Darden (UVA) Class of 2016: Calling all applicants!

FROM Darden Admissions Blog: Round 2 Admissions Updates: Interviews and Class Visits

As February draws to a close, we would like to give you a few admissions-related updates. Darden continues to invite selected Round 2 applicants to interview on and off Grounds. Applicants can receive an invitation to interview at any time up until the decision release date of 25 March. As a reminder, your application status will not be updated until 25 March, when you will be able to view your decision on your application status page. Due to the spring break and exam schedule, there will not be any full-time MBA class visits available in March. Class visits will resume in April, and registration for those will be open in late March. All admitted students will be invited to attend Darden Days on 11-12 April. This event will include a mock class taught by members of Darden’s highly acclaimed faculty. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your application, we encourage you to email us at darden@virginia.edu.

FROM Darden Admissions Blog: Love is Love: Promoting Equality and Inclusion in Business

“Love is Love” is an annual series of events that the University of Virginia and Darden host each year. Its purpose is to promote equality and inclusion, particularly among the LGBT community in business. 2014 “Love is Love” Darden community photo This year, the Gays, Lesbians and Allies at Darden (GLAD)  student club hosted several events throughout February that included: A workshop for students, faculty and staff interested in creating a supportive environment for LGBT professionals in and out of the workplace Movie screenings hosted by Darden professors Yael Grushka-Cockayne and Peter Rodriguez Drag show brunch at Fellini’s #9, a local Charlottesville restaurant Watch the video below to learn more about GLAD and Darden’s inclusive community: Video: 2013 “Love is Love” Event at Darden

UVa is shut down today due to bad weather. I think it is unlikely the thread will get updated with any good news in the immediate future.

I just keep hoping I will someday check my mail and find the golden e-mail there.

We got about 1" of the anticipated 6-12. I was expecting a work-from-home kind of day, but alas, I'm in the office.

Recently headed out to Charlottesville for my interview and campus visit. Due to my schedule, I was unable to sit in on a class, but I was able to participate in the other activities held for interviewing applicants. It was a great experience overall. Beautiful campus, and nice weather (at least when I was out there). Of the activities, I really enjoyed having lunch with a member of the faculty and a current student the most. Definitely provided a lot of insight into the experience students have at Darden.

As far as the interview goes, I felt like it went really well. In fact, of all the interviews I have done, Darden's was the most enjoyable. I really felt like I wasn't restricted by the questions asked and I was able to paint a clearer picture of myself versus other interviews. It was really conversational. The adcom member that interviewed me was very kind and seemed genuinely interested in my story. Just like many other interview reports that have been posted, my interview started with about 15 minutes of my just telling my story. She told me I could start where ever I wanted, but that she wanted to know more about my background, interests, etc. and that we could get into the resume portion a bit later. While I spoke, she interjected periodically with a question. By the end of our conversation, we had naturally covered why and MBA, what my goals were, and why Darden. For those that are yet to interview, my biggest recommendation is to make sure you know your story inside and out, and be comfortable just talking for most of the interview, as there won't be as many structured questions like other schools (at least from my experience).

Good luck to everyone still interviewing or waiting for an invite!

I interviewed a while back and am looking forward to March 25th. I'm going to be traveling internationally on that day however (based in U.S., will be in Europe), do any of you know a cheap way to get calls through to your phone? I read about getting an international SIM card, but it seems like you can't retain your number - any ideas? And as a corollary, will they give you the good news via voicemail should that be the decision?

Thanks

Are you sure that your phone won't work where you're going? In most instances, you can call your wireless service provider and ask them to activate international services for a time period. I think it was ~$10.

As I was traveling on decision day, and they called my office number, I could not answer the call. When I checked my office emails, I saw that they left a voicemail asking to call them back, which I did.

For your case: Just get an international sim cars and forward all calls to your US number to that one...

FROM Darden Admissions Blog: Balancing an MBA and Family Life at Darden

Students with partners and families are a large part of Darden’s close-knit community. The Darden Partners Association is an organization run by Darden student partners who organize volunteer efforts, plan social activities and provide job and childcare resources to partners and families. Second Year student Phil Gover was recently featured on mba.com. In his video blog below, Phil explains how he was able to balance pursuing an MBA and family life with his partner and seven-year old son: Balancing an MBA and Family Life “Business school is going to change your life. You’re going to quit your job, you’re going to throw yourself into this place where everything’s new, and you’ll have a lot of ‘free time,’ but none of it is really free. There’s always something you can be doing — and that’s true with your school work, with your internship search, with your extracurricular life, with your social life, with taking care of yourself in terms of the gym, and also in terms of your family life — so make priorities and find new ways to connect. Appreciate that in terms of your family, you’ll be able to connect with them as a student in a way that you might not ever get a chance to again once you go back to the full-time working world.” Phil Gover MBA Class of 2014 This video is used with permission from the Graduate Management Admission Council. To hear from more students, visit www.mba.com. Learn more about Partners and Families at Darden on our website.

