Darden Admissions is coming to Houston! Join Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Katherine Alford, and members of our Executive MBA community on Monday, 18 March for an Exec Networking Dinner!
This event is a great way to build your network while learning more about our executive formats – Executive MBA (EMBA) and Global Executive MBA (GEMBA).
Exec Houston Networking Dinner
Monday, 18 March | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Houston, Texas
Register
We have a number of students in our Executive MBA Program who are based in Texas, and we recently caught up with a few of them to talk more about their program experience. Read their Q&As below, and be sure to also check out our earlier profiles of Houstonians, Elizabeth Parsley, ’19 and Eric Anderson, ’19.
Topher Smith, ’19
Format: EMBA
City: Houston,Texas
I considered many schools when researching and applying for MBA programs, as we all do, but Darden has 
delivered in big ways for me through its program structure.
First off, the program staff that coordinates everything is top-notch, and our experience has been seamless. Having class in-person once per month has been a big success as well. Not only do I have more weekends with my family, but the weekends I am gone, I get to focus 100% on school/learning for the few days I am in the DC area.
Washington, DC is also an easy direct flight away from either Houston airport, and the three-hour travel time to school gives me time to prep for the weekend of classes. Lastly, the distance (i.e online) class experience has far exceeded my expectations of being rewarding and interactive. Classmates and teachers are fully engaged, and high-quality learning happens during these sessions. Even though the twice a week evening classes can be rough on the schedule, being able to participate from home allows more time for me to see my family.
Darden has enabled me to view the world through a different lens, approaching each business situation I encounter with a renewed mindset of finding hidden value and new solutions. The staff and professors are unrivaled in quality, and I cannot imagine being better equipped to have made the shift in my career I have already started. The course content is difficult but rewarding, and I consider the relationships I have developed with other professionals in the program to be priceless. The cohort functions as a large team with support coming from many directions, not to mention the top-notch career resources that we have at our disposal.
Anna Christen, ’20
Format: EMBA
City: Kingsville, Texas
Going back to school in an executive format and on the east coast was a difficult decision, but I’m reminded frequently that this program was absolutely the right choice.
The experience at Darden has been so worthwhile. Our professors are engaging, somehow finding ways to push us past basic conversations to meaningful contribution. The best part has been learning from and building relationships with classmates. Darden’s classes are filled with diverse individuals who are hungry to learn and truly support each other through this program. Spending time together during the weekend residencies has been invaluable — and a lot of fun. It’s been a nice to get out of Texas and get a feel for life in the DC area. Oh, and I’m a huge basketball fan, so being able to pull for the ‘Hoos has been really great too.
Josh Cortez, ’20
Format: EMBA
City: Dallas,Texas
My program experience has exposed me to people and master teaching I couldn’t have found anywhere else. The program is designed meticulously and scheduled in a way that maximizes your time with your classmates and professors. The program hits the right balance of class time and in-person experiences, and recognizes that our lives are complicated, filled with many professional and personal responsibilities.
You are given a calendar for the full 21 months of the program before you even start, which makes scheduling easy. We have several Texans in our class, and, if you’re thinking about traveling to attend Darden, know that the program can be easily accomplished with planning and preparation.
