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

I haven't called yet, but I called a couple of weeks ago and never heard back - so I didn't want to burn any bridges! Would love to hear if someone has received anything yet though!

Okay finally got my packet in Portland yesterday! Definitely call if you don't get it by today, though - I had emailed one of the admissions people and they seemed surprised that it hadn't arrived yet.

Wow. That's pretty quick. Congrats. I thought they send them out in mid april

Hello Guys,

I was Waitlisted in the second Round. Do I have to ask for a "WL Feedback" or do they send it automatically ?

Hi milmba89... Can you share your profile.

Thanks in advance

I have the same question. Anyone from R1 knows the answer?

The Admissions Committee will review the waitlist with each subsequent round of admission. Waitlisted candidates are encouraged to consider how you can improve your application, and keep the Admissions team updated on these efforts, as well as any promotions, change in work responsibilities, new involvements, etc.

I recommend you check out this link for more info:
https://blogs.darden.virginia.edu/admiss ... pplicants/

Shawn

Hello GMATCLUB Members,

GMATClub and Admissionado Consulting are conducting a webinar for the applicants got dinged this year. This is your opportunity to get expert guidance and build a smart strategy for the next application round/season. Webinar will be conducted by Admissionado's Founder and HBS Alum Jon Frank. Jon will share his suggestions followed by a Q&A session - this is your opportunity to ask your specific questions.

One lucky attendee will get the opportunity to have his/her (dinged) profile evaluated by Jon Frank during the session. If you'd like to be chosen for this opportunity, please email info@admissionado.com with the subject line "GMAT Club Webinar - Choose me!". Please include your name, nationality, age, GMAT score and a list of schools where you were dinged. And please also attach your essays + resume + LORs from one of your applications. Winner will be notified via email on April 16th!

FROM Darden Admissions Blog: Experiential Learning at Darden

While all Darden students are required to complete the core curriculum during the first four terms of the First Year, they are able to customize their academic experiences beginning in March by choosing from over 100 elective courses and for-credit experiential projects. Many Second Years choose to enroll in a Darden Business Project (DBP), an independent or group project focusing on one of three areas: consulting, venturing or case development. Through DBPs, students work under the direction of a faculty advisor to frame issues, analyze data and present solutions to real businesses. Read more about DBPs in a recent article by Clear Admit. We encourage you to learn more about experiential learning opportunities at Darden and other elective opportunities in your area of interest.

FROM Darden Admissions Blog: International Study Opportunities for Darden MBA Students

