Tag Archive for 'student'

Darden Class of 2013 Reaches 100% Participation in Class Gift Giving

Published on May 23, 2013 in Darden Community. 0 Comments Tags: alumni, alumni network, Darden, EMBA, GEMBA, giving, MBA, student, students, University of Virginia, UVA.

The Darden Class of 2013 celebrates graduation on the steps of Saunders Hall

Alumni giving rates are often viewed as a way to judge the strength of a school’s alumni network.

The Darden School of Business reached 100% participation in class gift giving for the Class of 2013. Every graduating student in the three formats of Darden’s MBA — the full-time MBA, MBA for Executives and Global MBA for Executives — donated to the annual fund, contributing a total of $205,420 to the Darden School.

Darden alumni have one of the top five highest giving participation rates among the world’s leading business schools: 42% of Darden alumni made a gift to the School in fiscal year 2012, with 41% of alumni contributing to the Annual Fund. Seventeen alumni classes — two more than last year — achieved at least 50% participation in the fund.

Diversity MBA Prep Gives Darden an “A” for Diversity Outreach

Published on May 13, 2013 in Darden News. 0 Comments Tags: admissions, Consortium, Darden, diversity, MBA, student, University of Virginia, UVA.

With an MBA class profile consisting of 35% females, 34% international students and 20% domestic minorities, the Darden School received an overall grade of “A” for our diversity outreach efforts, according to Diversity MBA Prep. In addition, Darden received an “A+” for diversity recruitment in the areas of Web & Social Media and Activities & Outreach, as well as an “A” in School Leadership.

Learn more about Darden’s Diversity 365 initiative by visiting our website.

What To Do Around Charlottesville

Published on April 25, 2013 in Darden Community and Student Profile or Feature. 0 Comments Tags: Charlottesville, Darden, MBA, student, University of Virginia, UVA.

In today’s post, members of the First Year Student Admissions Committee recommend their favorite spots in and around Charlottesville. Whether it’s dining out, wine tasting, attending concerts, hiking or touring historical landmarks, there is never a shortage of things to do in Charlottesville.

	“My favorite bars are Michael’s Bistro, The Virginian, and SkyBar. My favorite places to grab something to eat are definitely Mas, Citizen Burger Bar, Revolutionary Soup, MotoPhoCo, and Bellair Market.”- Katie Koopman
	“There is excellent Italian place at the Downtown Mall called Bella’s, or you could check out a tapas restaurant, Mas. On the other hand, a game of golf at Birdwood Golf Course is just 5 minutes from Darden.”- Djordie Minic
	“One word…Wineries! (King Family, Trump, Blenheim in particular). Also, there are tons of parks for families and Carter Mountain Orchard is a great local spot right near Monticello.”- Matt Sullivan
	“There are some great outdoors activities here: hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, walking the Saunders-Monticello trail, picnicking or reading in the UVa gardens. In the summer, I love to head to the Pavilion on the Downtown Mall for the weekly “Fridays After Five” free concerts.”- Colleen Arthur
	“For a bite to eat, I’d recommend Citizen Burger, Positively 4th, Blue Moon Diner, or Mono Loco. For a weekend activity, my favorite thing to do is run on the Rivanna Trail and then grab a few drinks a SkyBar later that night.”- Kat Baronowski
	“I like to study at Greenberry’s Café. When it comes time for brunch, check out Blue Grass Grill or West Main. And, as a former New Yorker, I like to admire my closet space.”- Angie Alam
	“Check out Taste of China for some authentic Chinese food. I love to go apple picking, too.”- Yue Zhu
	“Grabbing lunch or dinner with friends at Feast, Continental Divide or Ten is one of my favorite things to do.”- Allie Czerepak
	“I love biking or walking the Rivanna Trail and salsa-dancing at Escafe.”- Tayo Shodiya
	“There is great live music at the Jefferson Theater and some great wineries in the area (Pippin Hill and Veritas especially).”- Emily Yee
	“I have to go with the food: Feast Market, Revolution Soup, Positively 4th, Ivy Inn, Ace Biscuit and Barbeque, Belmont BBQ.”- Jon Payne
	“I love close/quick hikes at Ivy Creek Natural Area, hitting up Cville Coffee, getting Arch’s gooey brownie froyo topping, visiting Castle Hill for some hard cider, and learning some history at Monticello. For places to eat, definitely check out THE FLAT!!! (crepe shack on the Downtown Mall), The Virginian (mac and cheese!), Boylan and Citizen Burger (homemade veggie burgers!), and The Southern (live music).”- Genie Ko
	“Taking advantage of living in central Virginia: Carter Mountain Orchard, Skyline Drive, and Blue Ridge Mountains hiking.”- Scott Poitevent
	“Go eat at Royal Indian. It is the best Indian food I’ve eaten in the US and I’ve lived here for 9 years and tried more than 100 Indian restaurants.”- Rohan Poojara
	“Taking a drive out to Crozet to Crozet Pizza (amazing Pizza) and relaxing by the lake at Mint Springs Valley Park.”- Bryan Furman

