Latest / Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast / Episode 515: Admissions Director Q&A with Shari Hubert of Duke Fuqua

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Episode 515: Admissions Director Q&A with Shari Hubert of Duke Fuqua · Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast

• 0:17
  Speaker A: Welcome to the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. I'm your host, Graham Richmond, and this special episode is part of our Admissions Director Q and A series today. Today, I'm delighted to welcome Sheri Hubert, Associate Dean for Admissions at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. Sheri joined Fuqua as Associate Dean for Admissions in October of 2017. So she's about nine years into her tenure with the program. And prior to Fuqua, Sherry worked at Georgetown. McDonough, also in an Associate Dean for Admissions role. Before that, she was Director of recruitment at the U.S. peace Corps. And she also has a lot of corporate experience earlier in her career with roles at Georgia, Citi, bcg, and Merck all on the resume. Sheri earned her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth and her MBA from Harvard. Welcome to the Clear Admit Podcast, Sheri. It's great to see you.
• 1:05
  Speaker B: Thanks so much, Graham. I'm really excited to be here with you. It's so excited and looking forward to our session today. So thanks for the invitation.
• 1:13
  Speaker A: Yeah, no, of course. I've been having a lot of fun doing these, as I was telling you before we came on air, and I was really looking forward to connecting with you because we've actually known each other for quite some time. And as I was going over your bio, I realized that I think we first crossed path maybe when you were at Georgia, Georgetown, McDonough, and I want to say like 2015 or before, somewhere in there. So it's been. Yeah, it's been a while.
• 1:33
  Speaker B: Good memory.
• 1:35
  Speaker A: Yeah, totally. So I wondered, though, speaking of your background, like, would you be willing to just shed a little bit more light on, you know, kind of what's the sort of path that led you into this current role and maybe more broadly, like what led you from those kind of corporate roles you had more into kind of recruitment and the sort of higher ed world?
• 1:52
  Speaker B: Yeah, that's good question. So, you know, it's been, what, almost 30 years of experience, professional experience. I won't bore you with all the details, but I would say one through line, it's really the importance of education and how that really transforms and, you know, lives and futures. And so it really was foundational for me. I think education has been a foundational kind of through line for me from growing up in the Midwest. I was a first generation college student. Student. You know, my parents, you know, both parents thought very highly of education. My mom really sacrificed a lot to put me through college. And so for me, you know, education is about opportunity and access. And so that was very foundational for Me then moving into, you know, post, you know, college. I was a French major. I then went into work for Merck. So I went into the kind of a corporate environment afterwards. And, you know, I think that was foundational as well, taught me certain kind of skills in terms of sales and in being able to relate with people. But after a while, I did feel as though there were other kinds of skill sets in my toolkit that I was missing. And so for me, thinking about pursuing a graduate school degree and, you know, business was one that was top of mind. I was in a program called Inroads, and so I was always kind of focused on business and had internships throughout college. So business was very fundamental for me. I decided to pursue my MBA and coming out did the very kind of traditional herd mentality role of consulting. So I was with BCG for a little bit and then quickly kind of transitioned into other types of events, corporate roles. I've been fortunate. Like, as you mentioned, for me, the MBA has really allowed me to take advantage of opportunities that I did not know existed. And I always say that the MBA helps to open doors, but it's really what you do once you walk through that is a true testament of that particular degree and the experience from it. And so after having opportunities to be being on the corporate side, primarily in campus recruiting, university relations kinds of roles, and then on the national stage with the Peace Corps, I'd always tangentially worked with universities in the different parts of my professional career. And so at one point I thought, how much fun would it be to actually work directly for a university in higher education? And the opportunity presented itself fortuitously. I always like to say, my career has really evolved fortuitously. So this was no different. And I was shown the opportunity by a friend of mine who worked for Georgetown Dental School of Business. And it was great. I mean, it looked like it was a really interesting role in admissions. And I never really thought that I would necessarily go the admissions route. I always thought, well, maybe you enter into higher ed through the career center because you'd always been on the end helping to identify talent for employers and businesses. And then also thought maybe a global role would be interesting because I was really fundamentally transformed by my study abroad experience in France. But when I got this position description and I saw the benefits of the benefits and how I could leverage my skills and all the experiences I had across the different sectors in industry and how pivotal the MBA was to my life, I thought, wow, you know, it would be really a full circle moment for me. To be on the front end helping other people gain entry into a degree which can be so life changing. And so that's kind of how I, how I viewed it. And I have to say, like, I. There's no looking back ever since I stepped into this sector and Ro, it's been just wonderful. It's been the best job ever and everybody day. I feel really fortunate to be able to do the work that I do.
