pelihu wrote:
It's great to see that a bunch of people have received interview invites. I wanted to offer congratulations and to stress that the interview really does matter for Darden (this is based on my personal experience rather than the party line). More than almost any other school (certainly among their elite peers), Darden adcoms really look for people that are interested in and will embrace the culture and community here. So, my tip would be to learn as much as you can about the community (Darden as well as Charlottesville) and have a story about how you will take advantage as well as fit in. Some key points to hit on would be that you are aware of the work load and aren't afraid (you might point out that you want to get as much out of your MBA education as possible as long as you are paying for it), that you are interested in the Darden community (Darden Capital Management is a point of emphasis for the trustees) and that you want to be in Charlottesville (hiking trails, historic campus, ideal college-town feel, golf).
Good Luck.
You are the man. Thanks so much for sharing that.
Pelihu, do you have much interaction with the law school students at UVA? Obviously there's the natural crossover with JD/MBA students, but does the school encourage interaction through social/networking events? It would seem like a great fit, I know a bunch of dudes that went to UVA law and not all of them went right to a law firm, some went into consulting, banking, etc. I was just wondering if this is something Darden considers an asset.