In addition to term-long global exchange programs, Darden offers students the opportunity to travel around the world with their classmates and faculty for one- to two- week periods in March and May. Global Field Experiences (GFEs) are MBA electives that give small teams of students the opportunity to provide consulting services to an international company or organization while working closely with a Darden faculty member. GFEs are frequently mission-driven with a focus on areas such as sustainability, education or renewable energy. TriplePundit recently published an article discussing four recent Darden GFEs — World Bicycle Relief in Zambia, INASante in Tunisia, Freeset Global in India, and Rotary Club of Calapan City and Baruyan in the Philippines. Global Business Experiences (GBEs) are different from GFEs since the learning experience centers around a business theme rather than consulting with an individual company. Each course includes structured classes and practitioner presentations as well as visits to companies, governmental agencies and important cultural sites. Several GBEs also include an experiential consulting project with companies in the country being visited. This year, GBEs were offered in Brazil, China, Turkey, Spain, South Africa, Argentina, Israel and Sweden, focusing on themes that included “Business Growth in Developing Countries,” “Wine Industry Exploration,” and “Sustainability, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.” In the guest post below, Darden Partner Fareine Benz describes her experience in Barcelona, Spain with Darden MBA students and alumni taking Professor Jeanne Lietdka’s GBE course “Strategy as Design.” “The closeness and accessibility of Darden’s community extends beyond student clubs and social events, and into the academic environment. As a Darden partner, I have been pleasantly surprised at the endless opportunities I’ve had to be involved in the Darden experience. This past March, another Darden Partner and I joined over 20 Darden MBA students, 2 MBA alumni and an EMBA alumnus on a Global Business Experience to Barcelona. During the weeklong experience, we were fully immersed in participating in classroom discussions, visiting prominent cultural landmarks, and learning about how the strategic design process shaped the history of Barcelona. Learning Team Meeting at IESE Each morning, we spent time in small groups discussing the assigned readings over a cup of coffee before diving into the class discussion. Topics we covered included the design process that went into city planning and architecture, the tension that occurs among different stakeholders throughout the design process, and the impact that creativity and innovation has on business. After lunch, we explored Barcelona and the surrounding region to see the impact that design had on the city and its culture. Our visits included a walk through Eixample, a modernista neighborhood built in the 19th century to accommodate the Old City’s expansion; touring Antoni Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, and Casa Batllo; and driving along the Costa Brava to visit Salvador Dali’s Mediterranean seaside home. La Sagrada Familia Parc Guell Colonial Guell Costa Brava Costa Brava However, one of the biggest highlights of the GBE was being able to bond with all the students and alumni on the trip. After a day of classes and cultural excursions, Dana Niedzielska (MBA ’97) invited the class to her home sitting atop of Tibidabo for a small gathering in which we were able to watch the sun set over the city while enjoying Spanish wine and local cheese. View of Barcelona from Tibidabo Although the GBE schedule was typically packed with activities each day, we still had enough time to watch a football game at Club Nou, dine at el Bulli chef Ferran Adria’s new restaurant 41 Degrees, and take a stroll through Las Ramblas. Barcelona GBE 2014 The fact that Darden opens these global opportunities up to alumni, staff and partners is a testament to the inclusiveness of the community. Through these global courses, students are able to take what they learn in class through the case study method and apply those lessons internationally in real time.”

Any R3 applicants received interview invites except the one reported?

FROM Darden Admissions Blog: Diversity of Thought at Darden

The case method’s success stems from the diverse range of backgrounds and views in the classroom. In the guest post below, Second Year Bill Besash discusses what diversity means to him as a student leader: Bill Besash MBA Class of 2014 “I came to business school with a couple purposes in mind. First, I wanted the ability to switch careers, moving into a strategy consulting or internal strategy role as I had been focused on the finance side of a business up to that point in my career. Second, I wanted to immerse myself in a rich experience for the next two years, becoming a part of a strong network and community. I found this in Darden and continue to be amazed every day. While at Darden I have had the opportunity to be involved in a number of student-led organizations and clubs. During my First Year, I was nominated and elected as my Section Representative and served on the Darden Student Association. In addition, as a Second Year I have had the pleasure of serving as a VP of Finance for both the Consulting Club and Wine and Cuisine Club and VP of Events for the Adam Smith Society. Also, as a member of the MBA Program Advisory Committee, I have been involved in the planning of next year’s full-time MBA program schedule and curriculum. Lastly, my role on the Diversity Student Advisory Group has been the most interesting and rewarding, as I see diversity as a crucial piece of the community at Darden. Diversity is incredibly important to me. Diversity is not just a person’s background, ethnicity, or gender. I see diversity much more in the diversity of thought. I believe that everyone’s experiences, opinions and thought processes are things that I can learn from, and I will continue to absorb and learn from throughout my life. I believe this is important for any individual, and especially important in an MBA program. Darden’s diverse community offers exactly this and creates an environment I truly appreciate and enjoy every day. Inside the classroom, I have had the pleasure of hearing opinions on domestic and international issues from a wide range of nationalities and backgrounds. These conversations have opened up my eyes to how others perceive issues that I had before thought of more as black and white. The gray is much more fulfilling to investigate and ponder than strictly looking at a problem as a yes and no. Outside the classroom, I love conversing with my fellow European and Latin American football fans everyday about games, players and news. In fact, I love it so much I will be traveling to Brazil for the World Cup this summer with many of my classmates. This is just one instance of how diversity has impacted me at Darden and what it means to me. In the end, I can’t say enough about the Darden community and the way diversity is such a strong part of it. I try to bring my experiences, interests and views to the community as I know everyone else does as well. This is what makes Darden such a great place to continue to learn and grow as an individual and member of a larger team. I look forward to welcoming future candidates to join in on the experience as well and hopefully become future alumni and friends.” Bill Besash was raised in the suburbs of South Jersey in a small town called Voorhees. Upon high school graduation, he ventured south and attended Wake Forest University. While there, he studied finance and accounting, and enjoying the adaption to the southern lifestyle. Post Wake Forest, Bill moved to Washington, D.C. for the next five years working his first three years in a mid-size litigation consulting firm called Navigant Consulting and then spent two years working at Fannie Mae.