• 5:55
  Speaker A: And I noticed, I was looking at your. You have a blog, I guess, on the Fuqua website somewhere, and I saw there was kind of a descript. You kind of wrote a description of your background. And one of the things you said at the end of it was, I love my job. And I just thought that was such a great, great comment. And it just seemed to really ring true. And obviously I know you and I know we've done a lot of stuff together over the years, you know, to kind of help promote the mba just overall, you know, even teaming up with other schools and things. So. Yeah, I think that obviously shines through. What is it? I mean, I think you've commented on this a little bit, but is there anything specific about the admissions work that kind of keeps you excited? Because here you are, you know, coming up on a decade at Fuqua, and you were at Georgetown, McDonough before that. So there's gotta be something. What keeps you kind of coming back year in and year out?
• 6:40
  Speaker B: Yeah, great questions. I would say that it's, it's always changing and, you know, sometimes for the better, sometimes not so much. So it's, you know, definitely keeps me on my toes and I like the fact that it is mission oriented. I do feel like we have this tagline, you know, making dreams come true. That's what we, that's what I feel every day. And, you know, I would, I would counsel students and counsel young professionals just, you know, for free, really. I mean, because I do it and I love it and it gives me a lot of energy and brings me a lot of joy. So that keeps. That keeps me excited. Every year. I am in awe of people stepping out of their comfort zone to invest in themselves through the pursuit of this degree. And the fact that every year there are people willing to take a bet on themselves to do that is just really inspiring. And then, you know, finally, I would say this job is a hard job. It's a, it's a complicated job. And I would say that I use my MBA skills more in this job than I've ever used in any of the other jobs that I've had. And I'll tell you why. It's because it's like running your own mini P and L. You know, I mean, we're the revenue generating arm of any institution. There's, you know, I have a team of about 34 folks. And so it's really about organizational behavior, understanding how do you motivate your team, how do you continue to help them develop and learn and grow? You know, we have to contend with all kinds of market dynamics on a, on a yearly basis. It's constantly changing. There's a lot of competitive challenges that we have to work through as well. There's a lot of data involved, involved in analysis, large budget. So it's really like running your own business. And it's just been, it's been exhilarating really. Even though, even through the challenges, it's always been really fun and interesting to be able to take new, each new cycle in its turn and see what's, you know, how we can navigate those challenges to continue to fulfill on the mission.
• 8:56
  Speaker A: Yeah, it sounds like there's a lot. You're right. I mean, there are a lot of moving parts and yeah, gosh, the way you describe it, it does sound like there's. And we've met a lot of the folks that report to you who come and do the clear admit webinars that we do and they all seem really happy and they always get to talk about your process and all the details about some of the. I love that essay question that Duke has asked for many, many years. The 25 random facts. And so everyone always seems really excited to talk about all the work that you guys do in the office. I have to ask you though, what is like a misconception that applicants tend to have admissions officers or even just the process? Like, is there something that you think applicants sort of get wrong?
