In an effort to get to know their prospective students, business school application essays span an array of topics, from career goals to personal values to strengths and weaknesses. But there is one business school that asks a question that its applicants will never forget – the Duke Fuqua “25 Random Things About Yourself” essay. The question has become so infamous that the Fuqua admissions office has even written a blog post offering applicants tips about how to approach it. Here’s how the question is worded:
The ‘Team Fuqua’ spirit and community is one of the things that sets the Fuqua experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. Please share with us “25 Random Things” about you. These ’25 Random Things’ help us get to know someone’s personality, their background, special talents, and more.
The Admissions Committee wants to get to know YOU – beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. 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.
Please present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25…
Every year, we help several clients tackle this challenging thought exercise, which most people find rather intimidating at first. But once we talk through some strategy and invite them to think broadly about their experiences – both the mundane and the exceptional – most people have a lot of fun unearthing old memories, personal victories, quirky factoids, and other revealing bits of their lives. In the end, the 25 Random Things essay helps most people think about their experiences in a different light, and often it proves helpful in stimulating ideas for other essays or interview responses. Here are some of the pieces of advice we offer each new applicant who works on this essay, as well as several real examples from our clients’ essays over the years.
You Don’t Need to be the Most Interesting Person in the World
One of the most common things people say when they start thinking about this question is, “I’m not interesting enough to list 25 things about myself.” This response comes from the feeling that a list of things about us ought to be exceptional and impressive. While it’s true that most people do include some big accomplishments and unique things about themselves, completing the list will require the writer to “think small” about some of the everyday or quirky things that make us who we are. Embracing this approach to the list can help applicants express their personality, preferences, and lifestyle with authenticity.
I started to skateboard at the age of 32. At the time, my friends said I was too old to learn a “kid sport”. After two years, I’m an active member of a skateboarding community.
Show, Don’t Tell
Simply telling the reader about something you like is a missed opportunity. Sharing personal details helps the reader believe you and also reveals interesting things about you. For example, this writer included a list of their previous and future pets to illustrate their love for animals:
I have had a long list of pets including dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish and squirrels. I would like to have a border collie or a beagle to accompany my kids in the future.
Let Your Values Shine
If you care about the environment, animals, work-life balance, diversity in the workplace, or other social issues, don’t be shy about sharing your efforts to contribute to those causes. Volunteering, working with a non-profit organization, or contributing to social initiatives in the workplace are strong proof points.
When I graduated from university, I pledged to give back as an alumna so I recently gave a short lecture about my MBA application preparation to prospective students.
Talk About Personal Growth
Whether you believe in lifelong education or you learned an important life lesson from a challenge or failure you encountered, talking about personal growth gives the admissions committee a clear understanding of how you think about education. Adding skills, taking care of your mental health, and overcoming adversity are great topics for helping others understand one’s character and can demonstrate a growth mindset.
I taught myself programming by reading books and blogs. When I realized that it’s more efficient to learn in structured programs, I enrolled in classes on MIT OpenCourseWare.
Don’t be Afraid to Laugh at Yourself
Funny stories and unexpected outcomes help us not take ourselves too seriously while showing others what we think is fun or funny. Not only that, sharing amusing anecdotes endears us to one another by revealing our character and even our insecurities.
Inspired by the book “The Motorcycle Diaries” I decided to take my own motorcycle journey around Taiwan. I expected some great ideas or ambitious plans to flash through my mind, but more than anything I found hunger and fatigue.
Travel Stories Take Us Places
Travel stories shape many of our lives and produce vibrant, cherished memories. Being amazed by natural beauty, experiencing moving cultural traditions, having a humbling exchange in a foreign language, and even sharing insights from business trips can make for memorable entries in a 25 Random Things list.
The first year I worked in China, I took a legendary 6-month business trip that covered 5 provinces and 65 cities total!
Highlight Your Hobbies
How we spend our free time can tell others a lot about us. Knowing that someone plays the piano, is an avid rock climber, or builds scale models, can allow an admissions officer to infer things about that person’s ability to focus, attention to detail, desire to improve themself, and many more things.
I am a scuba diving enthusiast and my most memorable diving experience was swimming with colossal 20-foot whale sharks in Cebu, Philippines.
Family Matters
We all spend a good chunk of time with our families, from childhood into adulthood, so dig into that long personal history to share stories and small facts about your relationships with partners, siblings, parents, and extended family.
I met my ‘Ms. Right’ through the messaging app “WeChat”. Anyway, we are going to get married next year, and plan to live happily ever after!
Conclusion
Compiling a list of 25 things about oneself is a challenge – and it’s meant to be. But by opening one’s mind and heart, this can be an effort that pays off when writing other essays, giving interviews, and building confidence in one’s candidacy for graduate studies. Have fun with it!