duke mem essay

How to Apply

Applying to master's programs.

The instructions on this page are for applying to the on-campus Master of Environmental Management and Master of Forestry , and the hybrid Duke Environmental Leadership Master of Environmental Management programs. 

PhD, iMEP and other programs : Please use the  other admissions links  at the bottom of this page if you are interested in our International Master of Environmental Policy, PhD/doctoral, undergraduate, Duke Marine Lab or executive education programs.

The application for fall enrollment in the Master of Environmental Management (MEM), Master of Forestry (MF) and the Duke Environmental Leadership Master of Environmental Management (DEL-MEM) opens in mid-September. 

Admissions Application Deadline  

• MEM, MF: December 15
• DEL-MEM: December 15. Applications may be considered after this date based on space availability.

Financial Aid Application Deadline  

• All applicants for admission are considered for merit-based aid . 
• All students, including international students, are strongly encouraged to apply for need-based financial aid . The deadline to submit the application forms AND all supporting documents for need-based financial aid is in mid-February.  

Notifications

Admissions decisions are released in mid-March. Admitted students who are awarded financial aid receive their financial aid notification soon after receiving their admission decision.

Application Process & Instructions

• If you have ever applied to another Duke University program, including undergraduate programs, you may already have a OneLink account, and should use the OneLink Account Lookup to reactivate your login. 
• When you start an application, you will receive an auto-generated email. You will continue to receive periodic reminders throughout the application process, such as reminders to complete and submit the application form, or to submit remaining materials needed to complete your application. 
• Please see the information below for further information on each component of the application.  
• Please note that recommendations may arrive before or after you submit, and we will not review your application until all required materials are received. 
• If you are required to submit English language test scores, these scores are verified after your application is submitted.  
• You will receive an auto-generated email when you submit your application, and additional emails when each recommendation is received. 
• During our admission review, we may determine we need additional information. If this is the case, a member of our staff will email you directly.  
• When your admissions decision is available in mid-March, you will receive a notification email to log into the application portal to view your decision letter. We do not mail hard copy letters; you will only receive electronic notification of your decision. 

Application Fee Waived

We do not require an application fee to apply to the Master of Environmental Management, Master of Forestry, or Duke Environmental Leadership MEM programs. Our hope is that removing this fee will make it just a little easier for you to bring your unique background and perspective to Duke, and join us in tackling the world's most pressing environmental problems.

On-Campus Programs

Master of environmental management (mem) and master of forestry (mf) .

This section outlines instructions for applying to the on-campus  Master of Environmental Management  (MEM) and  Master of Forestry  (MF) degree programs. 

In addition to the information below, we strongly encourage applicants to review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) video series.

MEM & MF Admissions Requirements

Admissions requirements.

Admissions requirements for future admissions terms are subject to change. Applicants are subject to the stated admissions requirements for the term in which an applicant is applying for consideration.

General Requirements

• Applicants to the Nicholas School’s professional master’s degree programs must hold the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree from an accredited institution prior to matriculation at the Nicholas School. Applicants whose undergraduate programs are three years in length typically must complete a fourth year of study to be considered for admission.  
• Students join our programs from a range of academic and experiential backgrounds. We have a balanced mix of students who join us directly after undergrad and those who join us later. In our incoming class each year, we usually have 40+ areas of undergraduate study represented. Some have directly relatable research, work, internship and/or volunteer experiences, while others bring transferable skills from other areas of interest and professions. Our holistic review takes into account all that you share on your application—from your coursework to your statement of purposes to your resume—as we complete our admissions evaluation. 

PREREQUISITE RECOMMENDATIONS & REQUIREMENTS 

Coursework prerequisite requirements.

• All areas of study within the Master of Environmental Management and the Master of Forestry require at least one college-level semester each of calculus and statistics .
• Depending on your areas of study within the MEM or MF degree, additional courses may be required or recommended.

If you are missing prerequisites:

• You may still apply for and be offered admission if you are missing one or more prerequisite courses; however, students may not matriculate with more than one required prerequisite deficiency.
• We strongly urge all students to complete ALL prerequisite coursework prior to the start of either the MEM or MF program(s) . An initial review of prerequisite coursework is completed as part of the admissions application review. The NSOE Registrar determines the official prerequisite status for enrolling students in the spring prior to the fall term (e.g., students enrolling for the upcoming fall term will receive a prerequisite review in the preceding spring semester).  
• Students who begin the program with one missing required prerequisite course must complete the requirement during the first year, preferably in the fall semester. 
• For applicants to the MF program, it is expected that all prerequisite deficiencies will be completed prior to matriculating by means of formal coursework to assist in the successful and timely progression through the MF degree.

Applicants will be prompted to enter information for all prerequisites—for all areas of study—on the online application form. This is to facilitate a smoother transition for students who may wish to request an adjustment in their area(s) of study after beginning the program, and to facilitate students’ ability to take courses across the MEM curriculum that may fall outside those required by their area(s) of study. For example, a student may not be required to take a class on natural resource economics as part of their area(s) of study, but may wish to do so, and therefore will require microeconomics as a prerequisite for that class.

For program-specific requirements, guidance on meeting prerequisites and further details: 

• Statement of Prerequisite Coursework 

Experience Recommendations

One (1) or more years of post-baccalaureate experience is a plus. This includes military service and paid work experiences including internships, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Teach for America and other service work assignments. The Nicholas School values work experience as part of preparation for graduate study and often provides students with valuable teamwork experience, and a clearer idea of their goals for graduate study.

• For those interested in pursuing the Business & Environment (BE) concentration, competitive applicants to the BE concentration will have a minimum of one (1) year post-baccalaureate experience for admissions consideration. BE applicants without at least one (1) year post-baccalaureate experience must have significant undergraduate coursework in business, finance, accounting, and/or economics.

MEM & MF Application Materials

Letters of recommendation.

In the online application form, applicants will enter contact information for three individuals who can articulately write about their suitability for the program and graduate study. Your recommenders should be able to write about your leadership potential, problem solving skills, maturity, personal integrity, etc.

Applicants currently completing their undergraduate study should submit at least one academic recommendation. Recent graduates are encouraged to submit at least one academic recommendation. If you find yourself unable to find an academic recommender who can still speak to these characteristics, think about someone who knows you well enough to rate your strengths and who can thoughtfully articulate them for us. The person you choose to write your recommendation is your decision, though we would prefer to hear from employers and/or supervisors from a work/professional setting. Letters of recommendation from family members or friends are not recommended in most instances. 

• Once this information is entered into the online application form, recommenders will receive an auto-generated email with instructions to complete their recommendation . Recommendation letters will not be accepted outside of the online portal.  
• Applicants should notify their recommenders that letters are limited to one page in length. 
• Recommenders may complete their recommendation prior to the application being submitted.  
• The application may be submitted before all three recommendations are received , but the admission review cannot begin until all three recommendations are on file. 

GPA & Transcripts

There is no undergraduate grade point average (GPA) minimum requirement to apply to the MEM or MF degree programs. Competitive applications often have a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale). As part of our holistic application review process, each applicant’s GPA is considered as one of many factors and we understand that GPA is not the sole indicator of academic and professional potential.

If your GPA was significantly impacted by external factors (i.e., health issues, other personal reasons), you are welcome to expound in your application to the extent you feel comfortable. 

Applicants will enter and upload transcripts for all colleges and universities attended via the online application form. All transcripts submitted through the online application are considered unofficial. Official transcripts are neither required nor requested until a student is admitted and enrolled.

• Applicants who received transfer coursework from an institution other than where they earned their degree must enter that institution’s information as a separate entry in the Academic History section of the online application form, and upload the corresponding transcript. 
• Credit by exam via Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, CLEP or other means should be clearly notated on the transcript or other grade report, showing the department and class for which credit was awarded, along with the amount of credit.  
• Students currently enrolled for the fall semester should upload their most current transcripts, including all courses in progress. The Admissions team will provide instructions on uploading fall/midyear grades as applicable.  
• Transcripts for completed degrees should show both the name of the degree and the date the degree was awarded/conferred. 

International transcripts not converted on a 4.0 GPA scale require a course-by-course foreign credential evaluation completed by a NACES approved agency . When ordering your foreign credential evaluation, please be sure that your GPA is calculated on a 4.0 scale and included in your agency evaluation. 

All transcripts must be in English. Transcripts not issued in English should be uploaded along with an English translation; the required course-by-course foreign credential evaluation can also be used as the English translation.

Statement of Purpose

Please share the key experiences that have contributed to your commitment to work on environmental issues. In addition, what are your academic and professional/career goals and how will enrollment at the Nicholas School of the Environment help you achieve them? Finally, why is earning a MEM and/or MF degree critical in helping you achieve your goals and how will your selected concentration(s) of focus support this goal? Strong essays will include specific examples that support your response and should go beyond what is already provided in your resume and transcript(s). Please limit your response to 2 pages. 

COVID-19 Impact Statement (optional)

Our holistic review aims to understand both your achievements and the context in which they occurred. Should you feel additional information would be helpful for our review, you may upload an additional statement about your experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. This may include, but is not limited to, the ways your academic, professional and personal endeavors have been impacted.  

Your resume should highlight your strengths, skills and accomplishments as accounted for in your personal, academic and professional experiences. Choose a format and length that you feel best conveys what you want the admissions committee to learn about you in these areas.

You are more than your transcripts and resumes. Share with us your list of '15 Random Things About You.' This is your opportunity to tell us anything that helps us to understand what makes you who you are. Present your response in list form from 1-15. The complete list should not exceed two pages and should not contain pictures.

Please read the Nicholas School’s mission statement and provide 3 ways that you will contribute as an individual to further that mission. Please limit your answer to 250-500 words.

GRE & Standardized Exams

The GRE requirement for fall 2024 admission consideration remains suspended.  Applicants should not submit GRE scores, as GRE scores will not be reviewed as part of our admissions process.

Applications will continue to be reviewed holistically. During this time, the Nicholas School will also assess the continued need and value of requiring the GRE in future application cycles.

English Language Proficiency / TOEFL / IELTS / Duolingo

If your native language is not English, you must submit an official score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam or the Duolingo English Test. This requirement is waived if you earned your undergraduate degree in the United States, earned an undergraduate or master's degree from an English-only speaking institution or have been working in the United States for two years or more. Please see the minimum language score required for admission consideration in each test section below.

• Official TOEFL scores should be reported to Duke University’s institution code 5156 ; there is no department code. 
• Official TOEFL scores are matched to student records after the application is submitted. Please allow 3-5 business days for this process. 
• TOEFL iBT minimum score = 100
• A PDF of your IELTS score report should be uploaded in the "Supplemental Uploads" section of the application. Scores will be considered unofficial until Admissions staff verify your scores through the testing service. 
• IELTS minimum overall band score = 7.0 (must receive a minimum of a 6.5 on each individual section)
• Please Note: Make sure to include subscores when you select your institution. Score reports without subscores will not be accepted. If you are not sure how to include subscores in your score report, please contact Duolingo English Test support on the Duolingo English Test website. 
• Duolingo minimum score = 125

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EVALUATIONS 

Virtual Language Proficiency Interviews : Non-native English speakers, including those who qualify for an English language testing waiver, may be required to participate in a virtual interview to evaluate spoken English language ability. This interview is structured as a conversation with a member of our staff, and does not require formal preparation. Nicholas School staff will contact applicants via email if this is required. Notes from this session will be included alongside application materials, and reviewed by the Admissions and Awards Committee. 

Non-native English speakers will participate in no cost, structured English language support tailored to their needs through instruction by the NSOE Communications Studio. This instruction is built around the coursework in which the students are enrolled.

FOREIGN TRANSCRIPT EVALUATIONS 

All transcripts must be in English. Transcripts not issued in English should be uploaded along with an English translation and foreign credential evaluation. The foreign credit evaluation is required for all international transcripts not converted on a 4.0 GPA scale. 

When ordering your foreign credential evaluation, please be sure that your GPA is calculated on a 4.0 scale and included in your agency evaluation. Your credential evaluations must be done by a NACES approved agency .

Help with English Language Test Scores

Official TOEFL and Duolingo scores are matched to records 3-5 business days after the application is submitted. Before submitting the application, even if TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo scores are already on file, your application status page will indicate that your test score reports have not been received. After the application is submitted, an automated score retrieval process matches TOEFL and Duolingo scores to your application record.      If after 5 business days your score report status for TOEFL or Duolingo hasn't been updated, first verify you submitted your scores correctly. Once confirmed, please alert us by email ( [email protected] ), as we may have to manually find and match your scores to your application.    IELTS scores are verified manually by admissions staff and thus may take longer. We will contact you if we have trouble accessing your IELTS scores.    Because we match scores by an applicant's name, it is important your name on the application and your name on your test score reports be the same. If it is not, you must update the "Other Last Names Used" field in the Personal Background section of the application to facilitate the manual matching process. 

Concurrent Degrees

Applicants to the on-campus MEM or MF may apply to concurrent degrees at the same time they apply to the Nicholas School, or during their first year of enrollment. 

Tuition for concurrent degrees will be based on a blended rate. Financial aid from the Nicholas School, if awarded, will be adjusted accordingly. 

Concurrent Master of Environment Management and Master of Forestry

• Applicants wishing to pursue the Nicholas School's concurrent MEM+MF should apply with one application. 
• Current Nicholas School students wishing to either add the MEM or MF degree should contact the Nicholas School Registrar at [email protected] . 