• 9:38
  Speaker B: You know, I think many people think there's a formula or there's a perfect answer or perfect score and that we're looking for perfect candidates. And that's just not true. We're really trying to understand, you know, how will someone show up, how will they contribute? What are they looking for in terms of their growth, you know, what are they hoping to learn throughout this transformational experience and journey? Will they contribute to others along the lines, along the way? And ultimately, how are we able to craft a community that reinforces our values around leadership, leadership development, and really makes sure that everyone in that community is able to thrive and be able to achieve the things that they aspire to achieve? So there is no perfection. I like to say that business school is about becoming. We're not looking for people who are the finished product. We're not looking for someone who has already figured everything out. And so candidates and applicants should just show up as themselves. Help us understand. Understand who you are. You don't have to, you know, don't have to be kind of memorable. But we do want to know who you are. You need to be knowable. Right. And I think that 25 random facts essay really helps applicants allow themselves to show those aspects that aren't necessarily as clear cut or perhaps as visible as one would think. I really like this essay because in one essay, we can ask the kind of question that it would take, you know, hundreds of other questions to. To get to elicit that same kind of answer. Right. And so people should not be stressed about it. Hopefully it's a. It's a fun and an enlightening kind of endeavor and exercise when answering that essay.
• 11:37
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 11:38
  Speaker B: But know that you are. You are good enough as you are. And so now it's really about you telling us who you are. Don't try and be someone that you're not. Don't try and guess at what we're looking for. You are the best person to tell your story. So don't, you know, leverage tools to help you clarify your thinking. But don't, don't allow. Don't outsource those tools as a substitute for you being able to tell your own story, because only you can really tell your own story.
• 12:07
  Speaker A: Yeah. And I think the 25 random facts is such a great exercise for folks, and it just feels like a great way for you all to get to know everyone. And I think one thing that's funny to me or just interesting in terms of you all putting your money where your mouth is. It's an exercise that, if I understand correctly, that you have anyone who's joining your team take part in as well. So when someone joins the admissions team at Fuqua, they are also going to share 25 random facts so that the rest of the group gets to know them. So it seems like you guys are really something that you really believe in.
• 12:39
  Speaker B: You know, Graham, it actually started as an exercise for the admissions team to get to know each other. So it started there, and then they turned it into, you know, this predates me. Then they turned it into an essay for applicants, so.
• 12:54
  Speaker A: Oh, that's great.
• 12:55
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 12:56
  Speaker A: So speaking of all this, so I know that question's been a constant for a long time, but one thing I wonder about is you know, you've been in admissions for quite some time, even going back to, you know, your days at Georgetown. But I wonder, has your thinking about admissions changed over the years? Like, do you think that the. The way that you evaluate candidates, or is anything different now than it was when you first sort of started?
• 13:19
  Speaker B: Well, yeah, a lot. Lots changed. I would say a lot has changed. But then on the other side, some things stay the same. Right. So even though the environment around us has changed so much, the mission remains the same. We still are in the business of helping people access opportunity, you know, provide advantages that perhaps they hadn't had, help them to navigate their professional life in a way that they feel as though they're able to add, you know, provide impact not just, you know, for themselves, their family, but also in society. And so those foundational aspects of admissions in business school are still very, very true and still relevant. I think doing that, identifying those individuals, craft in the class, designing kind of that learning community has been more challenging through, you know, as a result of various externalities. Right. And changes in, you know, how people view their professional career, how society, you know, the social pressures in society, the political kind of landscape, you know, polarization, like a lot has. Has changed how people think about themselves and their surroundings. But for those individuals who aspire to have agency over their careers and their professions and want to make an impact in society at large, this degree, no matter what sector or industry you go into, is still extremely valuable and one where people can use it to really fulfill on whatever their aspirations are.
• 15:20
  Speaker A: Yeah, and I feel like you're underlying something really important here, which is that you're right on some levels. You're still. It's a. It's a similar product that you're. You know, the MBA has this amazing flexibility, versatility, and also you're still looking for, you know, people who are smart people who have, you know, interesting aspirations and who are going to contribute to your community. But, yeah, there are all these other things that have happened in the interim in terms of the, you know, whether it's AI or, you know, changes in policies or. I mean, there's a lot of noise out there in the system, so. Yeah, so it's interesting. I think it's definitely been kind of an interesting ride, especially of late.
