Calling all Darden MBA Applicants: 2021 Intake [Class of 2023]

Hey everyone, got a dumb question:

For Darden MBA applicants, where can I find the portal that houses the admission decision? I logged into both the Application Management Portal and the SIS but I’m assuming neither of those are correct.

Should just be in the application management portal. Look closely for a link within.

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Hey Everyone!

I've got a question for you all.

I applied in Round 2 and got invited for an interview on April 1st

I emailed admissions a week ago to check on the status of my app because I hadn't heard anything. They said I should have a decision in my portal. I've been checking my portal every day and it still just says "Submitted."

The only thing that has changed is I now have a Computing ID and Reference ID that I used to create an SIS portal. I also haven't received any emails with info.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Your final decision should be there - look closely. Could be good news.

Where does it say submitted in the portal??

It says it on the page with "Application Management" at the top and when I click on "2020 MBA Round 2" It says when I started/submitted the application.

Is "2020 MBA Round 2" a hyperlink? It should be and you can click on it.
However Darden calls every admit so if you didn't get a call from them, it's unlikely to be good news.

Yeah its a hyperlink but when I click on it, it just takes me into the "Application Management" section where I can see my recommendations

Welcome, all Darden class of 2023 hopefuls. Let's use this platform to know each other, exchange ideas, discuss app strategies? Who all are applying? Let us know by commenting below. Join Darden chat

Darden Decision Tracker & Historical Admit Data | Add your name to the tracker

Darden MBA Deadlines

Round	Application Due	Interviews	Decisions Released
Early Action	Sep 2, 2020	Schedule your own	Oct 7, 2020
Round 1	Oct 5, 2020	By invitation	Dec 12, 2020
Round 2	Jan 4, 2021	By invitation	March 17, 2021
Round 3	Apr 7, 2021	By invitation	May 5, 2021

Useful Links :

• Application tips video series by Sarah Neher - https://www.darden.virginia.edu/mba/adm ... ps-videos/
• Explore Darden grounds (Virtual tour) - https://www.darden.virginia.edu/about/u ... ille/tour/
• Keep yourself updated (Darden Blogs) - https://blogs.darden.virginia.edu/admissions/
• Housing and Residence Life - https://housing.virginia.edu/graduate-students
• Explore Charlottesville - https://charlottesville.guide

Looks like the Darden application is officially out. There are two categories of early action this year; binding and non binding.

What are your thoughts on this new development for Darden?

I tried to understand how the binding & non-binding options would impact the process but I did not get a clear picture of it, will share here if I find it.

Regards,
Pablo

Darden deadlines below, will update when admission dates are available.

Applying early action is a way to signal particular interest in a certain school, and is often associated with slightly higher acceptance rates. If you get your ducks in a row early, it makes sense to apply early action (especially if there is a non-binding option available).

The transition to non-binding early action is likely a response to two realities:
(1) Some students are limited financially and can’t apply with a binding process given they will need to factor in financial aid in their decision calculus. Schools know that many students can’t realistically commit to a school until they get an idea of the overall financial aid packages of all of their admitted options, so the non-binding early action acknowledges this.
(2) At the same time as they concede that a non-binding early action option should be available, schools like Darden know that some students *are* able to financially commit themselves to Darden if they are admitted. And Darden wants to make a binding option for these students because it helps their yield numbers (and thus their ranking).

Given this, I wouldn’t be surprised if the acceptance rates for the binding early action is higher than the nonbinding early action, but that non-binding early action is higher than regular rounds. The reason has to do with yield, an important metric that is used to rank universities by US News and World Report, The Economist, Financial Times, etc. Yield is the % of admitted students who matriculate. HBS’ yield is the highest of any business school (~91%). That’s not a coincidence. For schools like Darden, which are consistently ranked very highly but still sometimes don’t make top 7 or top 10 lists, yield is an important metric to try to optimize. One of the easiest ways to get yield numbers up is to admit a portion of the class in *binding* early action rounds since the school can be reasonably assured that these students will attend. Ambitious and organized students who apply early to the non-binding round are also signaling special interest in the school which indicates that they will be more likely to matriculate if admitted (versus, say, an applicant who applies R2 at the same time as he/she is applying to 5+ other schools).

Hope this is helpful. Best of luck to you on your Darden application.

Started my application today and created my account. Who else is starting their apps to Darden?

Does anyone know if there is word limit flexibility on the Darden App? I.E. is it plus / minus 10%? Or can we absolutely not go past the word limit?

How are applications going? has anyone submitted yet?

Hi, anybody know how can we schedule interview during the open interview period? I can't seem to find it and the link provided by the previous year blog post is not working either.

Thanks!

Not yet. Got my recommendations in order, now time to start working on essays.

Same here. Done with resume and recommendations. Working on essays. Any idea on how to register for open interview?

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Do they have open interview this year? I thought an applicant is only guaranteed an interview if they apply early action. Otherwise it’s interview by invite only I believe.

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