Concurrent MEM or MF with a non-Nicholas School program

• Applicants to the MEM or MF wishing to pursue a concurrent degree with a non-Nicholas School program will complete two applications: one to the Nicholas School, and one to the non-Nicholas School program.
• Admission decisions for the MEM or MF and the non-Nicholas School program are made independently of one another. Applicants are encouraged to take care that their application materials for each program reflect the guidance and requirements from the relevant admissions committee.  

Hybrid Program

Duke environmental leadership master of environmental management (del-mem).

This section outlines instructions for applying to the hybrid  Duke Environmental Leadership Master of Environmental Management (DEL-MEM) degree program. 

In addition to the information below, we strongly encourage applicants to review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) video series . 

DEL-MEM Admissions Requirements

• Five years of post-degree environmentally-related experience (professional OR a significant commitment to the personal/volunteer work in related fields) 
• Evidence of leadership potential and an established background in fields directly related to the environment, as shown by essays, recommendations, resume and applicant interview
• Self-motivation and commitment to learn at a distance 
• A working knowledge of the internet and personal computers for word processing, data analysis and synchronous online conferencing 
• Written sponsorship from employer (or letter of commitment, if self-employed) 

DEL-MEM Application Materials

In the online application form, applicants will enter contact information for three professional references who can articulately write about their suitability for the program and graduate study. Your recommenders should be able to write about your leadership potential, problem solving skills, maturity, personal integrity, etc.

Sponsor Letter / Letter of Commitment

Applicants will upload a sponsor letter on company letterhead stating that your employer endorses your participation in the program and will grant you the necessary time off to attend classes. Self-employed applicants will submit a letter of commitment.

While you may submit your application without this letter and upload it later via the application portal, we cannot review your application until it is received . 

Example sponsor letter

The DEL-MEM program seeks to enroll a class with a wide range of experiences, achievements and perspectives.    In 300-350 words, please list and describe how your 5+ years of environmentally-related experience informs your commitment to creating a sustainable future. How might this program help you along your journey as an environmental leader? 

If your GPA was significantly impacted by external factors (i.e., health issues, other personal reasons), you are welcome to expound in your application to the extent you feel comfortable.

Applicants will enter and upload transcripts for all colleges and universities attended via the online application form. All transcripts submitted through the online application are considered unofficial. Official transcripts are neither required nor requested until a student is admitted and enrolled. 

• Credit by exam via Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, CLEP or other means should be clearly notated on the transcript or other grade report, showing the department and class for which credit was awarded, along with the amount of credit. 

Our holistic review aims to understand both your achievements and the context in which they occurred. Should you feel additional information would be helpful for our review, you may upload an additional statement about your experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. This may include but is not limited to the ways your academic, professional and personal endeavors have been impacted.  

If your native language is not English, you must submit an official score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam or the Duolingo English Test. This requirement is waived if you earned your undergraduate degree in the United States, earned an undergraduate or master's degree from an English-only speaking institution, or have been working in the United States for two years or more. Please see the minimum language score required for admission consideration in each test section below. 

Admissions Interview

Applicants may be asked to participate in a virtual admissions interview to discuss their professional goals, readiness for self-directed distance learning, and how they envision the DEL-MEM facilitating their growth as an environmental leader. For non-native English speakers, spoken English language proficiency will also be evaluated. Nicholas School staff will be in contact to schedule this after the application is submitted. 

DEL-MEM Visa Requirements for Non-U.S. Citizens

If admitted, the DEL-MEM program requires students to participate in five (5) place-based sessions. Four of these sessions take place at Duke University in Durham, NC, and one place-based session is held in Washington, D.C.. Duke University and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security require non-U.S. citizens entering the United States to participate in the DEL-MEM program place-based sessions to enter the United States on an F-1 student visa for each place-based session (a business or tourist visa is not sufficient).

PhD, Undergraduate & Other Academic Programs

The above information only applies to admissions to the MEM, MF and DEL-MEM master's programs. To access application instructions and requirements for other degrees and programs, visit:

• International Master of Environmental Policy  (iMEP) through Duke Kunshan University
• PhD admissions : Students interested in the Nicholas School’s doctoral programs apply and are admitted through the Duke Graduate School . 
• Undergraduate admissions : Students interested in the Nicholas School’s undergraduate programs apply and are admitted through Duke Undergraduate Admissions . 
• Duke University Marine Laboratory Campus Programs  
• Executive Education Programs

Admissions staff members are here to support you throughout the application process. If you start an application in error—for instance, creating an application meant for the PhD program or creating a duplicate application—please email us ( [email protected] ) so we may withdraw it. 

For assistance creating a OneLink account or accessing your application, visit the OneLink Help Page .

MASTER'S DEGREE STUDENTS

Email:  [email protected] (919) 613-8070

MASTER'S PROGRAMS FAQ

Non-Discrimination, Harassment Prevention and Title IX

Duke is dedicated to providing a community where everyone feels secure and welcome. We strictly prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex, genetic information or age. Duke does not tolerate harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment and sexual violence. For complete policies, visit the  Duke Office for Institutional Equity . 

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

Connect with us, request info, visit or virtual tour, tuition & fees, financial support & aid.

Please screenshot this page and send it to [email protected]

• Duke MEM Review

The Duke MEM programme is designed for students with a background in science and engineering who are capable of excelling in this highly competitive programme. The MEM is one of the finest programmes that offers in-depth teaching in Engineering Management MEM. International students prefer this course because of Duke University's strong graduation employment rate.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

Program Overview: The Duke MEM is a comprehensive program designed to equip students with essential engineering management skills. The curriculum integrates technical expertise with business acumen, preparing graduates for leadership roles in diverse industries.

Class Profile: The Duke MEM program attracts a diverse cohort of students from various engineering backgrounds. The class typically comprises students with an average of 2-5 years of work experience, and a strong academic record in engineering disciplines.

Tuition Fees: The tuition fee for the Duke MEM program is approximately $58,000 per year. Additional costs may include living expenses, books, and other fees, making it essential for prospective students to plan their finances accordingly.

Average Salary and Employment: Graduates of the Duke MEM program enjoy excellent employment prospects, with many securing positions in top engineering firms, consulting companies, and tech giants. The average starting salary for Duke MEM graduates is around $90,000, reflecting the program's strong reputation and the high demand for its alumni.

Introduction

The Duke MEM programme is a technologically advanced alternative to the MBA. It is integrative and versatile, with an emphasis on applications, intercultural understanding, and the student experience, and it includes a key managerial curriculum and a number of electives.

The Duke MEM (Masters in Engineering Management) programme is designed specifically for students with an engineering or science background who can excel in this extremely competitive programme. The curriculum of the programme is designed to deliver cutting-edge education and facilities. The programme and case study approaches rely heavily on team-based learning and workshops.

Duke MEM Class Profile

Duke University's MEM program for the academic year 2023-2024 boasts an impressive and diverse cohort. Out of a total of 1,303 applicants, 405 were fortunate enough to secure admission, with 187 ultimately enrolling in this renowned program. This vibrant academic community has an average age of 24, reflecting a mix of fresh graduates and professionals looking to further their education.

Duke MEM Ranking

The Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program at Duke University, also known as the Duke MEM, is highly regarded in both academic and professional circles. Consistently earning top spots in various national and international rankings, the Duke MEM program is recognized for its rigorous curriculum, outstanding faculty, and strong career outcomes for graduates.

Program and Curriculum of Duke MEM

The Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program at Duke University is designed to prepare engineers for leadership roles in technology and engineering-based organizations. The program blends technical expertise with business acumen, offering a comprehensive curriculum that equips students with the skills needed to manage complex projects, lead teams, and drive innovation. 

• Product Management in High-Tech Companies
• Negotiations and Consultative Selling in Technology
• Advanced Corporate Finance for Technology-Based Companies
• Competitive Strategy in Technology-Based Industries
• Engineering Management Practicum
• Project Management

Required Courses

• Engineering Management Seminar
• Special Topics: Career Design and Strategy
• Engineering Management Internship
• Engineering Management Internship Assessment

Please refer Duke MEM Courses for detailed analysis of Duke Curriculum

Fees and Financing

The program offers a high-quality education that can open doors to leadership roles in technology and engineering-based organizations. Understanding the costs associated with the program and the various financing options available is crucial for prospective students.

For detailed analysis of Fees and Finance, please refer Duke MEM Tution Fees and Aid

Employment Upon Education

Graduating from the Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program at Duke University positions students for success in the global job market. The program's rigorous curriculum, strong industry connections, and robust career services ensure that graduates are well-prepared for leadership roles in various sectors. 

Please refer Duke MEM Career outcomes for detailed analysis of Employment Stats

Duke MEM Application: Essays and Interview Question

The application process for the Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program at Duke University is designed to identify candidates who demonstrate strong academic potential, professional promise, and a clear fit with the program’s goals and values. Two critical components of this process are the essays and the interview. 

Duke MEM - Short answers Essays in USA is a popular choice among students. As a part of your Duke University MEM admission process, you are required to write three short answers to the questions given below:

We  can learn about your past experiences from your resume, but we’re interested in your plans. Why are you most interested in pursuing the Master of Engineering Management (MEM) degree from Duke University?

Professionalism & The Five Principles are the pillars of the Duke University MEM program. Choose one (1) principle and explain how you plan to contribute in that way at Duke MEM and beyond.

Does any elective track within the Duke MEM program fit your needs? If so, which one and why? If not, and understanding you are free to change your mind later, list 3-4 electives within or outside MEM and how they will help you meet your career goals.

We can learn about your past experiences from your resume, but we’re interested in your future plans. Why are you most interested in pursuing the Business Foundations certificate from Duke University?

Interview Question

While interviews allow the students to learn more about you, they also allow you to learn more about Duke and see if this program is right for you. There will be time for your questions during the interview—use it!

Set 1 Q: Tell me a brief story about yourself. Q: Walk me through your resume. Q: Why are you interested in this program? Q: What is leadership in your opinion? Q: Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses. Q: Tell me about your work experience. Q: Tell me about your previous employer? What was your learning experience? Q: Mention a situation where you worked under pressure?

What Makes Duke Unique?

Is MEM worth it? The Duke University MEM program is a unique program that provides students with an eminently balanced education while also offering access to a global network of alumni. It emphasizes practical learning experiences and accommodates students from varying backgrounds, enabling them to gain real-world knowledge and insights from classmates who come from diverse life experiences.

1. Faculty with deep experience: The Duke Engineering Management faculty includes executives-in-residence and instructors from Duke’s highly-regarded professional schools of engineering, law and business school.

2. Great Outcomes for Duke MEM graduate students: Duke Engineering management students have access to dedicated services and support—including career services and professional development. Master of Engineering Management grads makes up a global alumni network spanning multinational companies, small businesses and exciting startups.

Useful Links

Duke University is a trusted brand in international education. The Duke University MEM is unique. It combines technical and business training to provide students with the required skills by industry. In a nutshell, the Duke MEM programme is for students who want to be leaders in business engineering. So, if you're contemplating your options for MEM colleges in USA, look no further than Duke University. 

Abhyank Srinet, the founder of MiM-Essay, is a globally recognized expert in study abroad and admission consulting. His passion is helping students navigate the complex world of admissions and achieve their academic dreams. Abhyank earned a Master's degree in Management from ESCP Europe, where he developed his skills in data-driven marketing strategies, driving growth in some of the most competitive industries.

Abhyank has helped over 10,000+ students get into top business schools with a 98% success rate over the last seven years. He and his team offer thorough research, careful shortlisting, and efficient application management from a single platform.

His dedication to education also led him to create MentR-Me, an AI-powered platform that offers personalized guidance and resources, including profile evaluation, application assistance, and mentoring from alumni of top global institutions.

Continuously adopting the latest strategies, Abhyank is committed to ensuring that his clients receive the most effective guidance. His profound insights, extensive experience, and unwavering dedication have helped his clients securing of over 100 crores in scholarships, making him an invaluable asset for individuals aiming to advance their education and careers and leading both his ventures to seven-figure revenues.

Duke MEM programme is a 12-month full-time programme which also provides you with the opportunity to enhance your skills through various clubs and associations.

Duke offers admissions to two intakes both fall and spring. International Students can apply to the prestigious Duke’s MEM program before the deadlines.

No, Duke accepts students from various backgrounds; it is not compulsory to have a business degree.

The program boasts an exceptionally competitive acceptance rate, solidifying its status as one of the world's most esteemed MEM programs. It consistently draws a substantial number of exceptionally qualified applicants from various corners of the globe.

Certainly, the MEM Program holds the designation as a STEM-based degree program. For further details, we encourage you to explore visaservices.duke.edu.

6 Duke Supplemental Essays That Worked for 2024

Getting into Duke University is difficult in 2024. But you make sure you have your best chances by writing great supplemental essays.

In this article, I've gathered 6 essays from admitted Duke students so you can get inspired.

What is Duke University's Acceptance Rate?

Duke University has highly competitive admissions, and this past year over 45,000 students applied to Duke. Duke had an overall acceptance rate of 4.8%.

Duke University Acceptance Scattergram

If Duke is your top choice school, then consider applying Early Decision. For the Class of 2026, the acceptance rate for ED admissions was 21.3%!

Regardless of if you apply regular or early, admissions to Duke is competitive. But that only means writing stellar essays matters even more.

What are the Duke University Supplemental Prompts for 2022-23?

This year Duke asks applicants to write one required essay of 200 words and two optional essays of 250 words each.

Here are the 2022-23 Duke writing supplement prompts:

• Please share with us why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something in particular about Duke’s academic or other offerings that attracts you? (200 word limit)

We want to emphasize that the following questions are optional. Feel free to answer them if you feel that doing so will add something meaningful that is not already expressed elsewhere in your application. If you have already addressed either or both of these questions in your application, please don’t worry about leaving them blank. We appreciate how much time it takes to fill out this and your other college applications.

• Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you'd like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you've had that would help us understand you better, perhaps a community you belong to or your family or cultural background, we encourage you to do so here. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke. (250 word limit)

Duke University Nondiscrimination Statement

• Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. If you would like to share with us more about your identity in these areas, you can do so here or, if you feel you have adequately represented your gender and sexual orientation in other parts of your application, feel free to not respond to this prompt. (250 words maximum)

If you're serious about getting into Duke, you should definitely answer the second optional prompt.

Because everybody has a unique background, and this prompt is another opportunity to show admissions officers why you deserve admission.

6 Duke University EssaysThatWorked

Here are 6 of the best Duke essays that worked that respond to the writing supplement.

I've also included an example of a Common App personal statement essay from an admitted Duke student.

Let's get started and inspired writing great admissions essays like these.

• Duke University Essay Example #1
• Duke University Essay Example #2
• Duke University Essay Example #3
• Duke University Essay Example #4
• Duke University Essay Example #5
• Duke University Essay Example #6

#1. Duke "Diversity" Essay Example

Prompt: Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you'd like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you've had that would help us understand you better, perhaps a community you belong to or your family or cultural background, we encourage you to do so here. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke. (250 words max)

The pitter patter of droplets, the sweet smell that permeates throughout the air, the dark grey clouds that fill the sky, shielding me from the otherwise intense gaze of the sun, create a landscape unparalleled by any natural beauty. I have gazed upon the towering cliffs of Yosemite, stood next to Niagara falls as the water roars, succumbing to the power of gravity, and seen the beaches of Mexico basked in moonlight, yet none of these wonders compares to the simple beauty of an Arizona rainstorm. To me, our rain represents more than humidity and darkness; its rarity gives it beauty. The uncertainty of when the next day of rain will come compels me to slow down, and enjoy the moment.

Out of the three realms of time; past, present, and future, the present is the only one we can experience, and I take advantage of every moment I have. When I pause my running to enjoy a sunset that dazzles the sky with brilliant colors of purple and orange, when I touch my brush to a canvas and focus on my movements in the present, when I drive home after a long day of improving our robot, and decide to drive around my neighborhood to finish “Garota de Ipanema”, which just popped up from my playlist of 700 songs, I am taking advantage of the moment.

So next time it rains, step outside. Close your eyes. Hear the symphony of millions of water droplets. And enjoy the moment.

#2. Duke "Diversity" Essay Example

Prompt: We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. In that context, we are interested in what you’d like to share about your lived experiences and how they’ve influenced how you think of yourself. (250 words max)

Ever since I can remember, the comforting lullabies my mother sang to me planted a deep seed in my mind. In my dreams, I began a journey for my identity to discover the hidden stories within those songs. Perhaps that's what led me to explore Hindustani music. "Sa-re-ga" encodes my ancestors' songs just like "do-re-mi." With this solfege, I began exploring a vocal part of my culture, collecting the keys to my identity.

Each song I learned further educated me about myths and legends that helped form who I am today.

When I face adversity in male-dominated activities, I remember Sita, who fought heroically in revolutionary conflicts hundreds of years ago. This has empowered me to believe in my talents and goals, whether I am doing research or organizing a STEM fair in my community. The character Arjuna, who became one of the best archers, taught me perseverance and a desire to learn from others. When chosen to fly to Denmark to play badminton with local clubs, I embraced this experience to play among outstanding competitors and to enhance my competitive abilities. As an Asian American, I am reminded by the Indian National Anthem that I am an American and an Indian.

I plan to bring my music and stories with me to college. The keyboard in my Duke dorm will ring with strong Hindustani notes. I hope to share with my dorm mates and friends the history of those heroes and the strength I gleam from them every day.

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#3. Duke "Why Engineering" Essay Example

Prompt: If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as a first-year applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke. (150 words max)

At Duke I was equally entranced by the articulate movements of 3D printers in the Co-Lab and the stunning Gothic architecture. Instead of forming a dichotomy, these aspects of Duke blended to symbolize its emphasis on interdisciplinary education, which will offer me a nuanced perspective of the world integral to becoming a leader in engineering.

I will join the Academy for Model Aeronautics and share my passion for designing drones, while taking fascinating courses such as “Taboo Markets” and “Banality of Evil”, while simultaneously working on an engineering project that improves real people’s lives in “Engineering Design”. By joining the Duke Robotics Club, I can expand upon my love for robotics, and I hope to write for the Duke Engineering magazine, as well as join the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. By drawing from this diverse range of educational experiences, I can become a leader in creating a better future.

#4. Duke Personal Statement Example: "Forest of Lights"

Common App Prompt #7: Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. (250-650 words)

The diamond leaves of gnarled oak trees throw spectrums of color onto mounds of frosty snow that gleam melancholily under the moonlight. The leaves chime as wind violently rustles them in a haunting melody. I splinter a leaf off its branch and inspect the shard of my illusion, eyes dancing with amusement.

As I dwell in my worries, a cold hand reaches from behind me and taps my shoulder.

I jerk away, fear bubbling in my amygdala as I look into the nonexistent eyes of my intruding visitor.

The moon illuminates a blob of pink squish as it draws back slowly, points its spindly hands towards my drink and asks: “Could I have some of that?”

The blob wipes its invisible mouth with its nonexistent sleeve. I ask: “What are you?”

The blob tells me to stop looking at it so suspiciously. “I can prove it,” It says. I tell it, please, go ahead.

Suddenly we are back in the glowing forest. “Diamonds? Pah!” The blob dismisses them. Instantly, the leaves turn solid gold, the snow melts, and the wintry world is thrown into a blistering summer.

The blob laughs heartlessly. “Your cortex is under my control,” it says smugly.

“I heard you had a question for me?” It taps its invisible ears knowingly.

The blob wriggles its invisible brows as it waits.

It smiles that wicked smile. It laughs that sinful laugh. Then that insufferable blob wakes me up.

As I sit up in the dark and rub my bleary eyes, I am vaguely aware of the deep­set unfulfillment settling itself inside me. I yawn and plop back into bed, the soft red glow of my alarm clock indicating that it is still before midnight.

Why This Essay Works:

One thing is for sure about this essay: it has a unique idea that has surely not been written before. Regardless of your topic, you want your essay to be unique in some way, even if it isn't as fantastical as this essay. You can use a unique structure, such as having central symbolism, metaphor, or being structured as a recipe, for example. But this can easily become "gimmicky" if it doesn't have a clear purpose. In general, the most effective way to have a unique essay is to focus on having deep and unique ideas and reflections. By focusing on interesting takeaways and connections that are ultra-specific to you and your experiences, your essay will standout regardless of the structure.

What They Might Improve:

This essay uses a lot of fiction-like writing that is fantastical and "flowery." Although moments of this kind of writing can make your essay more vivid, it is quite easy to end up with dense storytelling and descriptions that ultimately don't share anything interesting about you. The purpose of your essay is ultimately to learn about you: your values, your ideas, your identity, etc. By using dense story-like writing, it can be easy to lose focus of what admissions officers are looking for. In general, avoid writing "fancy" stories like this essay, unless you have a clear and distinct purpose for doing so. Everything in your essay should have a purpose in "going somewhere" (i.e. reaching interesting ideas and takeaways).

This essay is definitely creative, but lacks meaningful takeaways and ideas. By the end of the essay, we don't know much about the author besides the fact that they have an affinity for creative writing and are "on a search." Although the content is unique, the end result comes off as quite generic and surface-level because no interesting thoughts are explored deeply. The most interesting part of this essay is "I open my mouth and ask it my most crucial question," but this is super unsatisfying because the question is never divulged. Instead, the reader is teased by this fantasy story and the essay goes nowhere meaningful, which comes off as gimmicky and "creative for creative's sake," rather than deeply personal and interesting.

This essay ends on the idea of "continuing my search," but for what exactly? It is never explained, elaborated, or even implied (besides one reference to painting earlier). That makes this conclusion comes off as somewhat surface-level and uninteresting. Admissions officers won't care about "your search" unless they have a reason to care. That is, unless it tells something specific about you. On it's own, this idea of "exploring" and "searching" is meaningless because it is too broad and unelaborated.

#5. Duke Personal Statement Example: "Shadow-Box Stick Art"

Common App Prompt #5: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. (250-650 words)

This essay shows a strong thinking ability because the author shows how they view the world differently than others. Specifically, the author is able to see something as mundane as fallen branches as an opportunity to create artwork. Showing how you view things differently is a great way to demonstrate your unique perspective. Another strategy is to think deeply about things that are often easily overlooked or things that are mundane on the surface. Everything can be reflected upon deeply, and doing so shows a strong thinking ability and level of thoughtfulness. Ask yourself: what do you see differently than others around you? What do you find fun that others find "hard"? What do you find fascinating that others find "boring"? What is something mundane in your life that you do, and what's the greater meaning behind it?

This essay uses a lot of narrative writing—that is, recounting of a specific story and moment. While most essays use storytelling, what most applicants get wrong is they describe unimportant details to the story. Don't write like a fiction book and describe everything in the scene, like what others were wearing, what people looked like, what the environment was, each small action that took place. This is a common mistake that students make in trying to write compelling stories, but it ends up with a lot of unnecessary details. This author shows how a story can still take up a lot of the essay, while also including interesting reflections throughout the story and making it purposeful by only including details that move the story forward.

This essay has a somewhat unexpected conclusion where the author connects to their significant accomplishment of starting and running a charity. Even though this is such a large and meaningful activity, the author chose to only write about it when it came in naturally and not make it the whole focus of the essay. Counterintuitively, by de-emphasizing your biggest accomplishments, they will seem more impactful and you will seem more ambitious. This is because students often try to showcase their achievements and make them the focal point, but instead if you have the attitude of, "Yeah, this is what I did, but really it is nothing in comparison to what I'm going to do" it makes your accomplishments even more impactful. You don't want to be nonchalant, but you do want to make your accomplishments small in comparison to your future goals and achievements, which will show both humility and ambition.

This essay is almost 100 words less than what is given. In general, you should try and make your essays as close to the word limit as possible. Why? Because you should have a lot to say and it should be a challenge to fit it all into your essay, not the other way around. Especially for personal statement essays, its almost always better to use most of the words. Being within 10-20 words of the limit is usually the target. In this essay, they could include further meaningful details that make their essay more vivid. They could describe what their "stick art" actually looks like, because it is hard for the reader to imagine since it is an obscure type of artwork. They could reflect on the impact of their charity: how many people did it help so far? What are their goals for the future of it? What have been challenges with it? Don't add words just to add words, however. As with everything, each sentence should be meaningful and have a clear purpose, but this essay could definitely use more words.

#6. Duke Personal Statement Example: "Kiki's Delivery Service"

Common App Prompt #6: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? (250-650 words)

I spent much of my childhood watching movies. I became absolutely engrossed in many different films, TV shows, and animations. From the movie theatres to the TV, I spent my hours enjoying the beauty of visual media. One place that was special to me was the car. My parents purchased a special screen that could be mounted on the back of the headrest, so that I could watch movies on trips. This benefited both parties, as I was occupied, and they had peace. Looking back, I realize this screen played a crucial role in my childhood. It was an integral part of many journeys. I remember taking a drive to Washington D.C, with my visiting relatives from Poland, and spending my time with my eyes on the screen. I remember packing up my possessions and moving to my current home from Queens, watching my cartoons the whole time. I can comfortably say that watching movies in the car has been an familiar anchor during times of change in my life.

I used to watch many different cartoons, nature documentaries, and other products in the car, yet there has been one movie that I have rewatched constantly. It is called “Kiki’s Delivery Service” by Hayao Miyazaki. My parents picked it up at a garage sale one day, and I fell in love. The style of the animations were beautiful, and the captivating story of a thirteen year old witch leaving home really appealed to me. To be honest, the initial times I watched it, I didn’t fully understand the story but the magic and beauty just made me happy. Then, the more I watched it, I began to see that it was more about independence, including the need to get away from home and establish yourself as your own person. This mirrors how I felt during that period of my life,with mehaving a little rebellious streak; I didn’t agree with my parents on certain topics. That is not the end of the story though. As the years passed, and I watched it a couple more times, although with less frequency than before, my view of this movie evolved yet again.

Instead of solely thinking about the need for independence, I began to think the movie was more about the balance of independence and reliance. In the movie, the girl finds herself struggling until she begins to accept help from others. Looking back, this also follows my own philosophy during this time. As I began to mature, I began to realize the value of family, and accept all the help I can get from them. I appreciate all the hard work they had done for me, and I recognize their experience in life and take advantage of it. I passed through my rebellious phase, and this reflected in my analysis of the movie. I believe that this is common, and if I look through the rest of my life I am sure I would find other similar examples of my thoughts evolving based on the stage in my life. This movie is one of the most important to me throughout my life.

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February 20, 2024

The Inside Scoop on Duke’s Master of Engineering Management (MEM) [Episode 564]

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Are you an engineer who wants to use your technical skills and move into an entrepreneurial or managerial role? Well, Duke’s Master of Engineering Management or MEM may be just the ticket for you, and it provides two options, on campus and online. The program has been around for over 25 years and aims to prepare engineers with business knowledge. Luis Morales, Executive Director of the program, shares more of what the program offers and how applicants can successfully present themselves.  