FROM Darden Admissions Blog: Learning About Leadership in the Galiuro Mountains of Arizona

As more students have become interested in taking experiential learning courses, Darden has responded by offering new pilot programs through partnerships with organizations such as the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Earlier this year, 13 Darden students spent a week in the Galiuro Mountains in Arizona with Darden professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne, a Darden alumnus and three NOLS instructors. Darden Second Year Alex Fife reflects upon their journey: “As the last light faded and I clicked on my headlamp, two things had become clear: 1) it is very dark in the wilderness, and 2) this was not going to be a simple walk in the woods. Though night had fallen, we still had to cover a considerable distance before reaching and setting up camp. I thought back on the day: we had hiked at least six miles, first across an expanse of cactus and thorns and then through a rocky canyon with gnarled Arizona sycamore trees. When not hiking, our time had been filled with instruction on fundamental outdoor skills such as how to cook with a camp stove, how to read a topographic map, and the multistep process for going to the bathroom in the woods. It was the beginning of a class unlike any other offered at Darden. This January marked the first Darden collaboration with the National Outdoor Leadership School, NOLS for short. In addition to running custom programs for companies like Google and Salesforce.com, NOLS Professional Training has offered courses for a number of MBA programs. Jake Freed, Assistant Director of NOLS Pro and one our instructors, believes that “the wilderness actually draws many parallels with the landscape business school graduates will face. It is an ambiguous, dynamic setting where decisions with real consequences must be made, often with incomplete information.” Dr. Freed notes that the course structure encourages participants to ‘practice leadership skills in a challenging, unfamiliar environment where it is OK to fail and where both success and failure ultimately lead to profound learning.’ Photo credit: Mark Silvers When asked about Darden’s decision to collaborate with NOLS, Professor Yael Grushka-Cockayne responded that ‘The Darden/NOLS field elective was about experiencing leadership. The idea was to empower our students by allowing each and every participant to discover their capabilities as leaders, while operating in a unique and challenging setting. When the decisions you make as a leader can result in your team hiking in the dark, getting lost, or not having enough water, outcomes are direct and consequences clear. Leaders and team members alike are called to think and care for each other in new ways and to rely on trust, extraordinary teamwork, non-selfish behavior and mutual respect.’ Our course took place in the Galiuro Mountains in Arizona. Never heard of the Galiuro Mountains? Neither had we, but being in the desert in January sounded reasonably warm and the course description spoke of an area ‘renowned for its rugged terrain, spectacular Sonoran ecology and beautiful vistas.’ It is also a treacherous place where, in the words of Second Year student Amanda Miller, ‘EVERYTHING will bite, prick or sting you.’ So it was with a mixture of excitement and trepidation that 13 second year students, Yael, one alumnus and three NOLS instructors ventured into the wilderness. The objective for the week was clear: to hike south through the mountain range, a distance of roughly 40 miles through canyons and high mountain passes. While our NOLS instructors would serve as advisors, Darden students were responsible for almost every aspect of the expedition. Every day three students would act as expedition leaders, each responsible for leading a small team from dawn until dusk. These leaders would plot the course for the day, draw up contingency plans, and make dozens of critical decisions along the way. NOLS instructors would give their advice when asked, but would not intervene if a leader made a mistake. ‘We had to make real managerial decisions in the middle of nowhere,’ said Amanda Miller, ‘We had to manage our peers in uncharted territory.  We had to use a compass and a topographical map to figure out how to get down mountain faces by the light of a headlamp with no trail in sight.  We all learned about our leadership styles and how they can evolve when you move between carefully planned scenarios and chaotic uncertainty.’ ‘We were able to exercise both our leadership and active follower skills while receiving concrete feedback from our Darden peers and NOLS instructors,’ noted Kat Baronowski, a Second Year student and DSA President, ‘It was a great opportunity to put into practice a number of the lessons we’ve learned in the Darden classroom.’ Mark Silvers, a Second Year student and Marine Corps veteran, agreed that the experience was a dramatic departure from learning leadership in a classroom. ‘It is completely different to lead a team in an environment where a leader’s mistakes can cost daylight, calories, warmth and morale.’ he said, ‘Darden students aren’t Marines, and the trip provided an extraordinary opportunity for me to adapt my leadership style to a diverse group with a wide range of backgrounds, risk tolerances, and priorities.’ Our NOLS instructors also pushed us to improve our ‘expedition behavior,’ a mantra that embodies good teamwork, active followership and mindfulness. If you see something that needs to be done in camp, do it. If you have a suggestion for a better route on the map, speak up. If you see a teammate struggling, offer to carry some extra weight to lighten their load. Share the precious last Fig Newton you had been saving when you notice someone needs an energy boost. The Darden team fully embraced this mentality and their small acts of unselfishness had a huge impact on the success of an expedition. I will be forever grateful for the untold number of sacrifices, words of encouragement and respect that my teammates gave me. Never was that spirit more critical than on our final day, when we rose before sunrise and hiked five miles to reach our rendezvous point. Bone tired and freezing cold, it took every ounce of energy and will to keep going. Yet despite our miserable state, all I could hear in the darkness (on our supposedly ‘silent hike’) was laughter and encouraging comments. One student sang a song about breakfast burritos and we chuckled to discover another, in the dim light, proudly sporting his favorite purple long johns sans pants. As the rising sun filled the canyon with a red glow, I was struck with a pang of sadness that our journey had come to an end. I was going to miss the camaraderie, the cheesy bagels fried over a carefully balanced camp stove, and our intense sense of common purpose. Yet as I hiked the last miles of the trip, I took heart in the fact that the hard-earned lessons of the past week extended far beyond the trail. Truly, this course was unlike any at Darden.” Photo credit: Kenny Schulman

