Dong Gyu Oh
"Meeting new people along with my team experience made me think about how a leader should act and lead. Before this program, I was a leader who emphasized always getting the job done, and in the shortest timeframe possible. Now I realize that while achieving the goal is important, nothing is as important as the people around you, including people in your team."
MMS: Foundations of Business
Industry:
Prior Education:
Konkuk University
Management of Technology
Why I Chose Fuqua
During undergrad, I learned a lot but had the feeling that I actually didn't fully know or understand the things that I learned. Before I start my professional career, I wanted to do something about this so I naturally decided to apply to graduate programs. I chose to do this in the U.S. because I wanted to be in an environment that is very different from Korea. Of all the business schools in the U.S., choosing Fuqua was not a hard choice—not just because it's one of the top business schools in the world, but also its emphasis on "Team Fuqua" and the resources it has made my choice easy. Also, as a person who lived in a very big, busy city most of my life, I didn't want to stay in a big city. The small city vibe that Durham has was what I was looking for.
Before Fuqua
I was in the Korean Army for 19 months as an operations and intelligence specialist, and after that, I did a little bit of research as a research assistant. The topics included analyzing Korean science and technology policies, analyzing success factors for the drone delivery industry, and ethical use of AI.
After Fuqua
I was lucky enough to get an offer from AlphaSights. I was, and still am, interested in a lot of things. So it was hard to decide which industry I should start from. But while I was looking for open positions, I found AlphaSights and after some research, I felt that it would be a great place to learn about different industries and sectors. As a person who loves learning new things, and not sure where to go next, it was perfect for me. And I’m confident that what I’ve learned and experienced at Fuqua will definitely help me there.
5 Tips for Maximizing Your Time at Fuqua
- Try everything—whether it’s talking to people you’ve never met before, attending an energy conference, or going to Topgolf with your friends. The MMS program is short and demanding, but also this is a time in your life you can truly try and do anything with minimal concerns.
- Travel as much as you can. It’s a short program and you might think it’s better to do other stuff rather than traveling for various reasons. But it’s totally worth it. Go by yourself or with friends. You can see so much and experience new things you’ve never even thought about.
- Utilize the short slots of time you have. Whether it’s the 15 minutes you have after getting ready for the day before you leave, or the 20 minutes you have before a meeting, use these times to get things done. Even if you know that you can’t finish something in that time, it’s always better to start. You’ll be surprised by the amount of work you can do in those wasted times.
- Ask for help. Whether it’s about job searching or assignments, Fuqua is full of people that can and are more than willing to help you. Try doing it yourself, and if you can’t, ask for help. This way you can save a lot of time and energy, while at the same time gaining more information and insights.
- Don’t worry about grades. Getting a good grade is definitely not the most important thing here. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t study or prepare for exams, but getting an SP shouldn’t be your main goal. Learn, but don’t be obsessed about the numbers on your transcript because it’s truly not that important.
The Fuqua Network
As a person who lived in Korea for almost all my life, meeting people from different countries, cultures, backgrounds was extremely rare—up to the point that it’s almost impossible. I couldn’t even imagine meeting people from different parts of the world. But here at Fuqua, I was able to meet and interact with people I would have never met in Korea. It’s not like when you’re traveling somewhere and talking to a person you met for a few days, you’re practically living with your classmates for 10 months. You’re with them almost all the time, talking with them, going on trips with them, having dinner with them; this opened up a whole new world full of insights and thoughts for me. As much as I had fun with my friends, I had a lot of discussions and deep talks, too. These greatly influenced my mindset and how I see the world.
MSQM:HA students "meet" in Durham without leaving home
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%)