Darden (University of Virginia)

malbec · **Posted:** Mon Nov 01, 2010 4:25 pm

Darden School of Business

Rankings (2011 GMAT Club Rankings Table)

MBA Specialty Rankings

#1 Student Satisfaction (Bloomberg Businessweek 2010)
#1 General Management (Financial Times 2011)
#1 Education Experience (The Economist 2011)
#1 Best Faculty (The Princeton Review 2010)
#1 Best Facilities (The Princeton Review 2011)
#3 Corporate Social Responsibility(Financial Times 2011)
#3 Entrepreneurship (The Princeton Review for Entrepreneur magazine 2011)
#5 Placement Success (Financial Times 2011)

Historical GMAT Club Applicant Threads

Popular Links

Current Applicant Thread: Fall 2012 - Calling All Darden Applicants

Fall 2012 Application Instructions

Application Deadlines 2011–2012
Round 1: 10/17/2011 |Decision Date: 12/21/2011
Round 2: 1/12/2012 | Decision Date: 3/28/2012
Round 3: 4/4/2012 | Decision Date: 5/16/2012

Essay
Share your perspective on leadership in the workplace and describe how it has been shaped by the increasing influence of globalization. (500 words maximum)

Recommendation Questions (2 recommenders)

Please provide an example of how this applicant has made a positive impact on your organization
Please provide an example of how this applicant has mentored or managed others either formally or informally
What makes this applicant an exceptional person

Essay Analysis

Class Profile and Program Statistics

Full Time MBA Stats

Length of Program

21 Months

Campus Location

Charlottesville, Virginia

Class Size

319

Average Work Experience

4 Years

Average Age

28

Average GMAT

701 (Middle 80%: 650-740)

Average GPA

3.4 (Middle 80%: 3.1-3.79)

Female

29%

International

31%

Curriculum – Notable Features

Case Method

Quote:

A distinctive element of the Darden academic experience is the case method of instruction. In contrast to a lecture-based approach to education, Darden class time is spent discussing cases about actual business problems and potential solutions. Under the skillful direction of a faculty member, students strengthen their communication and leadership skills by learning to make difficult decisions with limited information and significant uncertainty — critical skills for any current or future business leader. By actively defending their positions, students have a safe environment in which to learn to persuade and inspire others, to reconcile differing viewpoints and to prioritize objectives and capitalize on opportunities.

Students are exposed to over 500 cases in a variety of industries and functions during their time at Darden. In each class, students contribute their own viewpoints to the business situation at hand while building a strong frame of reference and broadened perspective from the classroom discussions. If you are able to visit a Darden class, you will see that Darden students do most of the talking.
Visit Perspectives on the Case Method to learn more.

Life @ Darden

Quote:

Life at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business is characterized by a high level of involvement in a wide variety of activities, both inside and outside of the classroom. There is a shared responsibility and understanding among students, faculty and staff for everyone to be engaged and to engage others in community and student life. Student self-governance is a hallmark of the University of Virginia and extends to the Honor Code, class and section leadership as well as all other clubs and activities. We invite you to learn more about the many organizations, events and activities at Darden, in addition to the larger UVA and Charlottesville communities, by visiting the following links:

Student Organizations — Darden has over 40 student clubs that range from career-focused organizations to community, social and outreach groups.
Darden Community — Learn about the tight-knit community life at Darden. Information about partners and families, international student resources, affinity groups, women and military students can be found here.
Darden Grounds — Watch a video tour, view photos or find directions to the School.
Student Affairs — Get to know the Office of Student Affairs and the resources it provides.
University of Virginia — Darden students benefit from UVA's vast research and historic resources and the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines.
Charlottesville — Consistently ranked a top city in lifestyle, health and business rankings, Charlottesville offers the amenities of a large city while maintaining the charm of a small town.

Entrepreneurship

Quote:

Darden has one of the leading entrepreneurship programs among all graduate business schools.

At Darden, students can gain valuable experience in launching an entrepreneurial venture while learning from award-winning entrepreneurship faculty and a thriving network of student and alumni entrepreneurs:

#3 ranked in Entrepreneurship by The Princeton Review for Entrepreneur magazine in 2011.
#1 ranked faculty by Entrepreneur Magazine and the Princeton Review (2008)
Over $1 million in entrepreneurship scholarships awarded annually
46% of Incubator companies remain active enterprises after 5 years. Students can apply to launch their businesses: Darden Business Incubator
More than 25 academic courses (electives) in entrepreneurship and innovation
Large portfolio of co-curricular entrepreneurial activities, all funded by the Batten Endowment.
Four major entrepreneurial competitions (including concept and business plan competitions)
VC bootcamp, E-bootcamp, Health Care bootcamp
Two clubs students can join: the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club (EVC Club) and the E*Society
Recent Darden entrepreneurs have received media coverage in a broad range of outlets, including the New York Times, Bloomberg/BusinessWeek, Washington Post, USA Today, Fast Company,The Scientist Magazine, MSNBC, National Public Radio, and several others.

Whatever a student's level of interest in entrepreneurship, Darden provides a wide array of opportunities for students to experience the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship, both inside and outside the classroom.

GMAT Club Current Students & Alumni
DardenSY

Videos

School & Interview Guides

Clear Admit: School Guide |Interview Guide
mbaMission: School Guide
Veritas Prep: School Guide (Get 3 Free Guides)

Other Helpful Links and Discussions

Student Blogs

Darden Students Bloggers
Nominate your favorite Darden blog to be listed here!

Comparison Threads

KingShark · **Posted:** Tue Nov 02, 2010 4:36 am

Hey malbec,

You should add these links to your post too.

