Zijie (Eric) Mei

"One of the most remarkable aspects of my experience at The Fuqua School of Business is the exceptional caliber of its faculty. The professors here have made an indelible impact on my educational journey, and their expertise is unparalleled."
MQM: Business Analytics
My Program Track
Industry:
Prior Education:
Michigan State University
Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management
Why I Chose Fuqua
Attending Duke University for my undergraduate studies was a long-held aspiration of mine, which, due to personal circumstances, I was unable to fulfill at the time. This remained an unfulfilled aspect of my academic journey. However, when I decided to pursue a master's degree in the United States, Duke stood out as the institution where I sought to realize my educational ambitions.
Receiving the acceptance letter was a defining moment in my life, marking the commencement of a dream realized. In addition, the Master of Quantitative Management: Business Analytics program at The Fuqua School of Business is renowned for its excellence. It is particularly worth mentioning the exceptional deep learning coursework led by Professor X (Jiaming Xu). His expertise and dynamic teaching style have made a significant impact, making complex subjects accessible and engaging.
My affinity for data was evident from the inception of my business, where I developed a sophisticated customer management and production automation system using Excel. This intricate system, comprising over fifty interconnected sheets and countless equations, was a testament to my capacity for data manipulation and my intrinsic interest in the field. Recognizing this passion, I understood the necessity of deepening my knowledge in data analytics to further enhance my expertise.
My long-term career objective has been to secure a position within a leading technology firm in the United States. The meticulously structured curriculum of the program has been instrumental in refining my understanding and passion for data. This clarity has only deepened my resolve to pursue an unconventional path for program graduates: a career in data science. I am immensely grateful for the program's role in helping me discover and foster my passion in this dynamic field.
5 Tips for Maximizing Your Time at Fuqua
- Go to lectures! I can’t stress this enough. The professors here at Fuqua turn lectures into art. It’s a huge loss for you if you don't attend lectures.
- Try the projects yourself. Get your hands dirty, even though it seems intimidating initially. Although a team can split up the cases to different parts, I encourage everyone to try doing the projects themselves; that’s the best way to learn!
- Talk to the professors. They are incredibly friendly and helpful with coursework and beyond. You would miss out so much if you missed the opportunity to get to know your professors personally.
- Try to apply what you learned by doing side personal projects. You will not believe how much new knowledge and tools you will learn here at Fuqua; try to apply and practice some of them to your own personal projects. Not only you will have more things to present to employers, you get really good practice out of it— plus, it is such a rewarding experience!
- Communicate with your teammates. Everything here at Fuqua is about teams. Be open and talk to your teammates if you have questions or concerns, they won’t know what you are thinking if you don’t communicate. Trust me, people here are nice—don’t be afraid!
My MQM Track
My decision to specialize in the Marketing track was informed by extensive prior professional experience and the entrepreneurial insight gained from founding my own business to customer startup. This experience underscored the pivotal role that marketing plays in a company's success, and it also highlighted the challenges I faced when attempting to apply marketing theories in practical scenarios. Eager to bridge the gap between theory and practice, I was driven to acquire actionable marketing skills that could precipitate tangible results in the business environment. Furthermore, I sought to understand alternative strategies that could have propelled my business forward. The Marketing track at Fuqua provided me with an array of valuable skills. Notably, Professor Chany's instruction on integrating data science techniques—such as principal component analysis and k-means clustering into marketing intelligence for factor and cluster analysis—was particularly enlightening. I am confident that these skills are not only highly applicable but also essential within the industry.
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%)