Hey guys, sitting the the Charlottesville airport right now (they have FREE wifi, none of that Boingo crap, another plus of Darden!) and just got done with my interview, tour, lunch, etc. Great time overall. We had a bit of a skeleton crew in that they said many people from the admissions office wouldn't be able to make it in due to the weather (they even tried to get some of us to reschedule) but that just added to the already extremely relaxed atmosphere. Overall I'm going to just gush about the school and the people, so if you don't want to hear it feel free to turn away.
- The first year students we got to talk with were extremely relaxed and laid back. All seemed to be exceptionally smart and had great futures but didn't seem to take themselves too seriously which is a nice change of pace.
- The facilities are gorgeous. I felt like I was at a southern plantation. I'm sure its even better without 20'' of snow on the ground.
- The interview was with a 2Y student, some had it with an ADCOM member,although they gave the impression that it was random. My interviewer was a terrific guy that was in the MC industry so he gave me great insight into the school and the MC career path that is afforded to Darden students.
- The other people that were there for interviews all seemed like good people. They had a great turnout, which was a shock considering the weather. I'd guess there were about 20 other people there interviewing.
- The interview was just as everyone else has explained it. "Tell me about yourself." I talked for about 30 minutes and he interjected a few times to clarify or have me delve deeper. I transitioned the "Tell me about yourself" up to today's date and what I wanted to do in the future and then went straight into the "Why MBA, why now." After the 30 minutes or so he just said we have a few minutes left and asked if I had any questions. Asked him about why he chose it and career prospects and it was very back and forth. He reiterated what I had initially thought after several receptions, that the Darden students are different and that its the people that really made the school in his eyes.
-Virginia does NOT know how to deal with snow. Only negative I can think of on the trip. Can't really hang that one on Darden.
Anyway, I hope it went well. It seemed as though the interview was good, conversational and we even were joking around with each other a little bit so hopefully he enjoyed it too. Can't wait for January 28th. Have officially decided, that despite what happens with my R2 schools, that if I get an acceptance on that date I'm accepting it.