Apply for an MBA at UVA Darden
UVA Darden Application Deadlines
| Round | Deadline | Time Remaining |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | October 14, 2010 | about 1 month |
| Round 2 | January 05, 2011 | 3 months |
| Round 3 | March 30, 2011 | 6 months |


Latest MBA Discussions
I think recruiting has been going on at top schools for a while now. Can anyone give some updates for how things look? For both 1st years...
What's the worst thing about your MBA programs? Give me the dirt :-)
I messed up big time in college.. actually, godzilla time. Got into things I thought were cool.. As it turns out, so was not the case. It took...
low GMAT Score
I am an Indian applicant. I got a GMAT score of 630 & I have over 9 years of eclectic work experience. I have done my post graduation in engineering...
UVA Darden Class Profile
| UVA Darden Details | |
|---|---|
| Average GMAT | 693; 650-740 (middle 80%) |
| Average GPA | 3.35; 2.96-3.80 (middle 80%) |
| Percent Male | 71% |
| Percent Female | 29% |
| Percent International | 30% |
| Average Age | 28 |
UVA Darden Essay Questions
Résumé
Please prepare a business résumé (as opposed to an academic c.v.) that includes your employment history in reverse chronological order, with titles, dates, and whether you worked part-time or full-time. As part of this résumé, also include a similar education history that includes dates and degrees, listed in reverse chronological order. The résumé should not be more than one page long.
Essay 1
The Darden MBA program expects students to actively participate in learning teams, the classroom, and the broader community. Please share one or two examples from your past experience that best illustrate(s) how you will contribute to this highly engaging and hands-on learning environment. (500 words)
Essay 2
Please discuss how a global event that has taken place in the past two years has impacted the way you think about leadership broadly and personally. (500 words)
| Recently accepted students |
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| Start a project with eketels! |
Mentor: eketels |
Accepted at: Wharton
Industry Exp: Banking
Gender: Female
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: From the East Coast. Worked for two investment banks in New York for 5.5 years before applying for MBA. Also have non-profit and international work experience. Double-majored in English & French undergrad. | ||
| Start a project with esimuni! |
Mentor: esimuni |
Accepted at: Wharton
Industry Exp: Consulting, Private Equity
Gender: Male
Background: Russian Federation |
Mentor Details: Have varied professional experiences: worked at McKinsey and at a middle-market PE firm. | ||
| Start a project with srm! |
Mentor: srm |
Accepted at: Wharton
Industry Exp: Consulting, Health Services and Health Care, Non Profit, Technology
Gender: Female
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: *Prior to business school, had six years of work experience in management consulting and healthcare business intelligence in NY and DC.
*Also have non-profit and health advocacy consulting experience
*Summer internship in business development
*Neuroscience/Biology major
*Part of the Healthcare Management program
*Volunteer Admissions Committee experience
*Returning to Big Three management consulting | ||
| Start a project with Adalal! |
Mentor: Adalal |
Accepted at: Wharton
Industry Exp: Banking, Real Estate
Gender: Female
Background: India |
Mentor Details: Alumni interviewer for business school; critiqued business school essays for several admits at current top business schools. Relatively strong writing skills (Philosophy major in college) | ||
| Start a project with jonjin! |
Mentor: jonjin |
Accepted at: UCLA Anderson
Industry Exp: Computer Related, Health Services and Health Care, Technology
Gender: Male
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: I was a Computer Science major and have a background in software development in a variety of industries. I have a lot of experience working in start-ups and pitched an entrepreneurship angle in my applications. I would ideally be able to help people with a similar background but have also edited successful essays for friends in other functions and industries. | ||
| Start a project with gbaker! |
Mentor: gbaker |
Accepted at: Harvard HBS
Industry Exp: Banking, Energy, Retail
Gender: Male
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: I am an entreprenuer who went straight from undergrad, where I majored in engineering, to HBS. I would be best suited for mentees coming from non-traditional backgrounds. I can provide feedback to applicants from these backgrounds trying to explain their reasoning for going to business school.
For those of you coming from traditional finance backgrounds, my girlfriend also graduated from HBS with me and now works at a prominent investment bank (hint: the only one of the major players that hasn't gone backgrupt or been bought out yet). She will be helping me provide feedback as well.
Most applicants will have stellar academic and/or professional credentials, but good applicants need to have more than just professional ambition. They need to have big (but realistic) dreams and show how they are going to have a major impact in their communities. So in addition to helping with some of the more mundane parts of the application, I can make sure you paint an interesting picture of yourself, your goals, and your dreams. | ||
| Start a project with Nontraditional! |
Mentor: Nontraditional |
Accepted at: Harvard HBS
Industry Exp: Banking, Engineering, Finance, Military
Gender: Male
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: My background allowed me to tell a somewhat different story on my application essays. I came out of the maritime industry where I spent several years as a crewmember on commercial vessels and then worked in management. I was also in the Naval Reserve for eight years. I believe I can add perspective to those who do not come out of the "traditional" MBA applicant mold. Everyone has valuable experiences, and what will set you apart is the ability to tell a compelling story about how those lead you to business school.
