Darden Community, Part-Time MBA

Part-Time MBA Launch Week: New Hoos Reflect on Their First Residency on Grounds

The first week on Grounds in Charlottesville is always special. For our incoming students, it is the beginning of their MBA experience at Darden filled with lots of new faces. From meeting their learning teams, taking their first classes and exploring everything Charlottesville has to offer, Launch Week goes by quickly.

We caught up with the incoming Part-Time MBA Class of 2027 to see how it went:

Dan Ayoub

Part-Time MBA Class of 2027

“The residency in Charlottesville greatly surpassed all my expectations, and I loved every day of it.

What is remarkable how close I got to members of the class in the five short days we had. On Sunday, I met with my learning team for dinner, and we were all complete strangers to one another. By midweek, we were good friends meeting on the Rotunda steps in the evening to eat Roots together. And by the end of the week, we were laughing, joking and working together seamlessly. Making such strong connections in the short time was definitely the highlight of my week.”

Nicole Cantarelli

Part-Time MBA Class of 2027
“As a double Hoo, I loved spending the week back in Charlottesville for Residency 1. Even though it felt a little different this time around being up in North Grounds with my new classmates, I made sure my new friends and Learning Team visited a few of my favorite restaurants. And I even got to give a few tours of Central Grounds along the way. We made sure to go to Roots on the Corner one night and ate on the steps of the Rotunda – a must for any UVA student!
It really was amazing how quickly you can feel close to a new group of 70+ people after spending a full week of classes and events together. I am grateful to have such a great group to spend the next 3 years (and beyond) with. Pictured here is My Learning Team during our first group activity.”

Logan Brown

Part-Time MBA Class of 2027

“I had an all-around fantastic time at Residency 1! The residency marked my first time back in a classroom setting in over 2 years and, although I was anxious, the Darden team was incredibly welcoming and eased my nerves. It was great to meet my new classmates and begin to form friendships that I’ll lean on throughout my journey in the PT MBA program.”

Elliott White

Part-Time MBA Class of 2027

“Residency 1 was an amazing experience seeing our entire class for the first time and getting to know everyone. Within the first few days, it was clear the admissions team had worked hard to craft a great class full of intelligent and inspiring people. During the week, our cohort had activities to strengthen our team dynamics and opportunities to discuss as a group what we wanted our classroom culture to be. We came out of R1 with the foundations of a strong, supportive community, and I can’t wait to see how we continue this culture at Sands Family Grounds.”

Dhruv Sheth

Part-Time MBA Class of 2027

“R1 was a whirlwind of positive emotions. My favorite moment was having a deep heart to heart with Chris Rapp during the diversity and inclusion class, (which was also my favorite class). My favorite Charlottesville experience was going back to the corner, like I had in my undergraduate days, and spending some quality time with my classmates at Coupes Deville.

Overall though, I couldn’t have imagined a better start to the program, and I’m extremely grateful to have met all my wonderful classmates. I can’t wait for what’s next!”