Welcome to the 564th episode of Admissions Straight Talk . Thanks for joining me. Before we dive into today’s interview, I want to mention a free resource at Accepted that can benefit you if you are applying to graduate engineering programs and that is Applying to Graduate Engineering Programs: What You Need to Know . It can guide you through a process you’ve never been through before. It’s not the same as applying to college. Download your complimentary copy at accepted.com/564download . 

Our guest today is Luis Morales, Executive Director of the Master of Engineering Management Program at Duke University. Professor Morales earned his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and his master’s of engineering from Cornell University. He then worked as an engineer and manager at AT&T and at Cisco before joining Duke as an executive in residence and adjunct associate professor at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering, while also founding his own consulting company. He became the executive director of the MEM program in 2021 and also teaches three courses in that program.

Professor Morales, welcome to Admissions Straight Talk. [2:00]

Thank you, Linda. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Can we start with an overview of the Master of Engineering Management program at Duke? Who is it for? What need is it intended to fill? [2:06]

Absolutely. So the Duke MEM program has been around for more than 25 years. In fact, last year we were celebrating our 25th year anniversary, and as I look back at the charter of the program back then in 1997, the purpose was to prepare engineers with business knowledge. So the assessment, Linda, at the time was that we were preparing engineers for industry, for the global economy that did not have the necessary business knowledge. So they were not able to either get an impact, have an impact on the business side of companies right away so that’s exactly the need that we’re trying to satisfy.

And if you think back to if that was the need then, and you look at where we are now as technology has become so pervasive across so much of how we as a society generate value, engineering management, to me is the perfect solution because it combines, again, it builds on a base of technical knowledge, but then it builds business knowledge on top of that. So the basic structure of the program is eight courses, four of which are core, focus on management, people management, intellectual property management, marketing and finance. Then the other four are technical electives designed to basically sharpen your STEM, saw, whether it is product management, data science, software management, et cetera.

There are two versions of the MEM program. There’s the online and the in-residence. Can you go over how they’re structured? [4:40]

Absolutely. So the campus program, as I mentioned before, has been around for more than 25 years. Our online offering is going to be 15 years in September. Yeah, the time flies. There are a lot of similarities between the two in terms of courses. The curriculum is the same, core courses, four electives, with some small exceptions, but the same instructors teach the core courses, teach the online sections. But then for the online course, Linda, what we do is that we replace the seminars and workshops that are included in the campus offering and we replace those with three weeks of residency where online students get to come to campus and then do their workshops, meet the faculty, and more importantly meet each other, meet fellow cohorts. So we do that before they begin their first semester. We do that halfway at the end of the first year of academic studies and then right before graduation. So those are the residency experiences.

Are there three residency experiences? [6:07]

That’s right.

How long are they? [6:10]

It’s one week. I know we’re not supposed to be sharing secrets here, but they’re one of the things that I consider to be the secret of success for our online program is precisely those residencies. We are lucky to have a professor who runs those residencies, La Tondra Murray, who is outstanding, and I think that helps keep the energy up during the residencies and after.

May I ask how many students are in each program and during the residencies? Do the in-residence and the online students get together? [6:51]

So the residencies, the way we design it is for the third residency, the one right before graduation, that’s the only one where there is actually an overlap between when the campus students are here and the online students are here. For the other residencies, they happen during the summer. One is in July and the other one is in early August. So by design, there are very small sections. There’s very little structural overlap between the two. Initially we were mixing it up, but we learned that their profiles are different. So our online students obviously are working professionals. They tend to join us, I don’t know, 5, 6, 8 years after graduation from undergrad. Whereas our campus students tend to join us on average three years after graduation. So there’s a significant difference in maturity. So we keep the two communities separate.

Do you have people in the in-residence program that are coming straight from college or do they usually work for a little bit? [8:11]

If we look at the distribution, I think there are three years, but students are allowed to join the campus program. They meet our admission requirements and we feel, Linda, if we were to change the program so that this only is dominated by fresh graduates, I think that we would be losing value if we were to do that.

So most of them have already worked a little bit. [8:48]

Yeah, most of them. In fact, this is admission season, so we just had our first deadline on Monday of this week. And if you look at the applications at random, then you just say, “Okay, what is the story? Why Duke? Why now?” And it’s very consistent. Engineers graduated with mechanical engineering degree or what have you. They went on and started working in a company and then all of a sudden they saw someone in their space that they admire and they want to emulate, and they realized that that person has skills that they don’t have. And in most cases, they tend to be leadership skills or financial or marketing skills. So that’s what brings them back to school. That’s why they’re here.

What do you see as the most significant differences between the MEM and an MBA? Because there are definite similarities. [9:51]

Oh, absolutely. So the way we look at it, let’s start with the MS because we live under the same roof, so to speak. With the school of engineering. We tend to encourage MS students,they tend to be individuals that are interested in pursuing research, or they may not have a line of sight to get to a Ph.D., but they’re very much interested in research type positions and opportunities in the industry. Whereas our MEM students are really interested in going back to the industry and working in roles as I mentioned before, product management, project management, more techno management roles, even on the engineering side of the companies but that’s the main difference between the two. So if we see somebody in their application, for example, tells me he or she is very much interested in research and that’s what they’re passionate about, we will encourage them to apply for an MS for a master’s.

As far as the MBA, there are similarities and there are some differences. I think as the MBA program has started to create this one, offerings like we have some here at Fuqua where we have MMS and other programs, some of the differences have become a blur. If you look at their curriculum, you will see obviously marketing, finance in some cases people management also will be there. Then we start diverging there because we start talking about intellectual property. And our approach to even finance and marketing is very much from a technology point of view. And then we have the electives, and our electives are different from the electives that you will get in an MBA program or a quant program. At the end of the day, Linda, we can make a case that, yes, an MEM student can make a choice of electives that will look very much like a MMS to some extent.

But then the main difference remains that your fellow students will all be engineers or scientists whereas the MBA will be a different profile, it’ll be a mix of different backgrounds. So I think that is the main difference and that resonates to me, Linda, given my background as an engineer, when if you and I get on that time machine and we go back to when I graduated from electrical engineering at Cornell, and you asked me, “Hey, Luis, what do you want to do after the next five years?” I would’ve told you, “Oh, Linda, I just want to be an individual contributor. I enjoy being an engineer.” I still do. That’s what brings joy to my life. But then at the time, I didn’t know that I have a passion for people that I later discovered. And it took me 10 years, so maybe I’m a slow mover, but it took me 10 years to discover the passion for people. So I shifted to a technical manager role.

I think another difference is length of time. The traditional MBA degree is a two-year degree. The MEM degree, even in-residence, is a one-year degree. 

I had a situation with our oldest daughter. at the time she was twenty-two, and our youngest daughter was sixteen. and our oldest daughter wanted to go for a master’s in not-for-profit management and my husband and i felt she should go for an mba and just focus on not-for-profit management because an mba is a much more flexible degree. and she didn’t want to hear it. she didn’t want to do the mba. , one day we had over one of our younger daughter’s friends, and she asked our older daughter, “what are your plans” she said, “i want to go for a degree in not-for-profit management.” and she got accepted to some really top programs in that field and our daughter’s sixteen-year-old friend said to her, “why aren’t you going for an mba it’s a much more flexible degree.” at which point she looked at us, like, “did you pay her to say that” , i’m sure that some people listening to this are thinking, “well, if i’m going to get the leadership skills and i’m going to get the business skills, and it’s going to complement my undergraduate training, wouldn’t i be better off getting an mba and having the flexibility” how would you respond to that concern [13:42].

That’s a fair question. I think the way I look at it is, we do offer flexibility, but I think it comes from our vantage point. So let me explain, we are catering to engineers and scientists or a STEM scientist or an engineer. Our audience is different. If you are a scientist or an engineer like me who was stupid back then, but if you use the word ‘sales’ and you say, “Hey, Luis, do you want to learn more about sales?” I would’ve said, “No, no, no, no. I want to be an engineer. Give me tech, right? Tech is what I want.” That’s what I want to do. So that is our constituency, Linda.

For them, what MEM does, it provides you that flexibility, right? It provides you a way of… I used to work at Cisco, one of my favorite executives there, he used to talk about squids and spaceships. So it’s a hard thing to follow, but the squids were these people who were focused on one thing and they knew it in depth. And then the spaceships were the individuals that can cover a lot of ground. And as an executive, he wanted everybody to be a spaceship because you could be deployed in multiple roles  from the point of view of the company. But I think we make, build, and prepare squids with spaceship heads.

I love the metaphor. [16:55]

We’re trying to build on the “squidness” that we all, engineers, bring to the table and broaden your perspective so that you can operate as a spaceship using my friend’s analogy.

I did my MBA many years ago, I have a social science and humanities background, and I remember some of the engineers in our program were bored with the math that we were doing. I was finding it quite challenging because I didn’t have a quantitative background. 

I noticed that the mem focuses very much on professionalism and its five principles. can you touch on what they are and their importance in the program often, programs will have some very nice sounding motto or mission or key principles, whatever you want to call them. and they sound great, but they’re not really ingrained in the program. so when you’re talking about them, how are these principles guiding you how are they realized in the program [17:20].

Thank you for asking me the question by the way, because this is something I feel really, really strongly about. This is even before I became the director as a faculty, I was one of the main forces behind the development of this.

My motivation at the time when I started the dialogue at the faculty meetings was to… I said, “We come from industry, and in industry we have a very clear purpose.” There’s clarity of purpose from leadership. This is why we’re here. This is our vision, this is our mission, this is our strategy on how we accomplish our vision. So I felt like our program, despite the fact that we’ve been around for so long, we didn’t have that articulation. We clearly have a mission, as I mentioned before, preparing engineers with business knowledge, but we couldn’t articulate what do we stand for. So what happened was, and it was organic, Linda, at the faculty meetings, when I pitched this, “Okay, we should come up with a mission, a vision.” The team said, “You know what? I think it’s important for us to communicate to our prospective students and even to our students and prospective students, what are the areas of knowledge where we’re going to build core competence?”

So the initial intent was to articulate like a brand promise, Linda. If you come into this program, these are the areas of competency that you’re going to work on, and this is communication. We want to make sure that you can communicate effectively and you can communicate your ideas. I always tell my students if they’re unable to communicate their ideas, they could be the most creative person in the world, those ideas are trapped in their brains. Set them free by working on your communication skills. And in our classes and through co-curricular activities, we give students opportunities to work on their communication. Part of our Pratt master’s services team helps students with communication, particularly if English is not their first language. We help them improve their skills. The second one is teamwork. I think it goes without saying at this point in life that if you think that you’re just going to work by yourself in a lab, that’s not going to happen.

And companies will not put up with it. So we live in a world where you need to work in teams. So we talk about, particularly in our management class, Linda, we talk about how do you build a high-performing team? What are some of the characteristics of this? What are the five dysfunctions of a team? How do you have a difficult conversation? And so on and so forth. So that’s the teamwork piece. The other one is critical thinking, and it could be based on the demographics of our program. We have a lot of international students from India and from China. Sometimes faculty would see students that come with this expectation that there’s a recipe, Linda, tell me what the recipe is and I’ll follow it and I will have success in my life. And we said, “No, that’s not going to work. We need to equip you with the ability to make critical decisions when presented with multiple views of data.” And in many cases, and we’re living this through media today, it’s sometimes conflicting pieces of information. How do you deal with ambiguity? So that’s critical thinking. 

Then the next one is ethics. And ethics is one that, to be honest, the students struggle with. So what does that mean? I am an honest person. I am kind. I do the right thing. So we have been putting a lot of focus on this, particularly around our data and data science areas. I was doing my own homework with your podcast, and I’ve heard some of the administrators talk about ChatGPT and how we’re using ChatGPT. To me, AI, if used correctly, which means we are all upfront. The students and faculty, we say we’re not afraid of it. We consider it a source of information. If we’re upfront with it, it’s fine. But for example, in my class, I teach a class on improving customer experience. How do we build a system to collect data that can help improve the customer experience? I talk to my students about making sure they consider data privacy concerns as you’re building the system because we say, “Okay, we’re building a system that improves the customer experience, but at what cost?” And you need to have that in the back of your mind that your decisions could impact the privacy of others and expose private information from others. And then last but not least, humanness. I think that’s my favorite principle, Linda.

And I think the way I would describe it to you is we actually went back to the Greek word of eudaimonia. I’m sure I’m pronouncing it incorrectly, but the feeling of flourishing. We’re trying to encourage our students to make use of all the gifts that God had given them, right? And put the effort to do introspection, understand what those gifts are, then make use of them for the betterment of society, but also help others do the same. So those are the five principles, and we reinforce them in class, in my communications as leader, and in every activity we have. In fact, we have awards in the program where we give out awards to students that embody these principles the most and it’s very much an element of our admissions process.

So you’re looking for people who identify with those values basically? [25:06]

Not just mouthing them, but demonstrating them. [25:12].

Yes. That’s a very good point because I could go to Bard or ChatGPT and ask, “Tell me something about professionalism and the five principles,” and it would spew something out that sounds nice. But what we do in our application review, Linda, is we look for the holistic connecting the dots. So in your essays, in your resume, in your video, are you connecting those dots or it is just a one-time mention that you made of that? It has to be genuine and supported by facts.

Yeah. You don’t want your website spit back to you. That’s not very helpful. [25:57]

You touched on experience or professional experience already. is a gre required [26:08].