• 15:55
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 15:56
  Speaker A: What is some. Yeah, go ahead. Sorry.
• 15:58
  Speaker B: I was just gonna say, Amy, you spoke about AI, and I think that's where, you know, with the technological innovations that, you know, applicants have access to, I think that it's becoming more challenging for us in admissions To. To really be able to understand who's the real person behind. So we, you know, that's why I say, like, these tools are fine, but don't let them replace your authentic voice, because that will be what, you know, helps to differentiate you actually in the long run. Because we can, you know, we can tell when people are using these tools. It's, oh, yeah, everyone sounds the same, right? And so you're actually at a disadvantage when you do that. You're at. You're able to stand out more, actually, if you are using your own authentic voice in this process to tell your story.
• 16:56
  Speaker A: Yeah, that's a great point. What is something that you think applicants tend to worry about more than they probably should?
• 17:05
  Speaker B: I mean, I think they use these tools perhaps to their detriment, because they are worrying about sounding impressive or trying to reverse engineer admissions, again, trying to understand, what are we looking for? And again, I would say instead of thinking about what is it that admissions wants to hear, I would reposition that and say, what do I want them to know about me that's more important than you trying to guess at what we want to hear? So I think that's kind of what they worry about, too. Things that are outside their control. I get that. Worrying about that, worrying about finances, how am I going to finance this particular degree? I think there's a lot more concern about that these days. But there are scholarships available. There are resources within the financial aid system. We're trying to talk about these kinds of factors earlier on in the process, admissions and cultivation process, so that people are aware they're not taken by surprise. And I think it's also they worry about the job market. I mean, there's a lot that they worry about. Right? For sure. But I do think that, you know, those people who are prepared and who engage in the process once they get here, and who are focused, you know, I think the data shows that the majority of students end up getting to where they are, where they're at, so aspired to be. And we have a lot of resources at the school to help them along the way, especially from a career support perspective.
• 19:01
  Speaker A: So, yeah, I feel like you're absolutely right, though, when you talk about candidates worrying too much about trying to figure out what they think the committee wants to hear. I always tell people, before you look at the essays or any of the assigned parts of the application, it's always a good idea just to think about, like, take sort of like a personal inventory and think about, like, what it is you want to share. And then look at the components of a school's application and think about, well, where could each of these kind of components that I want to get across fit in?
• 19:33
  Speaker B: Yeah. You know, it's so interesting you say that because we. I get a. I get questions a lot from students saying, hey, can you compare? Like, how does your program stack up against this other program? Program? I have to tell you, that is a question that is not my favorite question, because I feel like, you know, the question to really be asking is, what am I looking for? What's important to me in a program? First of all, what am I looking to achieve? Right. Not just from a career perspective, because it's, you know, business school. And this experience goes beyond just finding a job. It really is a. About your ability to grow as a leader, to grow as an individual, to develop your judgment, your critical thinking, you know, develop those. What we call durable. I call them durable skills that cannot be outsourced by AI. Right. And so. But you have to understand what you're looking for from a program first, and then what's important to you. And then you. You're in a better position to go to various schools to say, hey, based on what's important to me, based on what I'm looking for, what does your school have to offer? You know, as opposed to asking us to compare. Because I only really know my program. I'm not in a position, and it's not my job to go somebody else's program.
• 20:54
  Speaker A: Yeah, it's kind of a. Probably a terrible analogy, but I often, you know, think of people say, like, if you were out on a date with someone, you wouldn't say, why should I be dating you and not the person I went on a date with last week? You know, it just focus on the date that you're with and what you need to learn about them and what you need, etc.
• 21:09
  Speaker B: So it's a great analogy.
• 21:13
  Speaker A: So looking back at the students you've admitted over the years, and you've seen a lot of students come through and they've got, you know, gone through the program at Fuqua. What are some of the qualities you think that distinguish the students who get the most out of the opportunities that are available to them during the mba?
