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olivia783
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 29 Nov 2012, 15:26
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lb2015
Bennybob
Can anybody that's already interviewed provide some insight on the line of questioning to expect? is it still the general "tell me your story" approach this year?

I interviewed on Monday at the Grounds. My interview was with an admissions committee member, though it looked like a lot of other people had student interviewers. I am wondering if there is any methodology behind who they place you with for your interview, but I assume not since they are conducted blind (though if anyone has any other idea about this, I'd be interested to know!)

I had already had two interviews (Fuqua and Tuck) at this point, but I was so nervous for my Darden interview because of the one-question format! I saw the potential for an awkward, run-on monologue, especially since I tend to be pretty chatty.

It was indeed the "tell me about yourself" question*, but it went a lot better, and felt far more conversational, than I had initially expected. As always you need to know the basics: why an MBA, why now, why Darden, career goals, etc. The key differentiator is that Darden wants to know more about your background. I read "The Darden MBA Admissions Interview Guide" by Adam Markus and found it to be really helpful for prepping (BTG wouldn't let me insert the link but it's a blogspot post). I basically used the format he laid out: introduced a few main themes from my application, connected them to a couple of annecdotes about my background, and then went into the standard MBA interview spiel about how those themes related to my career goals and school selection.

The biggest mistake I could forsee someone making in this interview (and as someone who tends towards TMI, it was something I had to remind myself while prepping) is that they'd basically tell their interviewer their life story and then not have enough time to get to the meat of the question. This is a lot easier to avoid when you're thrown specific, pointed questions. Because of that, I spent more time prepping for my Darden interview than the others. In the end, though, I thought I did a pretty good job staying on track and found the interview to be a pretty comfortable experience.

Happy to answer more questions if folks have 'em.

*but there were follow up questions later on--she asked about my interests out of work, what I would contribute to my learning team, and a few others I don't remember--anyone else get these?
Show more

I also got asked about my interests outside of work, any experience with volunteer work/community service I've been involved with (including college too), what clubs I'd like to be involved in at Darden.

Overall, it was one of the most relaxed interviews I've had. My interviewer cut in with follow-up questions pretty quickly, since he had a different background than I did and was interested in getting more details about what I did (and he was jumping around all over the place with questions after that). I've heard of other people having awkward silences or long monologues, but my interviewer was really good about keeping the conversation flowing back and forth....and I should probably mention that it was with a 2nd year student.

Supposedly, you are randomly assigned a second-year student or member of the adcom.
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 29 Nov 2012, 15:49
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These two accounts sound exactly like my experience. I was interviewed by a second year student
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 30 Nov 2012, 08:35
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I just received an invite for Darden executive MBA program, though I had applied for the full time MBA. I am 30 years old. Since I am an international applicant and want to change career through MBA, executive option is not suitable for me.

Although the email says that I will not be offered an interview invite for the regular program, I am thinking of writing to Darden and making a case for full time MBA. Do I stand a chance? Has anyone heard of a case where Darden offered the client to interview again for the full time MBA? Any feedback will really be helpful.
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 30 Nov 2012, 08:40
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icecube6000
I just received an invite for Darden executive MBA program, though I had applied for the full time MBA. I am 30 years old. Since I am an international applicant and want to change career through MBA, executive option is not suitable for me.

Although the email says that I will not be offered an interview invite for the regular program, I am thinking of writing to Darden and making a case for full time MBA. Do I stand a chance? Has anyone heard of a case where Darden offered the client to interview again for the full time MBA? Any feedback will really be helpful.
Show more

This sounds kind of like a bait-and-switch like this:

https://essaysnark.com/2012/01/if-youre-in-nyc-and-you-applied-to-columbia-read-this/

Personally, I don't think you have anything to lose by telling them why you want a 2Y MBA and that you won't be considering the EMBA. Worst case they say no, but they already said they weren't going to interview you anyway. Best of luck!
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 30 Nov 2012, 11:06
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icecube6000
I just received an invite for Darden executive MBA program, though I had applied for the full time MBA. I am 30 years old. Since I am an international applicant and want to change career through MBA, executive option is not suitable for me.

Although the email says that I will not be offered an interview invite for the regular program, I am thinking of writing to Darden and making a case for full time MBA. Do I stand a chance? Has anyone heard of a case where Darden offered the client to interview again for the full time MBA? Any feedback will really be helpful.
Show more

Got the same email. 29 yrs. India. 5 Yrs exp while entering :( I dont understand this.
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 30 Nov 2012, 14:33
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 01 Dec 2012, 07:08
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CobraKai
icecube6000
I just received an invite for Darden executive MBA program, though I had applied for the full time MBA. I am 30 years old. Since I am an international applicant and want to change career through MBA, executive option is not suitable for me.