I was a round 2 admit in 2006. I had put in a hastily prepared application in round 3 the year before and received valuable feedback from the admissions office for my 2006 effort. I was able to learn a great deal from admissions about what they look for when selecting admits from a sea of qualified applicants. | ||
| Start a project with trump! |
Mentor: trump |
Accepted at: LBS
Industry Exp: Accounting, Consulting, Finance
Gender: Male
Background: India |
Mentor Details: An applicant's biggest strength is his/her ability to demonstrate quality work experience. I had less than 4 years of work experience (at a Big4 accountancy firm) at the time of admission and my biggest hurdle was to explain to the admissions committee what I had to offer to the class with an average work experience of 6 years. Also, coming from a competitive demography, it becomes important to distinguish yourself from the rest of the applicants from the same pool. Looking forward to working with you. | ||
| Start a project with David! |
Mentor: David |
Accepted at: Columbia GSB
Industry Exp: Government, Military, Non Profit
Gender: Male
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: During my work experience, I had plenty of leadership and situational management; my applications highlighted my unique skill set, while explaining my academic potential (not having worked in an particularly academic environment).
I am eager to help applicants from similarly nontraditional backgrounds who have overwhelming strengths in some areas of their applications and concerns in others (often, academic scores). I am excited to help craft applicants' pitches - and to ensure that theme pervades all aspects of the application.
Look forward to helping you! | ||
| Start a project with Sarah! |
Mentor: Sarah |
Accepted at: Kellogg
Industry Exp: Advertising
Gender: Female
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: I am a 2006 Kellogg grad who knows what it takes to get into your first choice school. I have over 10 years of marketing experience, am a gifted writer and can help you tell the right story. I will identify your strengths and potential weaknesses in order to help you craft the most compelling application. | ||
| Start a project with CBBrazil! |
Mentor: CBBrazil |
Accepted at: LBS
Industry Exp: Consulting
Gender: Male
Background: Brazil |
Mentor Details: Broad international experience - from Shanghai China to New Jersey US to Sao Paulo Brazil, will help you to open your eyes to diversity and why this is so important for future MBAs.
Have worked as a consultant and as a client. If you are trying to do career change from consulting to industry or vice versa you will be able to see the two sides of the story.
Professional juggler in terms of struggling work and life priorities - Ironman Brazil Finisher of 2007. After all, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"
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| Start a project with Alpha! |
Mentor: Alpha |
Accepted at: Chicago Booth School of Business
Industry Exp: Banking, Consulting, Journalism, Technology
Gender: Male
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: Worked as a newspaper editor, a software engineer, an IT consultant, and an investment banker. Great at editing essays! | ||
| Start a project with james_hbs2010! |
Mentor: james_hbs2010 |
Accepted at: Harvard HBS
Industry Exp: Consulting, Private Equity
Gender: Male
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: Spent 2 years as a consultant at McKinsey & Company before moving to a middle market private equity firm (both in NYC). Economics major at Princeton. Currently a first year student at HBS. | ||
| Start a project with HBS_MBA_08! |
Mentor: HBS_MBA_08 |
Accepted at: Harvard HBS
Industry Exp: Consulting, Entrepreneurship, Government, Retail, Technology, Telecom, Venture Capital
Gender: Female
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: I have always had a passion for mentoring as it is one of my greatest strengths. I graduated from HBS in 2008 and have quite a few friends/acquaintances apply to HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, Berkeley and Stanford. My strenghts lie in formulating an overall strategy to build a cohesive application and I can definitely offer help on specific essays. I will ensure that my client's essays clearly and accurately integrate and portray their intent, objectives, and personality to make a compelling case for admission.
Career wise, I owned two businesses and worked at two top consulting firms prior to attending HBS. Feel free to choose me if you would like targeted, constructive feedback. Thanks for your time and best of luck!