• 21:31
  Speaker B: Yeah. You know, people who remain curious, they embrace challenge, they seek different perspectives. People who invest in not only themselves, but others. And I think if you're prioritizing growth, prioritizing being engaged in the moment, taking full advantage of the resources that are available to you, those are the individuals who I would say, show up really well in our community, thrive in our community and really are the backbone of what we think of when we think of Team Fuqua.
• 22:07
  Speaker A: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And I think. I can't remember. I feel like you have one of your essay questions actually ask people not just what are they going to get out of the sort of Fuqua experience, but what they're hoping to bring into it. Isn't that correct? I feel like there's something in there.
• 22:23
  Speaker B: Yeah. The second essay question is about what do think you, how do you hope to contribute or what's important to you? Kind of from a contribution perspective. And I think for that essay question it's, you know, not as helpful to just, you know, talk about a bunch of a laundry list of clubs that you're trying to interested in. Yeah, I think what's more helpful is to talk about why you've chosen those particular activities or clubs. And it doesn't have be to just be clubs. And there's a lot of different ways that our students contribute. It's a very student driven culture. So there's many ways to, to contribute to not only your own learning, but others. So talk about the why you're interested in those particular activities and then how, and then how will you show up? How will you engage? And so I think that's more meaningful. You know, we have, there's a, there's a learning. Our learning teams are called C lead or consequential leadership teams. And they're like five or six person learning teams that your first year MBA students are put into if they're curated before students start. And I was just at our orientation, we just had our orientation last week and one of the professors was helping them understand the value of that C lead team. And it's not just about. Because you know, this is a team where you will case together, you do all your, you know, projects and your sections together and things like that. But it, but that team is more than that. It's not just about delivering on items. It's also about developing each other as well along the way. And so there again, this really feeds into this notion that Team Fuqua is not just culturally, you know, a value, but it's really the method through which our students learn. Right. It's not just about your own individual kind of success, but it's making sure that those around you are just as successful because that really does help move forward organizations. It helps you to become a better leader and it provides greater impact overall down the line, you know, in terms of Anything that you're kind of focused on and working on.
• 24:42
  Speaker A: Yeah. And I guess you're making an interesting point here about, you know, it's not just clubs that you could sort of discuss an interest in joining, but you could potentially, you know, have a really great impact within your learning team, you know, because that's. Yeah, that's good.
• 24:54
  Speaker B: I mean, I mean, we have a fellowship that's called Cole the Center, the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics. And there are Cole fellows. And these are actually second year MBA students who are selected and responsible for first year learning teams.
• 25:11
  Speaker A: Oh, wow. Okay.
• 25:12
  Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So they are, you know, it's peer to peer leadership. They help those teams norm and form and storm. They help them develop their team charter. They're at the same time flexing and strengthening their leadership skills because they are putting those into action immediately with first year MBAs. So. Yes.
• 25:33
  Speaker A: Yeah, that sounds great. Tell me a little bit about when alums come back to campus or when you run into them on the road. What do they tell you that they didn't fully appreciate while they were students, but that hindsight being 2020 are like, wow, that was a great thing about my experience at Fuqua.
• 25:52
  Speaker B: Well, I think it is this notion that they were put into positions and situations that really allowed them to practice those leadership skills because it is a very student centered community and culture. And so alums will come back and say, look, perhaps I didn't have an appreciation for the importance of my ability to navigate difficult conversations or to be able to motivate, you know, get things done through others, to be able to influence my peers, you know, a lot of influence management as well. And all of that happens in this learning lab, you know, called Team Fuqua, because students take on these leadership roles in ways that they have to, you know, if you're organizing a conference, you know, all the of our conferences are organized by students. So they've got to really manage budgets. They've got to motivate their classmates to go and reach out to other alumni to set up a schedule, to develop the marketing plans, to really organize and put that conference on so that it's done really well. We have the MBA Student Government Association. They have a whole cabinet of VPs. And so our students are really able to practice that leadership in real ways. And so our alumni, you know, come back and say, hey, when they have a difficult team situation happening at work, it's not as difficult for them to, for instance, identify perhaps someone who might be struggling or pulling someone out of their shell on A team to get them to contribute more. Those kinds of things really, at the core, you know, Team Puke was about bringing out the strength in others in order to move towards common purpose. And so because our alums are used to that, they've been trained on that in business school, they go back out into the work world and they have those good habits in place, and they then in turn are able to manage and lead teams in the same way. And so their teams are stronger teams. Right. Or they're not as rattled when things go awry. I think that's what we hear from our alumni, that they've gotten good training for leading teams that have served them well when they're back in the work world. And as we know, I mean, nothing. You rarely do anything, anything by yourself. And so everything really is done through the team construct.