No. We decided to re-evaluate the GRE during COVID and have been re-evaluating that every year. I made the decision to make it optional this year again. And part of it is because, we’re satisfied with the outcome of the quality of the applicants that we’re getting. We get a wider range of applicants, and we are still saying, if you want to submit the GRE, you can do it. And I think my ask is, students say, “But why would I do it if it is optional?” I say, “Well, if your GPA is not as good as you think it should be, or it could be, and you feel the GRE tells the story or helps you tell the story, then I would do it in that case.”

What else are you looking for in the admissions process? Obviously, good grades, I assume and an engineering or STEM background. Are you looking for leadership experience? Are you looking for extracurricular activities to show that somebody’s not just focused on engineering or just focused on STEM? Does that play a role? [27:09]

Absolutely. The way I would articulate, so we have four criteria, Linda, that we use, and we consider them equally, actually, the equal weight. So the rubric, again has the four elements that are number one, academic, school quality. And what we’re looking for is that you graduated from a challenging or reputable academic institution that sets the bar high. Gets you ready to be a member of the Duke community. The second criteria is academic performance. So you went to that school, how did you do? Our average GPA ranges between 3.4 and 3.6. I think that’s where most of our students, so mostly A’s, a few B’s, in some cases there are C’s scattered, one or two C’s here and there.

But when we start seeing D’s and F’s, then we get discouraged. The other two criteria are, in my opinion, as important or maybe more important, the third criteria, we call it engagement. And what we’re looking for there, Linda, back to the point we were making before, is a demonstration of projection to society. So we are very clear here at Duke and our mission that we’re trying to prepare engineers that will impact the world and impact society for the better. So we want those engineers, those scientists that care about the community, that care about the world. So one of the criteria we look for is how engaged are you with the community.

It’s amazing how many applications I read of students that have a 4.0 GPA, and when you read it, Linda, it’s all about them and things that they’ve done for themselves and very little about how they’re using, again, the gifts that they have to help other people, and leader in sports or church or community or helping remove trash or whatever it is. I just want to see evidence that you really care about other people more than just you. So that’s engagement. And then the last one is fit. And that ties back to professionalism and defined principles. The way I look at it, Linda, is that we’re looking for engineers that believe in principle-based leadership, that when you say things like that, they are like, “Yeah, that makes sense.” Or “What the heck is that?” Right?

They roll their eyes. So what I’m looking for there, or what we’re looking for there is people that resonate to that, and they have demonstrated interest and there’s evidence that they believe in it. They act on it, whether it’s teamwork or critical thinking, or humanness. Some of the best applications I’ve seen are applicants talking about humanness and how they’re trying to help their community and, through that, live out their five principles.

That was very informative. What if an applicant is interested in attending the MEM? Maybe they didn’t graduate in engineering, but maybe they took a lot of biology classes or biological anthropology or something like that. It’s not hard STEM, but it’s getting close. Can he or she take specific classes to get the technical foundation that you expect? And what would those classes be? [30:56]

Yeah, so for situations like that, what we recommend is that students take third-level calculus. Calculus 1, 2, 3, and then probability and statistics. And I think the third level calculus, it’s not that we’re going to be doing triple integrals in our program here, but it’s really more about you as a student feeling confident that you can be successful and you can hang around with your peers and don’t feel intimidated that you understand the concepts at that level, number one. And then probability and statistics is more about what we were talking about dealing with ambiguity. As engineers, we’re used to very precise things. Probability and statistics help us appreciate the fact that the world is not perfect, and there’s always randomness associated with it. I was teaching a class in data science, and I would always integrate probability and statistics into it because every outcome, every exercise that you do, you could characterize it as a random process to some extent.

Let’s turn to the short essays. The first question is, what is short? [33:01]

It’s 1,500 characters, including space and punctuation. I think the reason why we make it so short is that we want students to put the time to think about what they want to say, number one. And number two, when they say it, they say it in a way that is somewhat concise and not rambling. But I would give you another secret, Linda.

I think if you’re an applicant out there and you’re interested in being part of our program, don’t shortchange yourself and try to use as much space as possible to tell your story. There’s nothing worse than us seeing people… A video essay is a part of our application and you see students that just spend less than a minute saying what they need to say when they have whatever, three minutes to say what they need to say. So more is more, not less. Because we’re trying to get to know you, and if you’re shortchanging us with your word, then it’s hard for us to make an assessment.

Can you give us some tips in terms of answering these three questions?

Question a: we can learn about your past experience from your resume, but we’re interested in your plans. why are you interested in pursuing the master’s of engineering management degree from duke university, question b: please choose one principle and explain how you plan to contribute in that way at duke mem and beyond. .

Question C: Does any elective track within the Duke MEM program fit your needs? If so, which one and why? If not, and understanding you’re free to change your mind later, those three to four electives within or outside MEM and how they will help you meet your career goals

Yeah. So for the first one, what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to understand your motivation. What is your motivation to be part of this program? And as I was telling you, this is where I hear the very similar story of I graduated, I wanted to be an engineer to fix airplanes or whatever, cars or buildings or whatever you want. But then I realized I was missing something and therefore, I decided to come to Duke. So that’s where you will see that so the first one gives us your motivation. 

The second one speaks to remembering what we talk about fit and engagement to some extent. And then the third one, we’re really trying to get to your ability to do your homework. And it’s amazing how many students don’t even bother to look at the… Or I should say, applicants, don’t bother to do their homework, and that’s really a bad mark on you and bad reflection when we feel that you didn’t do your homework. I’m coming here to talk to you and you did your homework on me, and I did my homework on you, Linda.

You have an in-person interview that comes later, but you also have a video interview. Can you touch on that and why? [36:52]

Yeah, so we’ve lived through the COVID pandemic where many people had to work remotely and operate remotely. So we all know that being able to see each other’s facial expressions and full spectrum of communication is important. So we look at the video as a way of delivering the complete story. So think of it as your written essays, your resume, your transcripts, your letters of recommendation are building blocks. And then the video is the opportunity to integrate all of that into one cohesive story. So that’s what we do. It is basically a way of telling the story. I enjoy listening to the videos, especially those that are successful in connecting the dots.

What can applicants invited to interview expect during their in-person interview? [38:11]

One of my specialties in industry, Linda, was operations. I’m a quality management guy, so I’m in the engineering space so I would typically be part of the operations team. So I’m very good at productivity and structure and organization. So one of the things I did when I took over as the director of this program is I developed that rubric very clearly, articulated the four criteria that I just mentioned. Then I went on and hired readers that, using the rubric, evaluate applications as they come in. And we just went to our first milestone, Linda, I think we got 1,040 applications.

How many students are in the program again? [39:11]

So out of that number of applications, we have a number of readers, we call them. So the readers will provide a score or an assessment on their application on the basis of their rubric. And then those applications that are deemed to be strong enough that we feel that this person has a potential to be part of Duke MEM, then those get invited to an interview. Now, one of the things that we’re doing this year, Linda, that we have never done before is in the past, the interview was conducted by faculty staff here in our program. What we’re doing now this year is we have asked alumni to get involved in the interview process. So the assignment is somewhat, you can think of it as random. It’s not really, but you can think of it that way. And what happens during that interview is basically we just want to chat.

The alum have a chat with the applicant and what we’re asking applicants, and the best advice I could give applicants is to just be yourself. We’re trying to get to know you, get to know you. The heavy lifting or all the stuff, what you have accomplished, and all of that is in the application. We’re trying to get to know you as a person. So then we ask the alum to provide feedback on the applicant. That feedback comes to me. And then as part of the committee review, I decide on the offer admission or not.

During the in-person interview with the alum or the admission staff person, would they ask more questions, let’s say about how the applicant has handled particular situations or would handle particular situations? Are they going to be asking about decision points in the resume? Is the interview blind or have they reviewed the application? [41:02]

It’s blind. In the past, before this alum involvement, it used to be more informed. So we would have exactly what you described, right? I will look at their application and say, “Hey, I had doubts about this, or I am curious about that.” But with the alums, we don’t share the applicant’s information. So it’s just, okay, I get the… Linda and I, we get to meet each other today, and then at the end I say, “Okay, I think Linda is wonderful”, or whatever. That’s really the process. So there’s no set agenda.

We just have a chat, get to know each other, answer a question. So I would encourage the applicants to use that time to ask questions. Right? That’s another way of getting people to know you by the questions that you ask.

What is a common mistake that you see applicants make in their applications? [42:23]

I think the biggest mistake I see is that they maybe don’t follow instructions and they leave it for the last minute. And then the work product, if you will, is subpar. We just talked about the videos. Just delivering a one-minute video when you’re expected or allowed to do a three-minute video is a mistake. Remember, the goal here is we are trying to get to know you. So make use of the time and the resources that you’re given. And then pay attention to the details. Sometimes people answer the wrong questions and skip questions, and it’s so sad because sometimes we see people who seem to have the right potential, but then they squander the opportunity.

You also think of engineers as usually being very detail-oriented so it’s almost more glaring if they aren’t. [43:22]

Yes. And in most cases, I think it’s because they’re rushing. They left it for the last minute, and then yeah, and we can’t help with that.

What question would you like to answer that I haven’t asked? What piece of information would you like to convey to listeners that we haven’t discussed? [43:45]

Thank you for that one, Linda. I think the question I wish you would’ve asked, or I would like to share with you, is that even though we have been around for 25-plus years, we’re very much looking for ways to reinvent ourselves and build on what we do well and improve what we don’t. And I’ll give you a case in point. So during the first six months of my tenure here as director, we developed something we call our Vision 2027. And part of our Vision 2027 was to do precisely that, understand what is it that we’ve done that is working that our students and our alums are saying, “Yes, this is great faculty experiential feedback case-based learning, Duke.” What is it that is not working? So what they told us wasn’t working is that as the program had gotten bigger, we lost intimacy. So the students didn’t get to know, meet their cohort members. So what we did, we took a page out of the MBA playbook and we created something called the cohort model.

So basically, Linda, we took that 180 target of students inbound, and we broke it into four cohorts, each of the 45-ish students. And those students, we tried to curate so that there was a very diverse gender, country of origin, experience, what have you. And each cohort takes the same courses at the same time, the core courses anyway, the same time, and they get to know each other, build bonds between them very strongly. So that’s one thing that we rolled out this year, last fall. And then associated with that is something called the community building time, where we took three hours of our academic calendar or academic schedule every week, Tuesdays at noon, Thursdays at noon, and Fridays at noon and we say, we’ll have no classes during those three hours. And they’re dedicated to promoting faculty-student relationships, students-student relationships, and student-alum relationships. So we have programming that helps promote that. For example, today, Thursday, we have one of those events. So today’s event was a faculty-student luncheon that I pay for. The program pays for where faculty can take students out for lunch.

Relevant Links:

• Dukes’ Masters of Engineering Management (MEM)
• Applying to Graduate Engineering Programs: What You Need to Know
• How to Get Accepted to Graduate Engineering Programs

Related shows:

• Stanford’s MCiM Combines Technology, Healthcare, and Business, podcast Episode 548
• How to Get Accepted to Berkeley Haas’ Master of Financial Engineering Program , podcast Episode 540
• What’s New at Cornell’s Masters in Engineering Management , podcast Episode 516
• CMU Tepper’s MS in Business Analytics: All You Need to Know , podcast Episode 510
• All You Need To Know When Applying To Graduate Engineering Programs , podcast Episode 486

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How to Apply

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We're excited that you're considering Duke's engineering master's program. Contact our master's admissions team—they're ready to answer your questions.

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Now, let’s take that first step!

Minimum Requirements

Dates & deadlines, funding opportunities, attend a virtual event.

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Application Checklist

To complete your application, please refer to the checklist below for the required items. Choose a program to view detailed information about its specific application requirements.

Master of Engineering Programs

Submitted through the online application.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or science from an accredited institution. Transcripts are required including an estimated GPA and a grade scale .
• Short Answer Essays
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• Nonrefundable application fee of US $75 – paid by credit card

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• English Language Testing (international applicants only)

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Applications for fall 2025 admission open September 2024.

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You can monitor your status within the same online system used to complete your application.

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How to Write the “Why Duke” Essay

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Robert Crystal in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered

Understand the prompt, avoid generalizations, use specific examples, connect yourself to duke.

Duke University has one required essay and one optional essay, where you can choose to respond to two of several prompts. It is important to write strong essays for your application to Duke because it is a highly competitive school. For more information, read this comprehensive guide on how to write the application essays for Duke University . 

What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you? If there’s something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well. (250 words)

This is a classic college application essay prompt, and it is the one required prompt that all Duke applicants must respond to. If you are in the process of applying to colleges, you have probably seen many supplemental essays prompts that look similar to this one. Nearly every college or university will ask for some version of this essay to gauge your interest in their school. Have you done your research? Are you a good fit? Do you want things that the school can provide you?

Applying to colleges is a matchmaking process, and essay prompts like this help colleges determine whether you are the right match for them. The admissions officers want to know if an applicant is invested in their school and to admit those applicants who are most likely to take advantage of all the opportunities that the school offers. 

A compelling response to this essay prompt will avoid sweeping generalizations that could apply to any college or university: “The engineering department is doing groundbreaking work. The liberal arts curriculum strikes the perfect balance between depth and breadth.”

Anything that you write that applies to more than one school or department will not be a sufficient response to this prompt. Your response needs to be specific to Duke and only Duke, and the admissions officer should feel confident when reading your application that you know what the university can offer you that no other school can.

The best way to demonstrate your interest in Duke is to use specific examples of your goals, interests, and previous experiences. Most importantly, do your research, and identify specific academic departments, faculty, research opportunities, student organizations, scholarships, and other resources on campus that match your goals and interests. To help you with this, you should explore Duke University’s website, social media accounts, and any interviews or articles written by current students or recent graduates. 