I interviewed with Darden almost a month back. The interview invitation email specially asked me to just give an interview. Now there no updates from adcom committee. Application portal also does not suggest that I was interviewed. The application portal just says application has been submitted.

Is it same for everyone ? Should I email adcom committee asking for any updates on my application ?

The only update will come when decisions are released.

I had my Darden interview with an alumni, and it really was a great experience.
I was told that the interview would take about 30 minutes,
and I should talk about who I am, how I became myself, and so why MBA,
maybe some leadership or teamwork experiences in between, and so on.
So I did exactly that, and it was just so comfortable talking about what I know about myself.
My interviewer also gave me a lot of information related to my aspirations
and what Darden can do to help me on. It really was helpful.

I have interviewed with 7 schools so far, and the interview I had last night was the best.
I learned a lot about Darden, and I am really looking forward to the 25th!

Best of luck to everyone!

FROM Darden Admissions Blog: Guest Blog: Investment Management at Darden

Second Year student and blogger, Rohan Poojara, reflects on the investment management opportunities during his time at Darden. This summer, he will be joining JP Morgan full time as an investor. Rohan Poojara MBA Class of 2014 “Investment management fascinates me because of my passion for the markets and desire to work closely with clients to address their most complex financial needs. My father is a stock broker and I developed an interest in the equity markets at a young age. This curiosity evolved through undergraduate internships in real estate finance and full-time jobs in investment banking and economic research. After a very intellectually stimulating and enjoyable summer at JP Morgan, I am excited to be joining the firm full-time as an investor. It is critical, especially for international students, to start researching the landscape of the investment management industry in the U.S. early, but at the same time be patient because the recruiting cycle for most jobs in this space is later in the process compared to the traditional I-banking and consulting roles. Additionally, a lot of investment management recruiting occurs off-campus necessitating extra networking efforts through participation in the New York, Boston and Baltimore job treks. Finally, it goes without saying that a demonstrated interest in the space through active participation in Darden Capital Management, a student-run investment club that manages more than $9 million of the school’s endowment, and staying on top of market news is essential to convince potential employers that the student is truly passionate about investment management. In my opinion, finance in general, and asset management in particular, are strengths of Darden that get overlooked given the dominance of consulting and general management recruiting that accompanies the school’s case study method of teaching. However, the finance faculty is terrific and offers classes ranging from global financial markets to trading and portfolio management that have been critical in my preparation for a career in investment management. Besides classes, experiential learning as a senior portfolio manager of the sustainability-focused Rotunda Fund in Darden Capital Management has helped me learn the dynamics of managing money. Finally, the opportunity to interact with several industry veterans and thought leaders has been very helpful. From the University of Virginia Investing Conference to classes/events with investors such as Dick Mayo, Kyle Bass and Bruno Bertocci, Darden has provided several opportunities to learn the art of investing. With continued investment in this space through the establishment of the Center for Asset Management, opportunities for prospective students are only going to increase.” Listen to Rohan’s podcast on sustainable investing, or learn more about his experiences at Darden though his blog. Rohan grew up in Mumbai, India before moving to the U.S. for his undergraduate education at Washington and Lee University. Prior to starting his MBA, he worked as an investment banking analyst, a consultant at the DC Public School System and an economic policy researcher at the American Enterprise Institute. Rohan has passed all three levels of the CFA exam and will be joining J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank as an investor upon graduation.

Super cool. GMAT? GPA? Location? Background?

That's great. I'd heard from a friend who is a 1st year there that the admissions office was basically done sending out invites, but that's awesome that you got one. Congrats!

I'm expecting to get dinged from Darden since I haven't heard anything. Bummer.

Just out of compulsion, I had pulled some of the GC data to look at statistics for schools where I was interviewing. I was looking to see if there was a demonstrable difference between the students who had been accepted vs. denied, ONLY in the population of those who received interview invitations. For the most part, the students who had been accepted tended to have (very) slightly higher GPA's & GMAT scores. Again, very slight (739 vs. 737 at CBS as an example).

However, looking at GC data for Darden, weird things happened. Here's the breakdown of those who had been invited to interview and have received a final verdict:

Admitted (n=29): 713 GMAT, 3.50 uGPA
Denied (n=7): 734 GMAT, 3.70 uGPA

So... what do you think is behind this (seemingly) counter-intuitive information? Just small sample size noise? Rejection by UVA for those students who were applying to Darden as a 'safety' and as a result, didn't have a compelling interview? Just curious.

Also, bonus data. WL with Interview (n=16): 720 GMAT, 3.10 GPA

Probably just sample size... Have you tried to take this same info from past years? I think those probably have more data. Also, if you get from past years, you could take the sample of people that didn't update their profiles (unknown final decision) as those probably didn't get accepted too, because I would say that you usually don't want to come back to the forum to say you did not pass...


Hope that helps.