• 28:29
  Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. Give me one stereotype about Fuqua or Duke that you'd love to debunk.
• 28:40
  Speaker B: Well, I would say this notion that Team Fuqua is only about the culture. It really is. It is the educational philosophy. It is the learning model. It's the method through which we develop leaders. And, you know, we believe deeply that, you know, one thing, you know, AI, what knowledge is very accessible these days, right? Especially with the advent of AI. But one thing that isn't, can't be really aified. That's a word, is judgment. And we believe, you know, leadership. Leadership is social judgment. It's about being engaged. And this note, you know, how we construct classes and how we construct what we call the learning environment. That's our job in admissions. That's my job in Admissions is to really construct the learning environment in which someone enters and will be able to thrive. And that all really fundamentally is what Team Fuqua is a. It is the method through which we develop leaders. And we do it by really expecting students to be rigorous and to be serious about their education and their learning, but also know that they've got to practice those good habits of entering into difficult conversations, challenging people's assumptions, not being afraid to do that. Right? Not being afraid to show up and show their voice and have their voices heard, but doing in a respectful way, supporting each other, inside the classroom, outside the classroom, when it matters most. All those things help get you used to being in cultivating your learning leadership skills, those what we call durable skills. You know, some people might call them soft skills. We like to call them durable skills. But, you know, and so for us, the misnomer is that Team Fuqua is just kind of a warm Fuzzy thing. But it really is the way in which we develop leaders, like every aspect of the from. It's very intentional. The way in which we admit people is very intentional. The actual activities and programs and process that we put them through as students is very intentional. The opportunities you give them that are experiential or that to help develop their leadership skills are very intentional. All of that really is a function of our ability to allow people to flex those leadership muscles, but in a way that acknowledges that, you know what, as an individual you can go far, but as a group, as a team, you go the furthest. Right? And that's not just, you know, in school, but that's in life, that's in your professional career. And so for us, this, you know, Team Fuqua really is about developing years.
• 31:41
  Speaker A: Okay, last serious question that I have for you. And then there are some fun questions I want to zip through in our lightning round. But the last sort of serious question I have is I want to know more about the role that Durham, or maybe more broadly the Research Triangle, that being, you know, Durham, Chapel Hill rally, what like what role does your location play in the student experience at Fuqua?