A great way to start your essay is by describing your specific academic and professional goals and then transitioning into a discussion on the academic offerings and preprofessional programming that you will take advantage of at Duke. Afterward, you can draw connections between your other skills and interests and programs, opportunities, and resources at the university.

Make sure you weave information about yourself and other helpful context into the essay so you are building a narrative and not just rattling off a list of things that you researched on the Duke University website. These details will help admissions officers understand who you are as an applicant and how that relates to your desire to attend Duke and take advantage of the various opportunities that you have identified.

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Duke Engineering Video essay

I am applying to Duke Engineering and they require a video essay- this isn't something that I was expecting to see and no other schools seem to require it. Has anybody experienced this video essay in the previous round or completed it already? I won't really ask what the prompt question is as it's not fair, but can anybody please advise what to expect roughly? Would it be an application-related question (ex. Why Duke?) or something that is completely unrelated to a grad school application?

Providing a recorded video response is optional but recommended. The video response gives you an opportunity to strengthen your application and in the case of some international students, can help us assess your English language skills. Completion of a video can potentially negate the need for a live language interview later on in the application process.

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The video is just one piece of your overall application.

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Professionalism and the 5 Principles

The core concepts of Duke’s Master of Engineering Management curriculum

Professionalism and the 5 Principles are areas where Duke Master of Engineering Management faculty and staff want to create for our students:

• Core competencies
• A shared view
• A common teaching experience

Professionalism:

Competence and skill expected from a professional

Communication:

Ability to communicate ideas effectively

Lead and contribute to high-performing groups

Critical Thinking:

Solving complex problems

Tackling ethical issues in technology

Valuing people and creating value for people

"Professionalism and the 5 Principles represent the professional behaviors which will help make our graduates successful—both in the workplace and in life." Jeffrey Glass | Hogg Family Director of Engineering Management and Entrepreneurship

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4 Tips for Duke Essays That Will Get You Accepted

College Essays

Do you want to be a Blue Devil? If so, you'll need to submit strong Duke essays as part of your application.

Duke requires its applicants to answer two essays, one as part of the Common or Coalition app, and one "Why Duke" essay. Students will also have the option to answer up to two more personal essay prompts, but they aren't required.

We're going to break down all the prompts for you and walk you though how to write amazing Duke supplement essays. So let's get started!

What Is the Duke Supplement Essay?

Duke requires that you submit two to four essays as part of your application. You're required to answer one "Why Duke?" essay prompt, as well as a Common Application essay or a Coalition Application essay (depending on which one you use to apply). Additionally, you have the option of answering up to two more essay questions.

Duke requires the Duke supplement as part of its application process for a couple of reasons. First of all, written essays are a great way to assess your preparedness for college. Duke wants to see that you can write clearly and concisely and can follow all of the necessary grammar conventions.

Duke also wants to get to know you more as a student and possible member of its campus. Essays are a great way to learn more about who you really are beyond your test scores and other credentials.

Finally, your Duke essays are where you can demonstrate your affinity for Duke itself. Why do you want to go there? Your essays can highlight your passion for the university.

It's extremely important to put time and effort into each one of the Duke supplement essay prompts so that you're able to meet all of these needs.

Duke Supplement Essay Prompts

You'll have to answer at least two and as many as four Duke supplement essay prompts for your Duke application. All students are required to write one longer essay. The essay you write will be determined by whether you're submitting the Common Application or the Coalition Application (Duke accepts both).

You're also required to answer the "Why Duke" essay prompt. There are four more personal essay questions that are optional for all applicants. You can answer up to two of them.

2022-2023 Duke Long Essay

The long essay prompt is actually the essay you'll write as part of your Common App or Coalition App. There's not a separate "long essay" prompt for Duke, so don't worry when you don't see the prompt pop up when you click over to the writing supplement tab.

On the other hand, that means that the long essay prompt you submit will depend on whether you're using the Common App, QuestBridge App, or Coalition App. These apps have slightly different essay prompts associated with them!

If you apply to Duke via the Coalition Application, you'll select one essay prompt to answer. For more information on how to ace your Coalition Application essay and an analysis of each prompt, check out our in-depth guide .

If you apply to Duke via the Common Application, you'll also need to select an essay prompt to answer. For more information on how to craft an amazing Common Application essay and in-depth look at each prompt, check out our blog post dedicated to that very topic .

2022-2023 "Why Duke?" Essay

All Duke students are required to answer the "Why Duke?" essay . Here's the essay prompt for 2022-2023:

What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you? If there's something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well. (250 word limit)

For more information about how to answer this question, you can check out our in-depth post to the "Why Duke?" app. 

2022-2023 Optional Duke Essays

You also have the option of responding to optional Duke essays. There are four prompts, and you can answer up to two of them. However, you don't need to answer any if you don't feel the need to. Duke makes it clear that these Duke admissions essay prompts are completely optional. Their exact phrasing is, " Feel free to answer them if you believe that doing so will add something meaningful that is not already shared elsewhere in your application." For each prompt you choose to answer, you can write up to 250 words.

Here are the four prompts:

We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. In that context, we are interested in what you’d like to share about your lived experiences and how they’ve influenced how you think of yourself. 

We believe there is benefit in sharing and sometimes questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about?

 What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good?

Duke's commitment to diversity and inclusion includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. If you’d like to share with us more about your identity in this context, feel free to do so here.

Required Duke Essay, Analyzed

Guess what: 250 words isn't a lot of words to describe your love for Duke! You'll need to be clear, succinct, and honest in order for your Duke admissions essay to stand out.

Because the word limit is so constrained, it's better to focus on one or two specific ideas, rather than trying to cram as many thoughts as possible into your short essay. For instance, while you may be enamored of Duke's entire faculty, choose one specific professor whose work you admire and expand on that. Any depth you can achieve in this small space will go a long way.

The key here is to be specific about why Duke is the best school for you. We just mentioned discussing faculty, but you can also talk about specific classes you want to take, academic organizations you want to be involved in, or even research opportunities you want to pursue. That means you'll need to do your research, but trust us: it will make a huge difference.

If you're still confused about this prompt and want a little extra help, don't miss our entire article about how to write an amazing "Why Duke" essay!

Optional Duke Admission Essay Prompts, Analyzed

Treat this question as an opportunity to share more about yourself. If you have something real and important to write about, do so. But don't try to invent an experience that doesn't actually belong to you—it'll come across as fake and insincere. Unless you really have nothing to say, I'd suggest including something.

If you choose to answer this question, lean into authenticity. Don't be scared to be vulnerable or honest. While the question talks about Duke's commitment to diversity, don't feel like you have to invent diverse experiences just to fit in.

Share about your unique perspective. Be sure to indicate why this point-of-view belongs to you, and you alone. Your perspective is made up by your experiences and interactions, so you can highlight how these have affected you.

For this prompt, Duke is giving you the chance to share your values and how you communicate and respond to opinions different than your own. College is a place where you'll encounter people with many different beliefs, and Duke wants to make sure its students are able to respectfully talk about big topics, even if the people you're speaking with don't have the same beliefs or values as you do.

If you decide to respond to this prompt, think about a person or people you particularly love debating or having discussions with. Be sure to explain who you agree/disagree with, what topics you discuss, if you generally agree or disagree, and specifically how you make sure the conversation is respectful and thoughtful. 

Show Duke that you're able to contribute positively to any discussion, even if you disagree with what's being said .

What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good?

Here Duke wants to know what motivates and excites you academically. Did you love partaking in a class debate? Maybe your best experience was bonding with a study group and helping each other learn the course material, or maybe it was doing a deep research dive to become an expert on a particular topic.

The specific experience you choose matters much less than your explanation of why it was so positive. Be sure to discuss exactly what you found about the experience you found enjoyable and  what you took away from it. If you can, try to tie it in to how you'll be a strong student at Duke and continue to find positive academic experiences.

Duke's commitment to diversity and inclusion includes gender identity and sexual orientation. If you would like to share with us more about either, and have not done so elsewhere in the application, we invite you to do so here.

Don't answer this optional essay unless you have something real to say. Don't feel intimidated or scared that ignoring this question will reflect badly on you. It won't. You should really only address this prompt if you're a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

What will reflect badly on you is making something up that comes across as insincere, or worse, ignorant. Speak truthfully and from the heart.

Similarly, if you do have reflections on gender identity and sexual orientation, don't feel like you have to share them. Remember, this essay is optional. It's completely fine if you're not quite comfortable enough or ready to talk publicly about these topics.

If you choose to answer this question, only speak about real experiences that happened to you. It's better to keep them personal. This essay isn't the place to reflect on the overall political climate surrounding LGBTQ+ rights, especially if those issues don't relate to you. It is, however, the space to talk about your specific identity and journey.

How to Write Great Duke Essays

If you want your Duke essays to stand out and help you get admitted, follow these tips!

#1: Use Your Own Voice

The point of a college essay is for the admissions committee to have the chance to get to know you beyond your test scores, grades, and honors. Your admissions essays are your opportunity to make yourself come alive for the essay readers and to present yourself as a fully fleshed out person.

You should, then, make sure that the person you're presenting in your college essays is yourself. Don't try to emulate what you think the committee wants to hear or try to act like someone you're not.

If you lie or exaggerate, your essay will come across as insincere, which will diminish its effectiveness. Stick to telling real stories about the person you really are, not who you think Duke wants you to be.

#2: Avoid Cliched or Overused Phrases

When writing your Duke essays, try to avoid using clichés or overused quotes or phrases. These include quotations that have been quoted to death and phrases or idioms that are overused in daily life. The college admissions committee has probably seen numerous essays that state, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Strive for originality.

Similarly, avoid using clichés, which take away from the strength and sincerity of your work. Don't speak in platitudes about how the struggle for gay and lesbian rights has affected you… unless it actually has!

#3: Check Your Work

It should almost go without saying, but you want to make sure your Duke essays are the strongest example of your work possible. Before you turn in your Duke application, make sure to edit and proofread your essays.

Your work should be free of spelling and grammar errors. Make sure to run your essays through a spelling and grammar check before you submit.

It's a good idea to have someone else read your Duke essays, too. You can seek a second opinion on your work from a parent, teacher, or friend. Ask them whether your work represents you as a student and person. Have them check and make sure you haven't missed any small writing errors. Having a second opinion will help your work be the best it possibly can be.

That being said, make sure you don't rely on them for ideas or rewrites. Your essays need to be your work.

#4: Only Answer What You're Comfortable With

Remember, Duke's optional essays are just that—optional. It can be tempting to respond to everything on the application and if you have an important story to tell, you definitely should.

However, if you have nothing to say, don't feel like you need to make something up. You're better off answering less, honestly, then you are answering more, dishonestly.

What's Next?

Have you taken the ACT or SAT yet? Not sure which one you'll do best on? Read our guide to choose the test that's right for you .

If you've taken the SAT and want to improve your score, check out our guides to improving your Reading , Writing , and Math scores.

Not sure what you want to major in? Don't worry! With our advice, you'll figure out what you should study as an undergrad.

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Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females.

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Master's Admissions

Before you apply.

We receive many questions about what distinctive qualities make applicants stand out. Here are a few pointers you should read as you prepare your application.

General Guidance

Before you begin, make sure you have read over all the application directions for your specific program.

The Master of Science (MS) and Master of Engineering (MEng) applications are slightly different, operate on different deadlines, and are managed by separate offices at Duke. You may apply to both programs, but if you plan on doing so, you should first contact Master's Admissions for more detailed instructions.

Your Statement of Purpose (MS only)

Our primary intent with the Statement of Purpose is for you to show evidence in your application that you:

• Understand exactly why you want to pursue a graduate degree
• Articulate a clear career trajectory within which Duke MEMS is a key element to your success and recognize the important resources on our campus that would support your vision
• Celebrate and exhibit the same community qualities and standards that make our institution unique, and would consider yourself a positive contributor to our community of inclusivity
• Have a long track-record of cocurricular and extracurricular involvement

Short Answer Essays (MEng only)

Our Short Answer Essay questions are seeking much of the same information as the Statement of Purpose, but in a more specific and concentrated form.

• What was the most complicated thing you’ve ever designed/built, either physical or virtual?  Please include describe it here and include a link to an online portfolio of your work or a well-labeled graphic as part of the response.
• What do you feel are important engineering problems for you to solve? Why?
• What is your definition of personal success?  How do you think Duke’s program can help you on the path to success as you define it?

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of reference are a critical part of your application materials.  We require three (3) letters from people who know you well. We have found that letters are strongest from people who can talk about:

• Your abilities to think and work independently and creatively
• That you are self-motivated and mature in your professional accomplishments, as much as in your personal ones
• Your response to criticism and adversity, and your resilience when pursuing goals

Video Essay

This uncommon element of our application has been a "make-or-break" addition for so many students.

Students who were borderline applicants have proven themselves during this essay while others who were seemingly stellar showed us they were not quite ready for Duke. We want you to show us who you are (both professonally and personally) and that you can clearly deliver a compelling series of narratives that answer our prompts.

Your preparation is critical when you record your essay:

• Do not read from a script, but engage us in a manner that is natural to you
• Think about how you present yourself and be mindful of your words, body language, and surroundings

You do not have to submit a video that was recorded in just one take.

Merit transcends academic achievement

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More for international students at Duke

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MEM Duke University : Everything you Need to Know About the Course

Introduction.

Duke University is a common name among the best Engineering Management masters providers globally. A MEM Duke University can be somewhat worth thinking about before applying. The university is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded in the present-day town of Trinity, it was moved to Durham in 1892. And not just in Durham, Duke University is famous for its academics, programs, and quality of education.

