I had been waitlisted at several top-10 MBA programs—partially due to being almost 40--when Darden admitted me into their EMBA. I accepted the offer despite wanting to transition into consulting, which is seen as a transition best-suited for a regular MBA. However, in all my program visits, the Darden classroom stood out. Darden builds the learning experience around the case method, and their classroom was uniquely engaging compared other programs I had seen.
I had been planning to transition from a technical career into management consulting, but my experience at Darden changed everything. I am no longer interested in working full-time for someone else. I am launching my own small side-business, and planning several collaborative projects with classmates. The Darden classroom is what sold me, yet the personal growth and close connections I have formed with my classmates made the two years at Darden some of the most transformative of my life.
Finally, I grew to love the EMBA format. Classroom discussions were based on the wisdom of deep experience, and I was able to take learnings and apply them immediately at my job. We were also a very collaborative bunch—instead of competing for interview slots and job offers, we were more likely to be hired into each other’s companies (this happened several times).
TL;DR: The Darden EMBA was transformative. Two thumbs up.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)
Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Alumni Network
Culture & Student Support
Consulting
Entrepreneurship
Management
Student body, diversity