Learn more about Charlottesville and the surrounding area on the Darden website.

Featured Student Blog: Some Thoughts on How to Choose an MBA Program

Published on April 18, 2013 in Career and Student Profile or Feature. 0 Comments Tags: admissions, career, Darden, employment, MBA, student, student blog, University of Virginia, UVA.

In a recent student blog post, Shaheli Guha, MBA Class of 2014, leverages her consulting expertise by providing her own framework on how prospective students should decide which school to choose in their MBA search. Questions she raises include:

Will it help you achieve your career goal?
Is it geographically where you want to be?
Is it a good “fit”?

Darden’s MBA class size of approximately 320 students and our collaborative learning environment facilitate a tight-knit community that enables you to build close relationships with your classmates and faculty. These relationships last long after graduation as you enter our alumni network of over 14,000 graduates in over 90 countries around the world. Members of the Class of 2012 found jobs in North America, Asia, South America, Europe and other international locations. Among the class, in the United States 29% are employed in the Northeast, 19% in the Mid-Atlantic, 11% on the West Coast and 10% in the South.

You can view additional employment information on Darden’s Career Advancement webpage.

As you continue to assess your fit with Darden and other MBA programs, we encourage you to contact students or alumni working in an area of your interest or follow our student bloggers.

Featured Student Blogger: Rohan Poojara

Published on March 28, 2013 in Student Profile or Feature. 0 Comments Tags: Blog, bloggers, student, University of Virginia, UVA.

At this time of year, First Year students are typically returning from spring break, transitioning out of the core curriculum and into their elective courses, and preparing for their internships. Today’s featured student blogger is Rohan Poojara, a First Year Darden student. In the following posts, Rohan walks us through summer internship recruitment, the end of learning teams and club elections, and a classmate’s experience in the Hult Prize Case Competition:

Learn more about Rohan and other Darden Student Bloggers on the Darden website.

Darden Students Travel to Zambia for Global Field Experience Elective

Published on March 21, 2013 in Academics and Student Profile or Feature. 0 Comments Tags: Consulting, GFE, Global, Global Field Experience, international, MBA, student, University of Virginia, UVA.

In addition to Darden’s exchange programs and Global Business Experiences, Darden students now have the opportunity to participate in Global Field Experiences (GFEs). GFEs are electives that give small teams of students the opportunity to provide consulting services to an international company or organization while working closely with a Darden faculty member. At the beginning or end of each course, students visit the company on location to build on-the-ground knowledge and scope the issue at hand.

In the fall, six Second Year students worked with Darden professor Mary Margaret Frank and the World Bicycle Relief, a nonprofit organization that has distributed more than 100,000 bicycles and trained more than 750 bike mechanics in developing countries. The project included compiling a complete review of, and offering recommendations for, the current World Bicycle Relief financial model; creating a “pitchbook” that will aid in raising new capital; and developing a potential investor base for funding growth. This GFE culminated in a weeklong journey to Zambia in December. Second Year student Paul Frederic Manlapig gave a day-to-day account of his experiences in Zambia on the Global Voices of Darden Blog (read Part 1 and Part 2).

Learn more about Global Field Experiences and read about GFEs in other countries.

Admissions Q&A: Insight on the Application Process, MBA Program Information and More

Published on February 27, 2013 in Admissions and Weekly Chats. 0 Comments Tags: admissions, application, career, case method, chat, Darden, MBA, online chat, student, University of Virginia, UVA.

Question: Could you please describe what you look for in a standout Darden applicant?

Answer: We look for strong team and leadership skills, as well as initiative and solid communication skills.

Question: Could you describe the culture at Darden and what you think differentiates it from other MBA programs?

Answer: Darden is a small, tight-knit community where everyone engages 110% inside and outside the classroom. Faculty are very accessible and invested in students’ academic and career success.

