Max Jiang, Duke Fuqua MBA Class of 2028
Hometown: Anhui, China
Undergraduate Major: Communication
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Before business school, I spent nine years as a journalist with China Daily in Beijing and New York. My work focused mainly on international affairs, technology policy, and social issues in China and the U.S. I also helped lead the newsroom’s expansion into social media and short-form video.
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
For a long time, I’ve been curious about how societies work and how people’s lives change. Journalism gave me a chance to explore those questions in both China and the U.S.
Over time, I realized that business is another huge part of that picture. Companies shape how people live, how technology spreads, and even how countries interact with each other. I became increasingly curious about that side of the world.
After nine years in journalism, it felt like the right time to make a real transition. I wanted an MBA to help me understand how businesses actually make decisions, while building the skills I need to move from observing the business world to working in it.
Why did you choose Duke Fuqua? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I attended Fuqua admissions events in Beijing for three years in a row. What stayed with me was how many different alumni would come back each year—not only to talk about Fuqua, but to share very practical advice about applications, careers, and life after business school. After I was admitted, I felt the same thing again. Alumni were generous with their career advice, and my Fuqua Buddy reached out proactively to help me navigate the transition before I even arrived in Durham.
Those experiences made “Team Fuqua” feel much more than a slogan to me. I could see a close community where people were genuinely willing to help each other. That became one of the biggest reasons I chose Fuqua.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2028?
Probably the way I ask questions, and the perspective behind those questions. I come from a non-traditional MBA background in journalism. My work taught me to listen carefully, question the first answer, and look at the same issue from different sides.
It also gave me a close view of how public policy, geopolitics, technology, and social change can affect business. At a time when companies are dealing with more uncertainty across markets, I hope I can bring some of that perspective into our classroom discussions.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
My Chinese given name’s pronunciation is the same as Jackie Chan’s, so some of my friends call me “Jackie.”
Post-MBA career interests:
I’m currently most interested in strategy consulting and marketing or strategy roles in technology. Both paths would let me build on skills I already developed in journalism, such as research, understanding audiences, communicating complex ideas, and working across cultures, while pushing me to become much stronger in structured problem-solving, business strategy, and decision-making.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Attend admissions events and connect with current students and alumni. I’d try to get to know the schools I planned to apply to as well as possible.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
I would try to finish the GRE or GMAT much earlier. Once you have a score that you’re comfortable with, you can spend much more time thinking about the parts of the application.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
If anything, I would spend less time comparing myself with other applicants online. During the process, it is very easy to read someone else’s test score, background, or admissions result and start wondering what it means for you. Usually, it doesn’t mean very much.
Talking with people who actually knew me, and reminding myself that every applicant has a different story helped me get through that part.
What is your initial impression of the Duke Fuqua students/culture/community?
Supportive, close-knit, and genuinely diverse. My six-person C-Lead team alone includes people from consulting, education, veteran, and journalism, and two of us are international students. We have very different professional and personal experiences, but our conversations feel surprisingly easy and down-to-earth.
What student organizations have you joined/are you hoping to join and why?
I’ve joined or been involved with the Duke MBA Consulting Club, Greater China Club, Asia Business Club, FuquaPride, and the Business & Policy Club.
The Consulting Club is especially important as I explore consulting recruiting. The Greater China Club and Asia Business Club keep me connected to a region I know well while also giving me a chance to learn how classmates from other countries see Asia. FuquaPride gives me another community within Fuqua, and the Business & Policy Club connects closely with my interest in how policy and business increasingly shape each other.
What is one thing you have learned about Duke Fuqua that has surprised you?
The level of support from second-year students and alumni has surprised me the most. As summer internship recruiting gets underway, there are constantly office hours, recruiting sessions, resume reviews, coffee-chat advice, and informal conversations where second-years walk us through things they were doing themselves only a year ago. I expected people to be helpful, but I didn’t expect it to be this hands-on.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
I’m most excited about making friends from around the world and learning how they see their own countries, cultures, and business environments. One of the reasons I wanted an MBA was to understand the world from more angles. Now I can sit down with classmates from very different places and industries and hear perspectives that I probably would never have encountered in my old job.
