Too Young

Rachel had visited Duke and had fallen in love with its beautiful Gothic architecture, and, more importantly, its supportive spirit of team-work.

At the time of applying though, she only had 2 years of work experience, about half of the average experience for Fuqua admits!

What could she do to show the admissions committee that she was ready?
  • Our solution: In the strengths & weaknesses module of the Lab, she learned why AdComs get nervous about younger candidates. AdComs aren’t “age-ist”, they do have legitimate concerns about younger students. The good news is, once Rachel understood why parts of her background made them nervous, she could take active steps to mitigate her weaknesses.

    More than any other applicant group, recommendations play a particularly important role in vouching for younger candidates. The ApplicantLab resume module was key in helping Rachel learn how to identify her best stories, and guided her in working closely with her recommenders so she could shine.

    Rachel also found that the step-by-step essay-writing guidance in the Lab helped her focus her thoughts, and walked the perfect balance between “guidance” – while still letting her tell her unique story in her own voice.
  • Result: Rachel just finished her first year at Duke. Go Blue Devils! Plus, she also credits ApplicantLab’s training with helping her land her dream internship this summer.