Although the email says that I will not be offered an interview invite for the regular program, I am thinking of writing to Darden and making a case for full time MBA. Do I stand a chance? Has anyone heard of a case where Darden offered the client to interview again for the full time MBA? Any feedback will really be helpful.

This sounds kind of like a bait-and-switch like this:

https://essaysnark.com/2012/01/if-youre-in-nyc-and-you-applied-to-columbia-read-this/

Personally, I don't think you have anything to lose by telling them why you want a 2Y MBA and that you won't be considering the EMBA. Worst case they say no, but they already said they weren't going to interview you anyway. Best of luck!
Show more
It seems like schools do this to:
- fill their EMBA class. Perhaps they don't get as many good EMBA applicants as they'd like to due to various reasons, e.g. their EMBA program is only recently established, etc.
- minimise potential negative implication to their regular MBA program's career placement statistics two years from now. They probably think older students wanting to switch careers may not be successful doing so and consequently drag down their future stats.
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 01 Dec 2012, 08:22
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theK

It seems like schools do this to:
- fill their EMBA class. Perhaps they don't get as many good EMBA applicants as they'd like to due to various reasons, e.g. their EMBA program is only recently established, etc.
- minimise potential negative implication to their regular MBA program's career placement statistics two years from now. They probably think older students wanting to switch careers may not be successful doing so and consequently drag down their future stats.
Show more

I think it's more the former. There are plenty of full-time B-school students in the 29-31 range who are switching careers. I think they want to fill their EMBA class with strong candidates to maintain the school's reputation. If there aren't enough qualified applicants, the school is in a bind because they need to meet their registration numbers, but don't want to have to lower their standards to do so. VERY odd though that they would offer this to international career switchers since it's a weekend program where the students are fully employed. That's a LONG commute for an executive program, and it's not worth relocating to the US if you're not going to be immersed in student life as a full-time MBA student.
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 01 Dec 2012, 10:41
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Thank you very much for sharing your interview experiences!!! :) I am having my interview this upcoming week and you have definitely help me a lot on what to practice.
I will let you about my interview after having it to help the persons that havent had the interview yet.



olivia783
lb2015
Bennybob
Can anybody that's already interviewed provide some insight on the line of questioning to expect? is it still the general "tell me your story" approach this year?

I interviewed on Monday at the Grounds. My interview was with an admissions committee member, though it looked like a lot of other people had student interviewers. I am wondering if there is any methodology behind who they place you with for your interview, but I assume not since they are conducted blind (though if anyone has any other idea about this, I'd be interested to know!)

I had already had two interviews (Fuqua and Tuck) at this point, but I was so nervous for my Darden interview because of the one-question format! I saw the potential for an awkward, run-on monologue, especially since I tend to be pretty chatty.

It was indeed the "tell me about yourself" question*, but it went a lot better, and felt far more conversational, than I had initially expected. As always you need to know the basics: why an MBA, why now, why Darden, career goals, etc. The key differentiator is that Darden wants to know more about your background. I read "The Darden MBA Admissions Interview Guide" by Adam Markus and found it to be really helpful for prepping (BTG wouldn't let me insert the link but it's a blogspot post). I basically used the format he laid out: introduced a few main themes from my application, connected them to a couple of annecdotes about my background, and then went into the standard MBA interview spiel about how those themes related to my career goals and school selection.

The biggest mistake I could forsee someone making in this interview (and as someone who tends towards TMI, it was something I had to remind myself while prepping) is that they'd basically tell their interviewer their life story and then not have enough time to get to the meat of the question. This is a lot easier to avoid when you're thrown specific, pointed questions. Because of that, I spent more time prepping for my Darden interview than the others. In the end, though, I thought I did a pretty good job staying on track and found the interview to be a pretty comfortable experience.

Happy to answer more questions if folks have 'em.

*but there were follow up questions later on--she asked about my interests out of work, what I would contribute to my learning team, and a few others I don't remember--anyone else get these?

I also got asked about my interests outside of work, any experience with volunteer work/community service I've been involved with (including college too), what clubs I'd like to be involved in at Darden.

Overall, it was one of the most relaxed interviews I've had. My interviewer cut in with follow-up questions pretty quickly, since he had a different background than I did and was interested in getting more details about what I did (and he was jumping around all over the place with questions after that). I've heard of other people having awkward silences or long monologues, but my interviewer was really good about keeping the conversation flowing back and forth....and I should probably mention that it was with a 2nd year student.