MEM Duke University

Implementation of technical skills is essential in a modern dynamic environment. Unlike before, new challenges are a global concern. It demands individuals who can integrate necessary knowledge with business acumen to overcome. And that's precisely the motive of MEM Duke University. The course is designed to extend your science and engineering background and add business and management depth with real-world work experience.

There is always a specific targeted audience for a program, and it is valid for MEM Duke University as well. However, the MEM from Duke targets students with a science and engineering background. And with a substantial interest in its business and product management development. So if you are interested in a mere engineering management master, it may not be an optimal choice.

The Duke Master of Engineering Management is a tech-savvy alternative to the MBA . Comprising a core management curriculum and variety of electives, it is: interdisciplinary and flexible, focusing on application, global awareness, and the student experience

MEM Duke University : Elective Tracks

MEM from Duke allows you to choose courses that support your career goals . The elective track in the program is more student support focused. You will have options to choose from different career-focused profiles and professions. And if you are still not satisfied, you will have the option to Design an elective track to fit your goals. The significant areas of electives in the program are:

• Customer Experience and Product Design
• Data Analytics and Machine Learning
• Operations and Supply Chain Management
• Product Management
• Technology Development and Commercialization
• Entrepreneurship

MEM From Duke: Program Requirements

The requirements for MEM Duke University are pretty standard. But it is subject to change. As such, your qualification and eligibility will be submitted; however, the process may differ. For instance, your MEM for Duke will ask you to upload a scanned unofficial copy of your transcripts from every institute you have attended. Therefore, check the program's official page to be entirely thorough with the process. Here are the standard requirements:

Eligibility Requirements

Starting with your CV/resume. Your secondary education transcripts and records are the first thing you will prepare for a recognized undergraduate degree with relevant subjects (if applicable). The MEM from Duke program will also require your grade scale. You will not be required to convert your grade point to a 4.0 scale; however, it should present a difference in passing marks and indicate a failing mark. Your application will also include a video introduction by yourself. In the video, you will be asked to answer a question with a given time of 60 seconds. 

Not to mention, an application fee for MEM  from Duke amounted US$75 is essentially required.

3 Short-Answer Essays

The MEM from Duke application will ask you to submit three short answer essays. These are to be submitted with your application. The topics of the three essays are:

• We can learn about your past experiences from your resume, but we're interested in learning about your plans. Why are you most interested in pursuing the Master of Engineering Management (MEM) degree from Duke University?
• Professionalism & The Five Principles are the pillars of the Duke MEM program. Choose one principle and explain how you plan to contribute in that way at Duke MEM and beyond.
• Do any of the elective tracks within the Duke MEM program appear to fit your needs? If so, which one and why? If not, and understanding you are free to change your mind later, list 3-4 electives within or outside MEM and how they will help you meet your career goals.

3 Letter of Recommendation (LORs)

Same as Essays, MEM Duke University will ask to submit three letters of recommendation (LORs). If you do not have obtained your degree, you must submit at least two LORs. The LORs can be academic and professional. For instance, if you are a student, one of the letters must be academic. And if you are working professionally, all three can be professional. You will also be submitting the contact details of the recommender. The institute will later email the recommender to grant access to the online recommendation form.

English Language Proficiency Test

While applying to the MEM Duke University, all international students must submit an English language proficiency test score. However, due to recent mishaps such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the institute has allowed students to submit Duolingo English Test Scores for the 2022 application cycle. The pandemic resulted in the closing of several located test centers. Therefore for MEM from the Duke program, you have options. If you have standard test scores like TOEFL , IELTS or PTE, those are perfectly fine.

The GRE or a GMAT score from MEM Duke is not mandatory. It is optional for students to submit as per their standings. However programs like MeM from Duke do appreciate standardized test scores. The particular test scores are a representation of your aptitude and abilities. GRE and GMAT scores are not just essential for business programs. The assessment methodology of these tests are recognized globally. The program is flexible with the submission of the test score, but it is recommended to submit it either way.

Through Slate Scheduler and Zoom or WebEx, the institute will conduct video interviews for the MeM from Duke admission. Keep in mind the interviews are by invitation only. The interview part is the last stage of your admission cycle. After that, the admission committee will make their decision. Post that, you will be informed of your application standings for MeM from Duke in a dedicated period. 

MEM From Duke: Tuition Fee

The MeM from Duke campus program offers a semester tuition fee of $29,4690 (2021-2022 cycle) taken at the university. Therefore, it would cost you a total of $58,920 to complete a year full of eight required courses. Tuition is subject to confirmation each May. If you choose to extend the program, you will be charged differently by semester. The MeM from Duke program extension to a three-semester requires no additional tuition but includes any student fees. While choosing to extend the program to four-semester requires you to pay by course unit in the fourth semester (including all student fees).

Return on Investment (ROI)

Within the six months of graduating from the MEM from Duke, over three-quarters of graduates are employed or pursuing further education. The numbers have been affected due to recent mishappenings and changes in the education sector. However, MEM Duke University has been consistent with providing extraordinary results. For recent past years the percentile of employed or pursuing further education students had been above 90% (in six months of graduation).

The earning records by graduates from MEM from Duke have presented consistent high numbers. In addition, the numbers remain relevant for all students and not a massive difference in average salary score .

MEM From Duke Online Program

If you are a working professional and can not allow your work to be inputted, MEM from Duke online program is for you. The primary reason to opt for the MEM from Duke online program is flexibility. MEM from Duke online programs offers:

• Four core engineering elective courses
• Four technical elective courses and
• Three 1-Week Residencies

Rest assured the university guarantees that MEM from Duke provides the same high-quality curriculum and experience offered on campus. It's not uncommon to see working professionals pursuing online programs to meet their demands. Tough as mentioned earlier for the MEM from Duke, you need to stay extra sharp. Only if you are highly organized and self-motivated and have a supportive, flexible work environment, select MEM from Duke online program. Otherwise, a standard program from any other institute is enough. Also, the university asks you for a commitment to three one-week on-campus residencies for the program.

The Master of Engineering Management program from Duke University is a tech-savvy alternative to MBA (as quoted by the university itself). The program is widely popular among international students and act as a progressive step in tech and business management industry. With a unique core management curriculum and a number of electives, students are promised a number of opportunities, flexible study, global awareness and an immense student experience.

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14 Duke Essay Examples That Worked

Updated for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle.

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Duke University is a great fit for students looking for a blend of lively student culture and academic rigor. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke has long been regarded as one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country. Students are empowered to explore innovative fields of research in subjects as disparate as political science and astrophysics. Its vibrant student body cannot be overlooked, either. It’s often said that Duke students bleed blue (their school color), and basketball culture runs deep at Duke! Overall, Duke University produces graduates that are highly sought after by businesses all around the world, thanks to its large student population, distinguished professors, and varied array of resources.

Unique traditions at Duke

1. The Devil's Stomp: This occurs at the end of each academic year and is a campus-wide dance-off held in the Duke Chapel. 2. The Iron Dukes: This tradition dates back to the 1950s and is still practiced today. It is a group of students showing their loyalty to Duke athletics with creative cheers and music. 3. Vespers: Every Sunday, students and faculty meet at Duke Chapel to sing psalms and hear catholic Mass. 4. Duke Farms: This is a tradition that began in the 1930s and is still ongoing to this day. It is a program that lets Duke students connect with nature and become more sustainable. 5. Ring Dance: This is an end-of-year tradition at Duke where seniors wear their ring and celebrate the accomplishments with a formal dance.

Programs at Duke

1. DukeEngage: DukeEngage provides students with the opportunity to participate in community service projects around the world. Through this program, students gain both valuable experiences and a greater understanding of social justice issues. 2. Flipside Improv Troupe: Flipside is an entirely student-run improv comedy troupe at Duke University. Through their performances, they offer students an opportunity to explore their creativity and take a break from the stresses of school life. 3. Student Rescue Team: This volunteer organization focuses on urban preparedness through education and training. Student volunteers participate in teaching, training, and responding to emergencies. 4. Duke Debate: Duke Debate is the official debate team at Duke University and is the oldest organization on the campus. They have won numerous awards across the country and have been a driving force in cultivating public debate on issues facing society. 5. Devil’s Tale Literary Magazine: The Devil’s Tale is a literary magazine dedicated to showcasing student written works creations. The magazine accepts submissions in all genres, from stories, poems, and plays to non-fiction and visual art.

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Real Essays from Duke Admits

Prompt: why duke.

Throughout high school, I attempted to create pockets of fellowship where they were lacking.

Founding a space for student creatives via Ceramics Club, recruiting peer buddies when our school received an influx of students with disabilities, and mentoring a Lego robotics team are a

few examples.

       I know Duke is the place for me because it too places a strong emphasis on creating

community. Walking through West Campus, I felt an overwhelming sense of school spirit. Traditions like tenting, midnight breakfast in the Marketplace, and flunching help facilitate the

tight-knit student body I want to contribute to. In [Place Redacted], I served as a volunteer camp counselor and soccer coach. In Durham, I will find a similar place among my service-minded peers through programs like DukeEngage. In high school, I blended my passions for engineering and combating

social isolation through projects like [Redacted Content]. In college, I will continue this trend through organizations like DEID. In the classroom, I am drawn to Duke’s

nanoelectronic materials & devices research. I hope to join other Duke ECE engineers exploring novel materials to enable the future of renewable energy.

       Finally, I am excited to join Duke’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 585. As a scholarship recipient, they have been incredibly welcoming and supportive. [Name Redacted] put it best when he told me

Duke believes, “a rising tide lifts all ships.” I can’t wait to join the Duke community to do my part in raising the seas.

Essay by Olivia

Pickleball fanatic studying electrical engineering at Stanford :)

Prompt: We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. In that context, we are interested in what you’d like to share about your lived experiences and how they’ve influenced how you think of yourself.

My whole life, I’ve attended the same small, Pre-K-12 school. Playing make-believe, the awkwardness of adolescence, finding my passions – it all happened at the same place. The [School Redacted] community, then, has been definitive to who I am.

Growing up at [School Redacted] has changed how I connect with others. My grade consists of only forty people, diverse in interests and backgrounds. I’ve never had any option but to be friends with everyone, and I’m better for it. Whether we have different intellectual interests or political beliefs, befriending a variety of people has strengthened my academic understanding and personal worldview. 

Attending a small, relatively young school has also given me a unique opportunity to have an impact. The lack of established clubs and customs empowered me to be a go-getter and found an organization of my own. As an avid reader, I became interested in starting a literary magazine. The administration supported the creation of the club, but it was up to me to step up and lead. The opportunity to start something inspired me to take action: to recruit editors, form a brand, create a publication schedule, and more. 

As I now look to college and beyond, I know my time at [School Redacted] will continue to define who I am. Surrounding myself with people of all perspectives and being unafraid to lead – these lessons will stick with me.

Essay by Abby

English major interested in creative writing, theater, & film

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Someone with the same interests, stats, and background as you

Duke University Essay Examples

Duke essay examples.

Often confused for an Ivy League university because of its prestigious reputation, Duke University is one of America’s top schools. While not a member of the Ivies, Duke admissions is just as selective—and reading some Duke essay examples can help you prepare. The Duke supplemental essays are a vital part of the admissions process. By reading Duke essay examples, students can learn more about what this top school looks for.

Studying accepted Duke essays can inspire you when writing your own Duke essays. Although you’ve likely seen other “why school” essays, reading specific “why Duke” essay examples will help you hone your essays. Indeed, with the Duke acceptance rate at 6% , hopeful applicants should do everything possible to make their application stand out . 

Now, let’s learn more about the Duke essays and read some Duke essay examples.

Duke Supplemental Essay Requirements

Our Duke essay examples are based on the Duke requirements, which include “why Duke” essay examples. So, before you get the creative juices flowing, you’ll want to make sure that you know the essay requirements. 

Students can complete their Duke application via the Common App or Coalition App. Qualifying students may also apply via QuestBridge . For both the Common and Coalition Applications, students will need to complete the personal essay. In the Common App, applicants will choose from seven prompts; the Coalition App has five prompts. The word count for both is similar, with a maximum of 650 words. 

Additionally, Duke University applicants will need to complete one required short essay of 250 words. Finally, there are two optional 250-word essays; Duke provides four additional essay prompts to choose from. Although these are “optional,” applicants who are serious about getting into Duke should submit them.

In addition, applicants to the Pratt School of Engineering will need to complete a separate essay of 150 words. This is basically a “why major” essay in which students must demonstrate why they want to study engineering at Duke. 

You can check out the Common App writing requirements for schools that you’re interested in. Remember to start early so you have time to polish your Duke essays and other materials. 

How many essays does Duke require?

Reading Duke essay examples, or any other sample college essay, is a great way to get started on your application. But, you may still be asking just how many Duke supplemental essays are required. Technically, applicants only need to complete two essays on the Duke application. 

However, as we mentioned, Duke is an extremely selective university. That means that when considering how to get into Duke, applicants should do everything possible to make their application shine. 

Duke provides students with four optional essay prompts, from which students can choose two. Though they’re technically optional, you should think of these two additional essays as required. Give them as much attention as you do the other two essays. 

So, when looking at the Duke essay examples, especially the “why this college” essay sample, view everything as required. T o be as competitive as possible, you should write a total of four essays for your Duke application.

Why Duke Essay Examples

If you’ve started your college applications, the prompt for our “why Duke” essay examples should look familiar: the “why school” essay. This essay challenges students to consider what specifically about this university makes it their top choice. Likewise, students need to show why they would be a great fit at the institution. Understandably, this essay prompt is very common, and sample college essay resources usually include it.

