Lauren Wade

"One standout aspect of Fuqua that sets it apart from other institutions is the unparalleled opportunity to expand your horizons by engaging with individuals from vastly diverse backgrounds. Here, you encounter people from many different countries with distinct social and political structures. This exposure not only broadened my mind but also filled me with immense joy."
MQM: Business Analytics
My Program Track
Industry:
Prior Education:
University of Virginia
Applied Statistics/Cognitive Science
Why I Chose Fuqua
My decision to attend Fuqua was driven by a desire to complement my existing background in statistics with a thorough understanding of business principles, thus enhancing my versatility and effectiveness in corporate environments. While my prior experience predominantly revolved around statistical research, I wanted to delve into analytics through a business lens, to broaden my skill set and embrace new challenges. Additionally, my familial connection to Fuqua (my father) fostered a sense of familiarity and respect for the institution. Ever since I was young, he would talk about his experiences here. Fuqua's distinguished reputation speaks for itself, serving as a compelling draw in my decision-making process. I saw attending Duke as an opportunity to uphold a family legacy while simultaneously augmenting my professional value and acquiring practical applications for my statistical expertise.
The Duke culture and camaraderie is so wonderful and they take care of their graduate students just as much as their undergraduate students. Durham is also lovely with great gardens and social life downtown. The allure of Durham's picturesque surroundings further solidified my choice.
In my undergraduate program, there was minimal emphasis on collaborative group projects or sustained teamwork. However, at Fuqua, the dynamics are different since you remain with your team for a full six-week period. This continuity allows you to learn each team member's strengths and weaknesses, enabling you to leverage this knowledge to produce a superior product compared to solo efforts. The diverse backgrounds and varied work experiences among team members adapting to different work mindsets and optimizing group dynamics becomes crucial—an aspect I had not fully appreciated before but am much better at now.
My goal post-graduation from the MQM program is to immerse myself in roles that allow me to blend both the analytical and interpersonal facets of risk management.
My career aspirations involve risk management analytics within the banking or health care sectors. I am deeply passionate about the technical intricacies of risk analysis, yet equally drawn to the dynamic aspects of networking, presenting, and communicating complex insights to C-suite executives.
5 Tips for Acing the Interview
- Do background research on the Company (use their website, news, career advising website scores).
- Create stories about yourself beforehand as examples to use in interviews. These stories should be brief and versatile.
- Practice with an experienced professional. Your parents, a teacher, or a career advisor are great choices.
- Record yourself as you practice telling your stories, so that you can see where you stutter, use filler words, or lose brevity.
- Create an introduction for yourself that includes your background but also something unique about yourself so that you stand out. This should be something that isn’t necessarily common!
My MQM Track
Within the Risk track, we delve into both the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of this concept. This encompasses areas such as fraud detection, cybersecurity, risk management strategies, and enterprise navigation. Our coursework afforded us the opportunity to conduct in-depth case studies on real-life incidents involving major corporations such as Walmart. Through these analyses, we developed and presented enterprise risk management frameworks akin to what would be delivered to C-suite executives. Additionally, we delved into the realm of cybersecurity within the context of risk management, an area previously familiar to me only through cinematic portrayals of “hackers.” My journey within the risk management track has been immensely rewarding, as it has challenged my preconceived notions and expanded my comprehension of the subject matter. Venturing beyond my comfort zone has proven to be incredibly beneficial, enriching my insight into risk management in ways I had not anticipated.
Global Executive MBA
Top Areas of Career Focus
Financial Services (20%)
Consulting (5%)
Sales/Business Development (5%)
Energy/Chemical/Gas (9%)
Marketing/PR/Advertising (6%)
Consumer Goods (3%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Women
Non-US Citizenship
Master of Management Studies: Duke Kunshan University
Undergraduate Majors
Business/Accounting (51%)
Economics (22%)
Liberal Arts (14%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (10%)
Other (4%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Women
Non-US Citizenship
Master of Management Studies: Foundations of Business
Undergraduate Majors
Liberal Arts (33%)
Business/Accounting (24%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (18%)
Economics (17%)
Other (8%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Women
Non-US Citizenship
Weekend Executive MBA
Top Areas of Career Focus
IT (16%)
Financial Services (14%)
Health Care/Health Services (10%)
Manufacturing/Operations (9%)
Sales/Business Development (8%)
Consulting (8%)