Calling Darden 2008 Applicants

Thanks kripalkavi That's good advice. Yes this is what I will do.

Hi,
Anyone planning on attending any of the following?

09/20/07 - Darden Reception
09/21/07 - Fall Open House
10/01/07 - Fall Open House
10/29/07 - Fall Open House
11/12/07 - Fall Open House

I have scheduled my visit on October 1st.

Please PM me if you are planning to attend on this day and want to meet up before the event.
I will post the names of people attending in this thread.

That way we could have a GMATclubbers section at the Open House

Argh....How I wish I could make it to all these events. Browsing through the site, interacting with students and alumni is all nice, but there's nothing like a real school visit. -sigh- If only I could afford it......

I am in for the EA round. Long wait time though. How is everyone doing with their essays?

I haven't started mine yet... procrastinating. It looks like Darden's essays are so different from the typical b-schools' "describe you career progress to date blah blah blah" essays.

I am in for R2. Kripal, back at you buddy.

aha! We meet again. Darden's essays are suuuuper different, don't you think?

Actually, I have just the right material for Darden and that is the reason why I am considering Darden. Hopefully, all you R1s can give me tips about Darden essays

I do like the Darden essays, I'll be sending my app in by 1 Nov. Crazy long wait though...

I like them also, however, the word limits are killing me.

I will be attending SICEF MBA event in Copenhagen on 4th of October. Darden is one of the schools on my list.

BTW, I found this while googling for Darden:

1.What matters to you most, both personally and professionally, and how does an MBA relate to these priorities? (500 word maximum)

"This is a creative way of asking for your career goals and why you want an MBA. However, they want you to articulate your broader values and goals, not just career plans. This is similar to Stanford’s “what matters most to you and why”. As we advised with Stanford, think about the honest answer. What is actually important to you? Your career goals should in some way reflect your personal priorities (this does not mean they are one and the same, but that there is some correlation). Then articulate why you need an MBA to reach these personal and professional goals - offer up classes, clubs, etc that will help you. They want to see that that you will take advantage of Darden and make a difference in their community."

Is anyone attendingt the Darden Reception in Miami tomorrow night?

Better yet, do we have in South Floridians in the GMAT Club House?

Just attended the Darden reception in Miami, and it was great! The Director of Admissions was there, so it was awesome getting face time with her. If they come to your area, and you are interested in Darden, I highly recommend that you attend the event. There are a lot of alums, so it is great to get their insight for the essays and just to hear their experiences in general.

Did you see/hear anything of importance that you could not get off the internet?

Hi,
I am going to attend the open house on 9/21. If there are any questions that folks who can't visit want investigated by proxy I would be happy to do my best to help... anyone else on for the event?

Not really. They said that they look for leadership in your essays more than any other aspect, but I think that's what we all focus on for our essays. However, making alumni and adcom contacts is pretty invaluable. When I am writing my essays, I can reference convos with alumni. When I visit the school, I can stop by the adcoms' office. To me, getting perspectives from alums and making contacts was the biggest benefit.