Hi Guys.
I am an R3 applicant from India. I received invitation to interview on 10th April and gave the interview today

How was it?
Could you share your profile?

Kind of nervous with R3, there is no life in the thread. seems as if first two rounds were the real deal.

I am working with an e-commerce company in the DataScience role.. GMAT 710.. extracurriculars -- Community service, sports etc..

The interview was typical Darden one with a monologue on Life story for about 30 mins, After that interviewer asked questions like Why MBA? -- Why Darden? ---Why R3?
It was pretty cool and nothing unexpected happened..

Also don't worry .. From what the interviewer (works in ad-committee) told me there are still many invites that need to go out..So keep the hopes up..

FROM Darden Admissions Blog: Dean’s Blog Post: “Women in Business and the Role of Business Schools”

Following a series of events that included a meeting with business school deans at The White House and reading Sheryl Sanburg’s Lean In, Dean Bob Bruner reflected on growing gender equality in business in his recent blog post. In discussing the opportunity for a greater representation of women in business, he writes: “The presence of women itself is hugely transformational — on business and on the schools that train women leaders. […] Our experience at Darden shows that even modest increases in the enrollment of women can have a transformational impact on the character and culture of the educational program. Greater representation of women in classrooms, learning teams, and project groups changes the conversation: richer, more diverse, and greater respect for differences. Students (women and men) report higher levels of satisfaction with the learning experience. Faculty report better classroom and team results. And corporate recruiters report greater satisfaction with the pool of talent they encounter.” To learn more about the challenges and opportunities he sees in growing gender equality, read his full post: “Women in Business and the Role of Business Schools.”