• 32:05
  Speaker B: And I'm glad you asked about the Greater Raleigh Durham and Resource Triangle park because I would say that Durham is, is situated in a broader regional metro area of over a million people. If you think about not just Durham, but Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Cary, Research Triangle park, all of those are 20 to 30 minutes apart. So our students having access to a much broader ecosystem. Charlotte is about two hours away. The mountains of Ashley about three hours away. Beach is about two hours away. So there's a richness to this area that I think people don't always have an appreciation for. It's not, you know, it's more than just a small town with a big city feel. It really has a lot more breadth when you think about it, where it sits regionally. And I think the biggest advantage is really the innovative ecosystem. So you not only, you know, in the backyard, you know, Duke sits in the back in the Durham's backyard. And you have from a healthcare perspective, if you're interested in health self care management program, you can do a practicum with our Duke Hospital health system. If you're interested in technology and understanding kind of the commercialization of technology. We have students who are first year students who can do mentored studies with venture capital firms who are helping either universities or others to commercialize their technology. We have research, our second year students can do faculty research on issues that are interesting to Them. And to the faculty member, we have entrepreneurship, be it commercial or social or commercial ventures. We have the Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative, which sits in Fuqua, but it represents all of Duke University's ecosystem around entrepreneurship. And even within that initiative, there are the traditional commercial and social ventures. But even if you think about entrepreneurial finance, so in that center will, you know, if you think about entrepreneurship through acquisition, we have ETA labs, we have ETA clubs, we have VC labs, we have private equity labs, as well as clubs to support that. So there's a lot of richness around this notion of starting something anew. And then finally, Duke University itself, I think, is a wonderful ecosystem. We encourage our Fuqua students to get out of the Fuqua bubble from time to time and take advantage of all that Duke has to offer. For instance, if you're interested in sports, there's a Duke athletics fellowship that you can take advantage of. All of our MBA students can take courses at the law school, the public policy school, the school of the environment. I think it's 12 credits for four courses, 12 credits at any school outside of Fuqua. And so there's a. What we call bold building outdoor leadership and development. And that is a kind of like an Outward Bound experience that our students across, our graduate students across Duke can take advantage of. And so it really, there's just a, you know, there's a richness here that, that I think is underestimated. But when you come to Durham and you see all that that you have that we have to offer, and we're easily accessible both across the country and internationally. When you think about how easy it is to get in and out of Raleigh, Durham, many of our students will take quick flights to D.C. or to New York to do interviewing and that kind of thing. And so it's really very accessible as well.
• 36:05
  Speaker A: Yeah, it sounds like there's a lot. And I do actually recall I was there not so long ago, and I was able to get a direct flight from Europe right into Raleigh. So it is.
• 36:13
  Speaker B: Yeah, you know, yeah, there's a direct exact. To Paris. To Paris, right where you are. So there's Germany, Mexico City, London, I think.
• 36:23
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 36:24
  Speaker B: Iceland. Yeah.
• 36:25
  Speaker A: So. So those are all the main questions. We have a couple minutes left, and I wanted you to do our lightning round, which is just to kind of let our listeners get to know you a little bit, since I think sometimes, you know, candidates are always a little scared of admissions directors or they're kind of, you know. So we'll just go through these Rap fire. The first one is Coffee or tea?
• 36:48
  Speaker B: Coffee.
• 36:49
  Speaker A: All right. Beach or mountains?
• 36:52
  Speaker B: Beach.
• 36:52
  Speaker A: All right.
• 36:54
  Speaker B: Am I. Well, am I supposed to. Am I supposed to talk about it or just tell you?
• 36:58
  Speaker A: No, these are. It's fine. I mean, if there's something you really want to elaborate on, you can, but no, and I was actually. I'm laughing because. Beach or mountains? You know, you. You just mentioned you have access to both right. Where you're located, so That's a tough one.
• 37:09
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 37:10
  Speaker A: Are you. Are you a morning person or a night out?
• 37:13
  Speaker B: Oh, I'm a morning person. I like to work out in the mornings, so I. I usually go to bed quite early so that I. So that I can get up in the morning and work out. I love spinning and Pilates and things like that. So. Yeah.
• 37:28
  Speaker A: Yeah. Morning. Morning workouts are great for me. They give you energy for the day ahead. What is. What is a pet peeve that you have?
• 37:37
  Speaker B: Being mansplained.
• 37:41
  Speaker A: O. That's a good one. And, yeah, it's one that's definitely a problem.
• 37:46
  Speaker B: I want to elaborate more on that one.
• 37:48
  Speaker A: Yeah. All right. What about a comfort food?
• 37:52
  Speaker B: I love these questions. Barbecue and Brussels sprouts.
• 37:55
  Speaker A: Oh, wow. Yeah. Actually, when I was in. When I was in. I was on campus not too long ago. I guess it was in the last year. I had amazing barbecue. I can't remember the place, but somewhere I think was in Raleigh, technically, but maybe the Pit, or. I can't remember what it was called. No. Maybe. No, it'll come to me.