In the first of our Duke essay examples, we’re going to look at the Pratt School of Engineering prompt. Then we’ll discuss a well-written “why this college” essay sample.  

If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as a first year applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke. (Please limit your response to no more than 150 words.)

The first of our Duke essay examples is not only a why school essay, but also a why major essay. Students will need to show not only why they want to study at Duke, but specifically at Pratt. Let’s consider this prompt as one of our “why Duke” essay examples. 

So, how can you effectively respond in so few words?

Here is one response to use as a reference when considering how to start a “why this college” essay. It was among the elite accepted Duke essays:

Why Duke Essay Example

“Some of you may wonder ‘When will I ever use derivatives in real life?’ Welcome to when.” My physics teacher described engineering as the “when” math and physics were applied to real problems. That is what is so attractive about engineering; it gives me the ability to apply intriguing concepts to fascinating projects

Something I consider unique about Duke is the opportunities for freshmen to become close with other freshmen. For example, Duke freshmen live on their own campus, allowing them to foster friendships with students of the same year. Additionally, through Duke Focus, I could pursue my humanities interests with other freshmen who have similar interests. In high school, some of my favorite classes were humanities and Duke would allow me to continue this enrichment in a community of like-minded individuals.”

We’re going to break down what specifically worked in this Duke essay example next. However, you can look outside of solely why Duke essay examples for inspiration in your why school essay. Check out another “why this college” essay sample to see what works. 

Why this Duke essay worked

Successful “why Duke” essay examples will comprehensively answer the prompt in a way that makes the applicant stand out. Can you tell why this essay was among the accepted Duke essays and one of our featured Duke essay examples?

Of course, the writer does an excellent job of fully answering the prompt. Even more importantly than that, they draw in the reader with the first line and a personal anecdote. That “hook” is quite important to successful Duke essay examples. Instead of simply stating that they enjoy applying engineering concepts, the writer illustrates a defining moment in their engineering journey. 

Then, they go on to show that they’ve done their research on Duke. Successful ”why Duke” essay examples will reference specific programs only available at Duke. That shows admissions that you are interested in more than just the impressive stats that the university holds. You show that you truly want to study and be a part of the culture. 

In this case, the writer speaks about the unique living situation for Duke first year students that builds a strong sense of community. This shows admissions that they will be an active participant on campus. In addition to the academic experience that Duke offers, the writer also highlights their eagerness to build personal relationships. In doing so, they show that they’re a team player.

The writer also cements the piece as one of the great Duke essay examples by mentioning Pratt’s multifaceted engineering program. They directly reference the possibility of studying humanities in addition to engineering. This interdisciplinary structure of Duke’s engineering program is unique—and a factor that appeals to many Duke applicants. 

Optional Duke Essays

Many successful Duke essay examples come from the “optional” Duke supplemental essays. When planning your application and essays, you should consider the optional essays a requirement. Of course, they aren’t technically required. However, when applying to a competitive school like Duke, you’ll want to give yourself every opportunity to make a lasting impression on Duke admissions. That’s why we strongly recommend answering the optional essay prompts. 

Duke supplies applicants with four “optional” essay prompts. Students may choose a maximum of two prompts to respond to. Students have a maximum of 250 words for each essay. 

Let’s take a look at each essay prompt and how to approach them. 

Prompt 1: We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. In that context, we are interested in what you’d like to share about your lived experiences and how they’ve influenced how you think of yourself.

This prompt may look like other college essay prompts you’ve seen. Just as reading “why Duke” essay examples can be helpful since the prompt is common, so can cultural diversity essay examples. So, you’re in luck: our Duke essay examples consist of both. 

Prompt 2: We believe there is benefit in sharing and sometimes questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about?

This prompt asks you to consider your beliefs and values. Where do they come from? Now, how do you navigate differences with people who don’t share your beliefs? Or, alternatively, who do you most see eye-to-eye with on those values?

The key to answering this prompt is showing what you care about. If you speak about agreements, then you might show where your beliefs come from and why they’re so important to you. For example, maybe they’ve been instilled in you by your family, and you enjoy deep conversations with close family members. That shows a lot about who you are and where you come from. 

Don’t shy away from talking about disagreements with this prompt if that’s the first thing that comes to mind. This can demonstrate that you effectively communicate with those whose opinions differ from your own—an essential life skill. 

Prompt 3: What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good?

Note that effective Duke essay examples for this prompt can cover any academic experience; however, it has to be recent. High school is a period of rapid growth. This prompt invites applicants to think about impactful academic experiences that have shaped their intellectual curiosity. Many effective Duke essay examples for this prompt also address future academic or career goals. 

Prompt 4: Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. If you’d like to share with us more about your identity in this context, feel free to do so here.

Students who feel as though they’d like to speak on this topic should do so in this prompt. However, you should only respond to this prompt if you personally identify with it. This isn’t a prompt in which to speak as an advocate or ally outside these identities. However, if sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression are a large part of your identity, then this prompt may be for you. 

Cultural Diversity Essay Example

One of our Duke essay examples focuses on cultural diversity. This is a favorite prompt among universities. So, when choosing an optional essay prompt, this could be an easy option if you’ve already drafted similar essays. However, as always, your final draft should be specific to Duke. 

Let’s check out the prompt again and one of the accepted Duke essays: 

We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. In that context, we are interested in what you’d like to share about your lived experiences and how they’ve influenced how you think of yourself.

Now let’s look at one of our Duke essay examples responding to this prompt: 

Duke Essay Example

I vividly remember the first day of first grade, stuttering over my words as I tried to recite the Pledge of Allegiance as effortlessly as the rest of my classmates. Growing up in a Venezuelan household, I had never even heard the pledge. As a result of my Hispanic upbringing, I had always felt out of place among my classmates because I didn’t have the same ideals and experiences.

Among Hispanic family members, my American upbringing labeled me as an outsider. Discussing Venezuelan politics or preparing traditional food were activities my immediate family rarely participated in, leaving me unprepared for Hispanic social gatherings.

Despite the distinct contrast between the two, a part of myself belongs to both cultures. On the Fourth of July, I join my friends in the local park to watch fireworks and indulge in burgers. For Christmas Eve dinner, I eat hallacas (essentially stuffed corn dough) with my family before “Baby Jesus brings the gifts.”

However, as a partial member of both groups, one community defines me perfectly: second generation Americans. Like many other children in my position, I do not fit into my parents’ world due to my diverse upbringings. Additionally, the lack of American familial roots prevents total assimilation into the world of my peers. 

As a second generation American, my traditions and experiences are not unique to one culture, but a combination of two. Caught in the middle, I form my own unique identity that is neither American or Venezuelan, but an imperfect mixture.

This is one of our successful Duke essay examples for many reasons. The writer excellently shows how their background and experiences as a second-generation American have shaped them. 

One thing you will usually notice among successful Duke essay examples is the hook at the beginning. Remember that you can be creative when writing your college essays. In this essay, the writer opens with their first memory when they realized their upbringing set them apart from their classmates. 

The writer then goes on to reflect on how they’ve felt like an outsider within their family as well. However, they then come to the conclusion of where they belong. Namely, the essay closes with the writer’s acceptance of their identity, and of how their family and society have affected them. In the end, the writer seems quite self-aware and confident in who they are. 

It’s evident that the writer will bring this unique view and perspective to Duke’s campus. That’s what a successful cultural diversity essay will do: share your own experiences and how they have shaped you. You will also want to demonstrate growth and connect it to what you’d bring to a college campus. 

Although our Duke essay examples answer different prompts, you may notice some similarities. Both writers tell their unique stories in distinct ways. However, both writers comprehensively answer the prompt and show admissions just who they are. As a result, it’s obvious that both these writers will bring a positive presence to Duke’s campus. 

When writing essays, especially when thinking about how to start a “why this college” essay, your essay planning should focus on specifics. What story will you tell? How will you convey your message in an engaging manner while also meeting the requirements? A successful sample college essay won’t be limited to one format. You’ll notice many different ways to write successful essays when you start looking at college essay examples. 

The goal of these Duke essay examples is to show that there are many ways to write successful college essays. However, there are two important things to keep in mind, especially when thinking about how to start a “why this college” essay. Why Duke? And why you? 

If you’re scouring “why Duke” essay examples and accepted Duke essays for inspiration, you should read widely. That is to say, you should read college essay examples for other prompts, too. Reading a sample college essay will show you what works; you’ll likely note many of the same patterns we’ve mentioned. After reading enough “why Duke” essay examples or any other sample college essay, writing your own will be much less daunting. 

What does Duke look for in essays?

Duke wants you to “get personal” in your essays, just as the above “why Duke” essay examples did. As we know, Duke is an extremely selective school. Consequently, you should make the most of every aspect of your application. 

Why are these Duke essay examples so important? Well, essays are an opportunity for applicants to show part of themselves that aren’t in other parts of the application. This is your opportunity to stand out in a sea of academically high-achieving applicants. 

But, what exactly does admissions want to see from your Duke supplemental essays?

Duke wants to see:

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your essays. Use the famous phrase that you’ve probably heard in your English class: show, don’t tell. 

What motivates you? Duke admits applicants who are passionate, motivated, and driven to achieve great things both at Duke and beyond. 

In your college essays, highlight your intellectual curiosity. Universities want to see that you are asking the big (or small) questions and seeking answers for yourself.

Persistence

Show that you don’t give up. Don’t be afraid to feature a “failure” in one of your essays. Writing about how you grew and learned from the experience can often be more impactful than a generic success story. 

Are you empathetic to those around you? Do you care about making the world a better place? Showing that you are able to connect to your community and the world around you are important factors for Duke. 

How do you write a Duke essay?

Using the “why Duke” essay examples as inspiration for your own essays is a great place to start. But how can you go from reading essays to writing your own accepted Duke essays this admissions cycle? While each essay will be unique to your personality, some basic tips can help you write the most impactful essay possible. Meeting the Duke requirements is a start, but you’ll need to do much more than just that.

Start early

Don’t leave writing your essays until the last moment. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time. When should you start writing these essays? Well, you can start as early as the summer before your senior year of high school. At this point, you can go from reading “why Duke” essay examples to drafting your own.

Brainstorm, draft, edit, revise, repeat

Why should you start your essays so early? You’ll want to have plenty of time to get your ideas in order. Whether you have zero ideas or way too many, do yourself a favor and give yourself time to brainstorm. 

There are many ways to brainstorm. You could do a mind map for different ideas, then try writing on your top choices. Choose the topic where you can write most passionately and freely. You could also skip the mind map and instead try a timed free-write. Then, you could refine any useful information into a draft.

You’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to rewrite, as well. Have someone you trust read your draft and give you feedback. But, remember that when applying feedback, be sure to keep your essay true to you. 

Answer the question: why Duke?

Of course, above all else, you must answer the prompt. Accepted Duke essays can give you an idea of how to do this. For example, one of our “why Duke” essay examples talked about specific programs offered only at Duke. Successful Duke essay examples will show that you are interested in more than just Duke’s impressive stats and prestigious reputation. 

Be sure to do your research—not just for Duke, but also for any school you apply to. Look into programs that catch your interest and write about how you would take advantage of them. 

But, don’t forget that successful “why Duke” essay examples will also demonstrate why you’re a perfect fit for Duke. You’ll notice that “why Duke” essay examples show what potential students would bring to campus. So, answer “why Duke?” and “why you?”

Duke Supplemental Essay Guides & Duke Resources

While we’ve seen two accepted Duke essays, there are plenty more resources available to you when writing your college essays. Studying why Duke essay examples or any other sample college essay can help you get started in your writing process. You’ll be able to see what works, note common tactics, and apply them to your personal application narrative. CollegeAdvisor provides a wealth of resources when it comes to the entire college application journey. 

When looking at “why Duke” essay examples or accepted Duke essays, you’ll want to study our Duke essay guide before getting started. You’ll better understand the best way to approach each essay. 

Duke University Supplemental Essays 2022-2023

Additionally, if you’re wondering how to get into Duke then you’ll also want to check out this webinar . In it, Duke admissions experts share insights on everything from the application process to being a student on campus. 

Duke University Panel

After seeing some “why Duke” essay examples, you may be wondering about other Duke requirements. As a matter of fact, Duke is actually one of the top test-optional colleges in the nation. That is to say, SAT or ACT scores are optional, although your essays will be more heavily weighed without them. That means that when determining how to get into Duke, your Duke supplemental essays maybe even more important. Likewise, you may want to send in your test scores if they’re good enough to improve your application.

And, remember that CollegeAdvisor is a great source of information for every step of your college process. Learn how to build your college list and then what to do when you finally get your college acceptance letters !

Duke Essay Examples – Final thoughts

There’s no doubt that Duke is one of the top ranking universities in the nation. In fact, U.S. News ranks the university at #10 in the nation. While college rankings aren’t the most important factor when it comes to choosing colleges, it does indicate the competitiveness of admissions. For example, Duke is both highly ranked and one of the most selective universities in the nation.

But don’t stress! That just means that you’ll need to make your application stand out. And, after reading our “why Duke” essay examples and other accepted Duke essays, you now have a foundation. Just remember to give yourself plenty of time when applying to Duke. Your four essays will require special attention in order to impress admissions. 

With strong grades and great essays, you may just join those featured with your accepted Duke essays. And, remember that CollegeAdvisor is here with expert advice to guide you along your college journey, including the essay process. Good luck!

This article was written by Sarah Kaminski. Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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