Question: Can you give us some factors which would be considered as negatives in the Darden full-time MBA application?

Answer: In terms of negatives within the application, the important thing is to know yourself, your experiences, and be articulate about how an MBA fits into all of that. Far too often, we see folks that haven’t taken the time to be thoughtful and do the reflection necessary to put together a compelling application.

Question: Can you please tell me if they are still sending out interview invitations for the Round 2 full-time MBA?

Answer: Yes, we are still inviting Round 2 candidates to interview, both domestically and abroad.

Question: Can you speak to any differences in the way applications of potential ”career switchers” are reviewed? Is there certain criteria or experiences you look for with applicants who are looking to move to a new industry?

Answer: Most of our applicants are career switchers. We don’t differentiate them from others in the pool — the main thing we’re looking for is a clear rationale for the degree and how it will help them meet their goals.

Question: Can you please tell me if candidates are evaluated on the basis of their employment background?

Answer: We take industry experience into account in our overall evaluation, but it is only a piece of the larger puzzle. We strive to evaluate each candidate holistically.

Question: Can you discuss the GMAT profile of the current class as well as how Darden plans on evaluating the Integrated Reasoning section in next year’s admission cycle?

Answer: Our mean GMAT is 703. We take IR scores into account and look forward to seeing more of that data in the future.

Question: The website mentions that average number of years of work experience. Does other graduate school experience count towards work experience?

Answer: We take all experience into account, including full- and part-time employment, graduate degrees and military service.

Question: Are any considerations given to applicants’ current/future career path during the admissions process? For example, does Darden actively try to build a diverse class from various fields of work or is everything evaluated on a case-by-case basis?

Answer: Yes, we actively seek folks from a range of industries and backgrounds to create a diverse classroom environment.

Question: I am considering Darden for business school, but have a strong interest in social enterprise and global poverty reduction. Are there any opportunities to explore these passions through either the curriculum, special international projects/trips, and/or through clubs at Darden?

Answer: Yes, we have many clubs and international exchanges, such as our Global Business Experiences, where you pursue your interests.

Question: Does Darden use any teaching methods other than the case method to give students more hands-on business experience?

Answer: Case method is the primary method of instruction at Darden. All First Year students will also be assigned to learning teams, designed to help them work through each case and solve real business problems.

Question: Can you please speak to the Career Consultants and how personalized this experience is over the life of the program?

Answer: Our career advisors specialize in different industries and work with you one-on-one to develop your career plan, make adjustments and best prepare you for recruiting. At Darden, you will also be paired with a Second Year student coach whose internship matches your interests to help you navigate the process.

Guest Blog: West Coast Technology-Focused Job Trek

Published on January 22, 2013 in Career and Guest Posts. 0 Comments Tags: career, Darden, job trek, student, Technology, University of Virginia, UVA.

This week’s guest blog is by First Year Chris McCabe. Read about his experience at the West Coast Technology-Focused Job Trek:

Darden students experience a number of important transformations during the fall semester of their First Year. Chief among these is the shift in focus over class participation points and upcoming final exams to the pursuit of summer internships. Throughout the fall semester, there are many opportunities to get to know the multitude of companies that recruit on Grounds. A wide variety of firms host company briefings, networking nights, dinners, cocktail hours, mock interviews and other opportunities to get to know the companies and their employees.

Among the most important recruiting experiences, however, are the Job Treks that occur after the completion of final exams at the end of the fall semester. Treks are organized by industry, geography, or both, and bring a small army of Darden students to visit companies in each Trek’s region. This year, Darden students organized a New York City Luxury Goods Trek, a Minneapolis Marketing Trek, a Texas Oil and Gas Trek, a Northwest Outdoor and Adventure Trek, a Week on Wall Street, an Atlanta Trek and a West Coast Tech Trek, among others. I had the privilege of helping to organize a portion of the Tech Trek to Seattle and San Francisco.

Organizing a Job Trek is a great way to build relationships with companies and also to bond with fellow classmates outside of the “Darden bubble.” I had never been to Seattle or San Francisco, so it was an excellent chance to spend time in the cities I might potentially be living in this summer. An Alumni Happy Hour is another important component of the Job Trek. With help from Alumni Services, we organized get-togethers at local restaurants and spent the evening chatting with Darden alumni living in the cities we visited. In Seattle, we went to Amazon, a Danaher portfolio company called Fluke and brought the largest group of MBA students from any school ever to visit Microsoft.

