structuring goals essays, click on the link.)

I don't think I can overemphasize the importance of this essay in establishing your credibility as a serious candidate. I know I have harangued you regularly about the importance of goals in MBA admissions and I am doing it again. Just keep in mind that this  essay  will reveal whether you have done  your homework -- personal introspection, career networking, and school research -- or not, as the case may be.

2-How will you contribute to the overall experience of your peers at The Duke MBA?

Very similar to last year's #2.  What are you going to add to Team Fuqua? Is it an enthusiastic commitment to Habitat for Humanity, a local environmental cause, your church, or a hobby, sport, or art form? Is it an unusual personal background? Perhaps, overcoming distinctive challenges?   And then how will this unique facet cause you to contribute at Duke?  Will it lead to involvement in a specific club or Fuqua project? Interest in a particular program? Again show your knowledge of Fuqua as well as fit between you and the program.

3-Discuss a person, event or experience that has significantly shaped your life and explain why. Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally.

New question: What or who has had profound, lasting impact on you? Describe the person or event and its impact. Please don't limit your description of impact to the emotional or intellectual. How does it influence your behavior? This essay probably will reflect a non-professional facet of your life.

Long Essay - Answer the long essay question below.

1-Today, companies must navigate through complex and interdependent issues. They must deal with health and security matters, environmental impact questions, and diversity and cultural concerns.  Leaders need adaptability, imagination, and emotional intelligence as well as business acumen.

Upon graduation, a Duke MBA will be a leader of consequence - able to deal simultaneously with complex matters and engage skillfully with colleagues, clients, and community.  What impact do you hope to have as a leader of consequence?

New question. What role in the world would you like to assume? Where would you like to have impact? What cause is important to you? Where have you contributed in the past?This is more about vision, values, and life goals than strictly professional goals.

The best essays here will be connected to past involvement so that your goals for the future seem plausible no matter how grand.

Optional Essay (not required)

1-If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the admissions committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g. unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application).  

Why isn't your current supervisor writing your rec? Why did your grades dip during the first semester of your senior year? Why is there a six-month gap on your resume? What are your responsibilities while working for a family business after having left a prestigious investment bank and why did you make the change? Answering any of those questions (but not all) could be the topic of your optional essay. And of course an infinite number of similar subjects could be worthwhile discussing in the optional essay.

Reapplicant Essay

All reapplicants are also required to complete the Reapplicant Essay below. Please limit your response to two pages.

1-Write an essay describing how you are a stronger candidate for admission compared to the previous year's application.

This is the question that adcoms want MBA reapplicants to answer. It is self-explanatory and critical.

If you would like help with your Duke Fuqua MBA application, please consider Accepted.com's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a Duke Fuqua Comprehensive Package,

Duke Fuqua released its 2008-09 application deadlines and essay questions today.

Duke Fuqua 2008-09 Application Deadlines

                       Application Deadline      Notification Date

Early Action       Oct. 15, 2008                   Nov. 14, 2008

Round 1            Oct. 27, 2008                    Dec.  19, 2008

Round 2             Jan. 7, 2009                     Mar. 10, 2009

Round 3             Mar. 16, 2009                   Apr. 23, 2009

Duke Fuqua Essays for Fall 2009 Entry

Three short answer questions and one long essay question must be completed before submitting your application. Prepare your essays carefully. The Admissions Committee considers your responses to the following questions important in the selection process. Please respond fully and concisely using 1.5 line spacing.

For the short answer questions, please restrict your response to a single page each. For the long essay question, please restrict your response to two pages. Please avoid using a font size smaller than 10-point.

Candidates who applied to Fuqua between September 2007 and April 2008 are considered reapplicants.  All reapplicants are required to complete the Reapplicant Essay in addition to the Applicant Essays. 

All applicants have the opportunity to submit an optional essay to explain any extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware.

Short Answer Essays - Answer all short answer essay questions.

1. What do you hope to gain from The Duke MBA?  How does it fit into your short- and long- term goals? If you are interested in a joint degree or the Health Sector Management program, please address in this response.
2. How will you contribute to the overall experience of your peers at The Duke MBA? 
3. Discuss a person, event or experience that has significantly shaped your life and explain why. Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally.

Long Essay - Answer the long essay question below.

1. Today, companies must navigate through complex and interdependent issues. They must deal with health and security matters, environmental impact questions, and diversity and cultural concerns.  Leaders need adaptability, imagination, and emotional intelligence as well as business acumen.
   
   Upon graduation, a Duke MBA will be a leader of consequence - able to deal simultaneously with complex matters and engage skillfully with colleagues, clients, and community.  What impact do you hope to have as a leader of consequence?

Optional Essay (not required)

1. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the admissions committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g. unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application).  

Reapplicant Essay

All reapplicants are also required to complete the Reapplicant Essay below. Please limit your response to two pages.

Write an essay describing how you are a stronger candidate for admission compared to the previous year's application