Supposedly, you are randomly assigned a second-year student or member of the adcom.
Show more
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 02 Dec 2012, 04:12
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CobraKai

VERY odd though that they would offer this to international career switchers since it's a weekend program where the students are fully employed. That's a LONG commute for an executive program, and it's not worth relocating to the US if you're not going to be immersed in student life as a full-time MBA student.
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Very odd indeed.
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 02 Dec 2012, 18:57
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Did anyone do a skype based interview yet ?

And shall I be worried of the internet speed ? I understand that they have pretty tight time slots. Now, if video dies down, and other such things, the whole experience is going to be ruined. Any thoughts on this ?
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 02 Dec 2012, 22:32
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dreamchase
Did anyone do a skype based interview yet ?

And shall I be worried of the internet speed ? I understand that they have pretty tight time slots. Now, if video dies down, and other such things, the whole experience is going to be ruined. Any thoughts on this ?
Show more

I did a skype interview from India. The connection was a major problem with the video quality not up to the mark. Twice we had to switch the video off so that the audio could be better. The interviewer was very cooperative though.

I had a test call before the interview with a friend which went pretty well. I also have had a number of skype calls with current students in the US and never encountered any major problem, so my luck ws just bad that day I guess.
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 03 Dec 2012, 01:11
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I agree with the article.
https://essaysnark.com/2012/01/if-youre- ... read-this/

If I were in NYC, I wouldn't think twice about doing a part time MBA in Columbia. A lot of my friends are doing that.

There are too many advantages with doing an MBA Part time:
1) I don't need to give up my job for two years
2) I known people get an internship with a VC or another company while doing my part time MBA
3) My ROI $$$ is enormous if you don't let go your job especially in a bearish economy like now! If it were the year 1999 or 2005/6 its a whole new story.
4) I find learning while working a good stretch in certain jobs (but I am not sure whether NYC has those kind of jobs). Learning in the evenings can be loads of fun for some folks, especially me.
5) While doing part time MBA, I feel you can definitely relate concepts learnt at class to your work and perhaps your new learnings can lead to projects which previously thought impossible. Career advancement/Career Switch are possible!
6) The amount of $$ saved on reapplication, consultant company (if you used them) and regiving GMAT.
7) Other than consulting companies I don't know very many companies dwelling on your GMAT after your MBA.
8) Lastly, MBA Schools don't get you jobs!!! You DO! They only attempt to facililtate by getting companies down to give a talk even then when the companies come down they don't really take in your resumes for a job that they have in mind, its just out of courtesy. Atleast thats what I heard from Wharton alumni from year 2010.
9) There is no evidence anywhere that MBA is good in a bear economy

The only drawback of E-MBA is that its a waste of time for career switchers. For career advancers its great!

My suggestion to the B-schools: replace the term E-MBA with J-MBA (Junior MBA) and replace the term E-MBA with MBA. Problem solved! :lol:
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 03 Dec 2012, 08:11
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dreamchase
Did anyone do a skype based interview yet ?

And shall I be worried of the internet speed ? I understand that they have pretty tight time slots. Now, if video dies down, and other such things, the whole experience is going to be ruined. Any thoughts on this ?
Show more


Hi, may I know when did you receive your invite ?
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 03 Dec 2012, 08:11
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niksworth
dreamchase
Did anyone do a skype based interview yet ?

And shall I be worried of the internet speed ? I understand that they have pretty tight time slots. Now, if video dies down, and other such things, the whole experience is going to be ruined. Any thoughts on this ?

I did a skype interview from India. The connection was a major problem with the video quality not up to the mark. Twice we had to switch the video off so that the audio could be better. The interviewer was very cooperative though.

I had a test call before the interview with a friend which went pretty well. I also have had a number of skype calls with current students in the US and never encountered any major problem, so my luck ws just bad that day I guess.
Show more

Hi, may I know when did you receive your invite ?
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 03 Dec 2012, 16:07
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lb2015
Bennybob
Can anybody that's already interviewed provide some insight on the line of questioning to expect? is it still the general "tell me your story" approach this year?

I interviewed on Monday at the Grounds. My interview was with an admissions committee member, though it looked like a lot of other people had student interviewers. I am wondering if there is any methodology behind who they place you with for your interview, but I assume not since they are conducted blind (though if anyone has any other idea about this, I'd be interested to know!)

I had already had two interviews (Fuqua and Tuck) at this point, but I was so nervous for my Darden interview because of the one-question format! I saw the potential for an awkward, run-on monologue, especially since I tend to be pretty chatty.