• 38:12
  Speaker B: No, the Pit is in Raleigh. You might be it. Yeah.
• 38:15
  Speaker A: Anyway. Fantastic. What is a guilty pleasure that you have? And it can't be barbecue and Brussels sprouts or something you just enjoy?
• 38:22
  Speaker B: No, it won't. It won't be. You know. You know, I have to admit, Graham, I struggled a lot with this question. I'm gonna tell you, and then. Yeah, I'm just gonna. So my guilty pleasure is. I love hookah.
• 38:39
  Speaker A: Oh, okay. Yeah. Oh, that's cool.
• 38:42
  Speaker B: You know, that's really.
• 38:42
  Speaker A: In Paris. It's, like, everywhere. It's, like, a very popular thing.
• 38:46
  Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. I try and I know. Is that too much of a guilty pleasure to describe? No, I think that's right. Okay. Yeah. So every place I travel, I try and find a hookah spot around the world. So I've done hookah in quite some interesting places.
• 39:02
  Speaker A: Oh, that's cool. What is the best advice you've ever received?
• 39:06
  Speaker B: To find my voice and use it. So I. You know, it was funny. When I was in business school, I was sitting at I sat at the top row of a section of 80 people, and I, you know, I would speak, I think, quite, you know, quietly. And so they couldn't really hear me. And so at the end of my. At the end of our second year, they were giving out, like, gags, gifts, and they gave me this big bullhorn to tell me, like, look, whenever you spoke, they were good comments, but you got to speak up, you know, speak up more. And then I had an. I had an executive when I worked for ge and she gave me goodbye. She said, you know, I think she heard me do a speech or something. And it was the first time she really heard me, you know, talk and really kind of share my. My thoughts. And she's like, you know, Sher, you need to find your voice. You know, we need to hear more from you. And so it's really important to make sure that your voice is heard. And that's really stuck with me. And I try and also coach in the folks on my team to make sure that their voice is heard. And I also think it's really interesting because, you know, for those of us, you know, who are introverts, I am an introvert. I think it's important for us to not only speak up, but to be thoughtful around our surroundings. So if we're in a meeting or a team and we see that people aren't speaking up, that we are gracious enough to say, hey, I'd love to hear what your thoughts and opinions are, Graham, if you're not speaking up. So again, it's just this notion of making. Making sure that your voice is heard has been really pivotal for me throughout my career.
• 40:50
  Speaker A: Oh, yeah, that's obviously great advice that you got. Last question for you today is what is the best thing that you've read, watched, or just. Or listened to recently?
• 41:02
  Speaker B: My friend's book, Leadership Unblocked. It's by Muriel Wilkins. It talks about things that we do to get in our own way as leaders with I thought was really interesting, like, never say no, having imposter syndrome feelings, like, I don't belong here. You know, things like as a manager, you know, I need it now. I can't, you know, thinking that you can't make a mistake, thinking that you're the only one who can do be right. Right as well. And so it's kind of a my way or the highway. So those things that we do as leaders that kind of get in our own way. And it just came out and I really, I really loved it and I'm very proud of her. So I would say go, go read it.
• 41:46
  Speaker A: Yeah. All right. Sounds like a great book. Sheri, thanks so much for spending time today. I mean, I feel like this has been a treasure trove of information on Fuqua and just, you know, on the application process, but also just on your personal journey. So really appreciate you coming on the show.
• 42:02
  Speaker B: Thank you, Graham. It was fun. Thanks.
• 42:05
  Speaker A: All right, so that's going to do it for this episode of the show. Thanks for tuning in to the Clear Admit MBA Admissions podcast. And please remember to subscribe, rate and review the show wherever you listen. We'll be back with more admissions Director Q&As all summer long, as well as our regular weekly episodes that air on Mondays.
• 42:28
  Speaker B: Sam.