Duke Vs Darden:
duke-vs-darden-72432.html

Darden Vs Cornell:
darden-vs-cornell-94811.html

Hjort's review:
virginia-darden-13305.html

malbec · **Posted:** Tue Nov 02, 2010 5:15 am

Excellent!
Great contribution!

LMiz · **Posted:** Tue Dec 14, 2010 3:40 pm

I've heard that the University of Virginia has a rather conservative culture compared to other business schools. I'm wondering if there is anyone out there who can speak as to what exactly is meant by that. In what way is it conservative? Is it in reference to the heavy use of the case study method--or are we talking rings of students praying, hand in hand, around the American flag every Wednesday morning at dawn?

crosscountry09 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 08, 2011 3:09 pm

LMiz wrote:

I've heard that the University of Virginia has a rather conservative culture compared to other business schools. I'm wondering if there is anyone out there who can speak as to what exactly is meant by that. In what way is it conservative? Is it in reference to the heavy use of the case study method--or are we talking rings of students praying, hand in hand, around the American flag every Wednesday morning at dawn?

Darden and UVA fosters a close community spirit, with supportive faculty and close links with local and international business. Darden is on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, which is one of the cities with the best quality of life in the US. The school is in the south and holds to it's honor code. The school was set up by Jefferson to be run by students and the school keeps to this ethos through all it's programs.

http://www.virginia.edu/uvatours/shorthistory/code.html

crosscountry09 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2011 8:46 am

All veterans: the GI Bill 2.0 now covers 100% of your MBA, Law School, up to a PhD tuition at any in-state school.

MBA: Darden Student Veterans Benefit From Updates to the Post-9/11 GI Bill

The Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 was signed into law in early January 2011. Changes have been made to the original Post 9/11 Act that are important for all veterans and active duty members who are either applying or are considering applying to the Darden School of Business.

Effective on August 1, 2011, the GI Bill will now pay all public school in-state tuition and fees, including the graduate programs. The Darden School of Business is one of the few top ranked MBA programs in the country that is part of a public university and thereby able to benefit from the new update to the law.

For full details, visit the GI Bill website: http://www.gibill.va.gov/post-911/post- ... anges.html

crosscountry09 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:39 pm

Check out these websites. They should be helpful in preparing you for your interview.

Unfortunately the third link seems to be under construction but applicants should check back with the first link and look under interviews section. Best of luck to all.

http://www.accepted.com/mba/uvadarden.aspx

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/mb ... 601790.htm

Books:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Into-Top- ... b_title_bk

http://www.amazon.com/BusinessWeek-Guid ... pd_sim_b_1
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jko · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:29 am

Is there any preference towards in-state applications? I know it's a bit cheaper to attend UVA if you're a VA resident, but I was curious if the admission rate is any higher.

Anyone know?

bakfed · **Posted:** Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:53 pm

I don't think there's much advantage for Darden (the difference in tuition is about $4k-$5k).

You could probably call Darden's admission office and about this, but I'm pretty sure this isn't a published data to the public.

crosscountry09 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:42 am

jko wrote:

Is there any preference towards in-state applications? I know it's a bit cheaper to attend UVA if you're a VA resident, but I was curious if the admission rate is any higher.

Anyone know?

Bryant Michaels a MBA Admissions Consultant from Veritas Prep states: "Nope, unfortunately for VA residents, Darden cannot afford to favor locals as it could potentially skew their admissions stats and risk their ranking. For the MBA program, it does not provide any advantage to be from Virginia."

jko · **Posted:** Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:43 am

Thanks crosscountry

DardenFY · **Posted:** Tue Aug 23, 2011 10:13 pm

Hello guys,
Feel free to reach out with any question and good luck with your Darden application!

MBACrystalBall · **Posted:** Sat Oct 22, 2011 1:08 am

Another link that could be added to the resource list:

Darden MBA – Interview with Associate Director of Admissions Wendy Huber

She answers questions about application requirements, what NOT to do on your application, MBA financing, summer internships, new initiatives at Darden and more.

Aximili85 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 1:33 pm

Hi all, I had a question for anybody familiar with Darden's dual degree programs. I just spoke to a Darden alumni with PepsiCo, he graduated in 2004 and mentioned that Darden's dual degrees tend to be a bit poorly planned. More specifically, as the case study curriculum is already extremely challenging, Darden, unlike other schools, does not decrease the overall workload in order for students to graduate on time. So one might have to extend the course time by a year if required.

I wanted to apply to the MBA/MPH (Masters in Public Health) program, and was wondering if anybody had any insights for this school.

petrifiedbutstanding · **Posted:** Mon May 07, 2012 3:48 am

Can someone point me to the admissions statistics for the current year for Darden, please?

novanative · **Posted:** Mon May 07, 2012 4:53 am

petrifiedbutstanding wrote:

Can someone point me to the admissions statistics for the current year for Darden, please?

Here are UVA's stats for the Fall 2011 incoming class:

Applicant Pool
319 matriculated; 558 got accepted; 2,269 applied
24.6% acceptance rate, 57.2% yield rate

GMAT FOR APPLICANT POOL
10th: 610
25th: 660
Median: 700
75th: 720
90th: 740

GMAT FOR INCOMING CLASS:
10th: 650 (rounded up from 643 which isn't a score)
25th: 680
Median: 710
75th: 730
90th: 750

SOURCES

BUSINESSWEEK:
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/ra ... arden.html

US NEWS - subscription needed
http://premium.usnews.com/best-graduate ... admissions

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Darden (University of Virginia)

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