Darden 2012 - Calling All Applicants

Advice for International Admitted Students

Congratulations admitted students! It was great to see many of you during Darden Days! During the weekend, we held a special gathering for international students to answer questions you are facing right now. I wanted to share the topics with all of you who couldn’t make it:

Pre-Enrollment Modules & Pre-Matriculation Courses: All admitted students are required to complete pre-enrollment modules. The amount of time it takes to complete each module varies. As international students, it’s important to get those over and done with so you’ll have time for other arrangements. Don’t put this off until the last minute. Last year the modules and exams took me roughly two weeks to complete (working in the evenings and on the weekends). If you don’t have a background in accounting or Excel, Darden’s pre-matriculation courses (held prior to orientation) are also recommended but not mandatory. I came from a non-traditional background (an architect who previously ran a non-profit) so had no idea about accounting. I found those pre-matriculation courses to be valuable.

When should I come to C’ville? Settling in takes time. If you’re taking pre-matriculation courses and/or the Personal Career Assessment Program (PCAP), don’t get here a day before those. If you aren’t taking those courses, don’t come a day before international student orientation. Get here a week prior to those, at least. During that week you’ll be able to settle in and meet your future classmates, as many of them will already be here. It’s a great opportunity to have fun and mingle before the year begins! Plus this time could be used for arrangements such as taking care of health insurance (deciding between UVA’s health insurance plan or an external one that meets UVA’s requirements), setting up a bank account, buying a cell phone, obtaining a U.S. driving license, etc. Once school begins, it’ll be very hard to take care of all of those.

How long does it take to issue a visa? This varies between countries. In order to apply for a visa, you need to send Darden the appropriate documents. Darden will send you back your I-20 form which is needed for the embassy. If you apply for a loan, Darden will be able to issue your I-20 only once the loan is approved. Don’t wait for the last minute — if you know the I-20 is on its way, make an appointment at the embassy for the same week! This process might take a week to several months — sometimes the embassy will run a background check. Be prepared for any scenario and take care of it as soon as you can (i.e. don’t get the visa a couple of hours before the flight like what happened to me last year! Well, at least I didn’t miss my flight).

Dental: Try to get your dental work done prior to coming to the U.S. if your home country offers less expensive services.

Do I need a car in Charlottesville? You don’t have to have a car. It’s definitely more convenient but not everyone has a car. If you decide to buy one, don’t bother to waste time on taking papers about your history as a driver from your insurance company — the U.S. insurance companies will disregard that as they are looking for your experience on U.S. roads only.

Driver’s License: Your international driving license is good for 6 months only, so it’s recommended to obtain a U.S. driving license before the year begins. In the U.S. it’s a 3-4 hour deal at the DMV — you’ll take a written exam and then an actual driving test right away. Make sure you learn the Virginia rules carefully. Visit the Virginia DMV website for more information.

Money: Get travelers checks and cash for when you first arrive — make sure you come with enough money for the beginning.

Computers: The Darden laptop bundle is recommended. It saves you time and money as you get full service throughout the year. If your computer breaks (“how did I manage to damage my computer screen right before an exam??”), you’ll get a loaner laptop immediately. During exam time this is priceless.

Housing and Settling In: As an international student, you’ll have to set up your apartment from scratch — don’t go to the most expensive stores. Do your research ahead of time as to where the best places are to buy things for the home. I ended up buying stuff, only to discover two weeks later where I can get the same stuff at a better price. Regarding housing, don’t run to the nearest option to Darden without looking right or left! There are many possibilities in Charlottesville (some of them are very close to Darden as well). The nearest might not represent the best value for your money.

Recruiting/Resume Review: You’ll get an e-mail from the CDC (Career Development Center) offering to adjust your resume to U.S. standards. Definitely use their assistance prior to coming!

I was waitlisted on R2 and received an email with a link to a video congratulating that I was admitted without any other admission letter or status change. Has anyone else received the same email? And, can I assume that I was finally given the offer? Thanks.

I was waitlisted on R2 and received an email with a link to a video congratulating that I was admitted without any other admission letter or status change. Has anyone else received the same email? And, can I assume that I was finally given the offer? Thanks.

Offers from the waitlist were made yesterday so...
Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

Call admissions to find out!

I'm a 2nd round waitlister..so if I hasn't gotten anything (call or e-mail) so far that means I was rejected??
Feeling so frustrated. I was already admitted from one school but Darden was my dream school.

You're not rejected yet until you get a rejection notification. Make sure you ask Darden about your status if you haven't and see what else you can do to get you off the waitlist.

Hey guys, I had applied in R2 and was waitlisted. I heard back from them a week back and got an admit!!!!
But right now I am in a kind of dilemma and haven't decided which school to go to having got a very good scholarship from Emory. I am leaning towards Darden and would like some opinion and pointers from you folks

Can you write a bit about your background and post MBA interests? I'll try not to be (too) biased.
Thanks and congrats!

The cliched stuff you hear from almost every Indian IT MBA candidate.

I have 4 years exp in Software Engineering and would like to move to MC.
I understand that on face value, Darden is much better than EMory but there is a huge increase in the loan I would have to take if I go to Darden.
I am from India and for an Indian that is a really huge amount of money. I plan to work in the US post MBA and am open to staying there till I pay back the loan. So what I wanted to know is what does say 90-100K additional loan mean in the US? How much time does one usually take to pay off this additional amount? Does Darden's brand and other (if any) advantages over Emory cover for this amount of money and time (time I may have to wait in case I wanted to change my plans and move to India or do something financially straining like an own business)?

I second that. People get off the waitlist during June as well, so def. don't freak out only because the waitlist was narrowed down. It's not over!