Darden First Year Students on the West Coast Tech Trek in Seattle, Washington

In San Francisco, we visited Google, Facebook, Twitter, Cisco, VMware, Tesla, the mobile gaming company GREE and a venture-backed start up called Twilio. Alumni from Salesforce.com, Intuit and Apple joined us at the happy hour in Palo Alto. In addition, handful of students individually scheduled time to interview with other west coast tech firms, and a few more students have since done phone interviews with companies they met during the Trek.

Darden First Year Students during the West Coast Tech Trek in San Francisco, California

Over the past two weeks, Amazon, Microsoft and Danaher have come to Darden to conduct interviews for summer internships. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to hang out at these companies’ headquarters and chat with some of the same people who conducted the interviews. Now that my internship hunt is in full swing, I am grateful that I got to see the landscape of the Tech industry firsthand in both Seattle and Silicon Valley and form strong contacts at several top notch west coast companies.

Chris McCabe
MBA Class of 2014

Chris grew up near Detroit, Michigan and attended Albion College. After graduating from Albion, Chris spent four years in management consulting, implementing cutting edge software at struggling automotive suppliers across North America. Chris is currently recruiting for internships in the Technology industry.

Guest Post: The Darden Brand Challenge

Published on December 10, 2012 in Darden Community, Guest Posts and Student Profile or Feature. 0 Comments Tags: brand challenge, Darden, Marketing, MBA, student, University of Virginia, UVA.

In this week’s guest post, First Year student Patrice Yao discusses FOMO, Marketing Club and the Darden Brand Challenge:

As a first year student at Darden, there are tons of opportunities to get involved both in and out of the classroom. A commonly heard term “FOMO” (Fear Of Missing Out) applies to everything – First Year students don’t want to miss out on Darden Cup events, Section socials, or opportunities to network with company representatives.

Recruiting starts almost immediately after Term 1 exams, and students have the opportunity to attend company briefings and invite-only company dinners. One great way to get to know companies better is to participate in company sponsored challenges and case competitions.

This year, the Marketing Club sponsored Darden’s annual Brand Challenge Competition. Teams of 4-5 students worked together with companies to survey the Darden community on consumer preferences for certain products. My team worked with General Mills to understand Darden students’ preferences between ‘Traditional’ versus ‘Supreme’ Betty Crocker brownies. We partnered with General Mills’ representatives to develop a survey, design our booth, and present recommendations.

Patricia Yao (second from left), pictured with the Betty Crocker team at the Darden Brand Challenge

This year’s Brand Challenge included 18 teams working with various companies including: Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, The World Wildlife Fund, Campbell’s, Ford, Best Buy and more. Over 130 Darden community members attended the event to sample products and provide their opinions. Awards were given out to teams for “Best Booth” and “Best Spirit.” Teams flexed their creative skills, including visual displays to draw in their audience. For example, the Darden “moms” gave out samples of toaster strudel, just like how we might remember them at home!

Darden Brand Challenge – Pillsbury Team

Darden Brand Challenge – Microsoft Team

It was a great opportunity to work with companies on a larger scale and interact with recruiters in forums other than interviews and company briefings. It was a ton of fun to put together, and a great way to practice our classroom marketing techniques in the real world. And of course, nothing beats baking 14 trays of brownies and building a brownie sundae bar for hungry business school students!

Patrice Yao, Class of 2014

Patrice grew up in Chicago and has been working in Washington, DC for the past several years as a management consultant. Prior to Darden, she received a Masters in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In her spare time, you can find Patrice planning parties, cooking for large groups, and hosting big potlucks – all within the confines of her one-bedroom apartment.

Chat with Second Year student Janet Schroeder about life at Darden

Published on November 5, 2012 in Admissions, Events and Student Profile or Feature. 1 Comment Tags: admissions, chat, Events, MBA, student, University of Virginia, UVA.

Darden Second Year student Janet Schroeder is hosting a chat with Beat the GMAT tomorrow, 6 November at 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. (EST) to discuss her experience with Darden’s tight-knit community, life as an MBA student, her summer internship and more.

Janet is from Wilmette, Illinois and graduated from Middlebury College with a major in International Studies, Chinese and Economics. This past summer, she interned at M&T Bank. She plans to pursue a career in commercial banking upon graduating from Darden.

To register for the online chat, click here.