It was indeed the "tell me about yourself" question*, but it went a lot better, and felt far more conversational, than I had initially expected. As always you need to know the basics: why an MBA, why now, why Darden, career goals, etc. The key differentiator is that Darden wants to know more about your background. I read "The Darden MBA Admissions Interview Guide" by Adam Markus and found it to be really helpful for prepping (BTG wouldn't let me insert the link but it's a blogspot post). I basically used the format he laid out: introduced a few main themes from my application, connected them to a couple of annecdotes about my background, and then went into the standard MBA interview spiel about how those themes related to my career goals and school selection.

The biggest mistake I could forsee someone making in this interview (and as someone who tends towards TMI, it was something I had to remind myself while prepping) is that they'd basically tell their interviewer their life story and then not have enough time to get to the meat of the question. This is a lot easier to avoid when you're thrown specific, pointed questions. Because of that, I spent more time prepping for my Darden interview than the others. In the end, though, I thought I did a pretty good job staying on track and found the interview to be a pretty comfortable experience.

Happy to answer more questions if folks have 'em.

*but there were follow up questions later on--she asked about my interests out of work, what I would contribute to my learning team, and a few others I don't remember--anyone else get these?
Show more

I'm a reapplicant and have had the dubious honor of interviewing twice with Darden, so I thought I would throw out my two cents.

1. The interview is totally blind. Your interviewer will not have your resume, you will provide all of this information in your response to the one "tell-me-about-yourself" question.

2. The one question interview thing is a misnomer. What it means is that your interviewer will only one preset question. There will be many questions, but they will generally be in response to things you have said. These may be particular to your background, e.g. "What was it like to relocate to Sri Lanka?" or "Why did you choose college X?" or they more basic generalized interview questions, "How do you work in groups?" or "How will you contribute to our community?" or even the dreaded "Tell me about a time where you had to..." However, I think that you will find the questions to be more tailored to you, your background, and why you want to go to Darden than questions you may have faced during other interviews. I definitely never felt during either of my interviews that the purpose of any particular question was to stump me.

3. That said, there are two basic ways your interview can go, I had one of each. During my interview this year, I was basically given about 15-20 minutes to talk about myself, largely uninterrupted, then my interviewer asked another 10-15 minutes of follow up questions, and then my interviewer (and an admissions officer who was sitting in on the interview) answered my questions for about 10-15 minutes. (Your Darden interview will last 30-45 minutes) The upside to this route is that you are able to organize your thoughts the way you want and present them that way. The drawback is that it can be kind of unnerving to talk for that long without a response.

The other route is that your interviewer may interrupt your spiel early and often. This is definitely a possibility, it happened to me last year. If you are not prepared for this it can throw you off your game (I had maybe over-rehearsed my pitch and got lost when it changed directions). During this option you may be going back and forth between your presentation of your candidacy and answering specific questions about your background.

It is a good idea to consider both ways that this can go as you prepare.

4. Make sure you have some good questions. Darden interviewers really like to talk about Darden and their experiences there. They will appreciate your questions and you will gain perspective that will hopefully be valuable when we all get in everywhere we applied and have to choose which school to go to :wink:
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 03 Dec 2012, 20:49
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I wanted to share with you my interview experience, which I had it today. She asked me to tell my story and she asked me questions while I was talking. She was really friendly and the interview felt a lot like a conversation. I said why an MBA right now, why Darden, and my goals.

Good luck to everyone who is still waiting for an interview invitation!!
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 03 Dec 2012, 21:15
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dheeraj831
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Did anyone do a skype based interview yet ?

And shall I be worried of the internet speed ? I understand that they have pretty tight time slots. Now, if video dies down, and other such things, the whole experience is going to be ruined. Any thoughts on this ?


Hi, may I know when did you receive your invite ?
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Got pretty early. 14th Nov.

What I wonder though, is that the invites that were sent later, recd. off campus alum interviews. I got skype w/ adcom. :?
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 03 Dec 2012, 22:50
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dheeraj831

Hi, may I know when did you receive your invite ?
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Nov 14th. Adcom skype interview.
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Darden (Virginia) 2013 - Calling All Applicants! 04 Dec 2012, 14:06
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For the short answer question "What is your short term career goal and why?", are people using this as their "Why Darden" in addition to career goal question, or just focusing on your short term goal based on your previous professional experience? I assume the former, but since it doesn't specifically ask "....and why will Darden help you achieve this" or something of that nature, I'm curious for other opinions.
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