Experience during the program

I am a veteran and former federal employee looking to transition to a role in finance. In my MBA search, I sought a school that really focused on teaching and a great core curriculum that would enable me to smoothly transition to the private sector. Darden has exceeded all my expectations.

Like HBS, Darden is 100% case method. Whether it's accounting, marketing, or valuation each class is a case and is taught entirely discussion-based. The case method is not for everyone, but if you learn by discussion there is not a better learning environment than Darden's classrooms. I have learned an incredible amount from my classmates and I am always on my toes in anticipation of the infamous cold call.

Darden is a great school if you want to go into consulting, banking, or general management. MBB, all the top tech firms, and the top Bulge Bracket and Boutique banks all recruit at Darden. I can't speak for consulting or general management but the banking recruitment process at Darden is better than most other schools because the recruiting is done almost entirely in Charlottesville. Many other top MBA schools' students have to travel at least monthly (if not weekly) to New York to attend banking recruiting events. At Darden, the banks visit the school and much of the networking is via phone. This is incredibly convenient when you are trying to balance the recruiting process with classwork.

To some, Charlottesville is in the middle of nowhere. However, I have found it to be a great town in the Shenandoah (2 hours from DC) with tons of breweries, vineyards, and restaurants. The campus is a UNESCO world heritage site and you'd be hard pressed to find a school with a prettier campus. Nearly all the Darden students live next to one another and within walking distance to the school. This tight-knit environment is one reason why the Darden alumni network is among the strongest of any top MBA program.

Regardless of if you are new to business or are a former consultant/banker, Darden is a phenomenal place to spend two years for your MBA.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Student body, diversity
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Marketing
Investment Banking
Tech
Entrepreneurship
Management

Can be improved:

Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

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Last year I applied to four top 15 programs in round one using hourly services with mbaMission's Heidi Granner.

I applied to programs last year following 7 years of work experience in the US military and government. While my undergrad GPA was high and my work experience was solid, my degree was from a relatively unknown regional school and my GRE score was below average for the schools I was targeting. I chose mbaMission because it had been recommended to me by several other veterans who had successfully navigated the admissions process.

Heidi was critical to my admission to my number one pick school. My work experience was a melange of jargon and acronyms that straddled both active duty military and reserve jobs--confusing to say the least. Heidi's unbiased outside perspective enabled me to make my work experience easier to understand for those outside the military/government, and to highlight my unique experience in my resume and essays.

To date, I have not met anyone with my background applying to MBA programs. Heidi gave me perspective on what schools I should target and which schools would be reaches. This greatly increased the efficiency in which I could complete my applications.

Early on in my search for admissions consultants I thought about reaching out to consultants (former military themselves) that specialize in military applicants. However, my personal opinion is that admissions consultants that are former military can sometimes be biased and assume certain work experiences are easily understood by others outside the military. Most adcom members and recruiters are not former military members, and I decided to use a consultant whose experience was the same as what I hoped to achieve after an MBA. Heidi greatly helped me "civilianize" my resume and make it easily understandable.

Ultimately, I got into my first choice and withdrew my other applications. mbaMission and Heidi Granner exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend them.

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