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| Start a project with Clarissa! |
Mentor: Clarissa |
Accepted at: MIT Sloan
Industry Exp: Consulting, Government
Gender: Female
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: I am great at helping people to dig down into their stories to make them vivid and memorable. Based on your profile I can help you develop a strategy to highlight things that the adcom may question - if you have an engineering background we might want to highlight your people skills etc. I am an excellent writer both from a stylistic and technical point of view (top 1% on Verbal GMAT). A good app is the meeting of 1. basic academic and professional criteria (grades, GMAT, job) and 2. pertinent examples of your life/professional experiences. My personal take is that given adequate 1 criteria you can write your way in or out of a mba programme. Read Clarissa's blog | ||
| Start a project with CBS_NYU_Cornell! |
Mentor: CBS_NYU_Cornell |
Accepted at: Columbia GSB
Industry Exp: Consulting, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Government, Technology
Gender: Male
Background: India |
Mentor Details: I am an international student and have worked as a management consultant in a big 4 firm.Having applied from an highly competitive application pool in perhaps one of the toughest and most selective years,I believe I have the necessary skills to help you out in your application.I have admits for 3 top 10 Bschools | ||
| Start a project with laura! |
Mentor: laura |
Accepted at: Wharton
Industry Exp: Advertising, Consulting, Consumer Products, Government, Retail
Gender: Female
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: I worked for a small consulting company in Washington, DC before coming to Wharton. At Wharton, I succesfully shifted my career from consulting into CPG brand management. I've helped several friends with writing their MBA application essays and crafting their "story". | ||
| Start a project with aletzu! |
Mentor: aletzu |
Accepted at: LBS
Industry Exp: Computer Related, Engineering, Technology, Telecom
Gender: Male
Background: Israel |
Mentor Details: I am 2011 class admitted student of LBS (and 3 other top US schools). Coming from diverse background including embedded SW team manager, army commander and counselor for international education organization, I bring unique view on leadership and excellence in business education. With average GMAT (starts with a 6 :)) score I had to work really hard to develop my essays strategy. Now I will apply the lessons I've learned from this process to your application!
Here is what one of the guys I helped after I got accepted had to say about our work:
"As an international, with an Engineering background, totally unfamiliar with MBA application process, is was important for me to leverage the knowledge of someone who already mastered this MBA application process. No doubt, Alex exceeded my expectations. He provided a extremely detailed feedback, making sure I will "fit in" the school, while "standing out" in the applicant pool. His insights allowed me to crystallize my essays, and present a the best possible package." | ||
| Start a project with Swets! |
Mentor: Swets |
Accepted at: Michigan Ross
Industry Exp: Consulting, Entrepreneurship, Health Services and Health Care, Venture Capital
Gender: Female
Background: India |
Mentor Details: Being an international student and a career switcher, it was of paramount importance for me to make a compelling case for an MBA and in US. On my way to come up with a coherent story for my applications, I have learned what works and what doesn't. And I think this learning will be significant value-add to you. I'm passionate about mentoring young and ambitious candidates achieve their dream of admission into a Top B-school. My strengths lie in crafting an overall strategy with all parts of application and at the same time paying attention to minute details in essays and resumes to help you perfect them. All AdComs look for uniqueness expressed genuinely. And I will help you discover the best in you and convey it in the best possible way. Good Luck! Read Swets's blog | ||
| Start a project with smjeong! |
Mentor: smjeong |
Accepted at: Chicago Booth School of Business
Industry Exp: Energy, Engineering, Technology
Gender: Male
Background: Korea, Republic of |
Mentor Details: I am an older (32 at matriculation) applicant, with a non-traditional background (R&D) that made a successful switch to the business world.
I am quick with my responses and also very specific with my comments. I have received feedback for my applicants from peers in many top business schools. | ||
| Start a project with top20bschoolexpert! |
Mentor: top20bschoolexpert |
Accepted at: Duke Fuqua
Industry Exp: Computer Related, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Non Profit, Private Equity, Technology, Venture Capital
Gender: Male
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: I'm currently a second year student at the Fuqua School of Business. I have always had a passion for helping others advance their careers, and I want to help you so you can shine among other qualified applicants. Having recently gone through the application process, I can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and improve your chance of getting into the school of your choice! I have edited numerous essays and resumes for my friends applying to top business schools. I'd like to help you as well.
I am an excellent storyteller and will do my best to help you articulate (and integrate) your stories through your essays. I have a unique mix of background in strategy consulting, venture capital, social entrepreneurship, and Internet start-up.
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| Start a project with Sam! |
Mentor: Sam |
Accepted at: Wharton
Industry Exp: Computer Related, Entrepreneurship, Government, Military, Non Profit
Gender: Male
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: Believe it or not, AppMentor helped me get accepted to my first choice school! Now I am on the staff to pass along to you the guidance they gave to me. In my opinion, when writing b-school essays, it is imperative one follows six key guidelines. Tell a story. Be concise. Showcase your strengths. And three other vital concepts. I will ensure your essays follow these guidelines! I have a varied background and therefore will be able to bring a unique perspective to any person's essays, but especially someone with a non-traditional career path. I scored in the 99th percentile on the verbal section of the GMAT and I consider myself a grammar nazi. I will find every one of your grammar mistakes. I spent 7 years as a military officer flying fighter jets. I have also worked for a small software company, for both US and foreign government non-profit sectors, and for two different technology/research organizations. I have a bachelors in Computer Engineering and a masters in International Affairs, and I lived overseas for over three years. I look forward to guiding you and critiquing your essays in your quest to attend ANY top b-school. I am here to help you get accepted! | ||
| Start a project with AFisher! |
Mentor: AFisher |
Accepted at: Wharton
Industry Exp: Consulting, Energy, Engineering, Government, Military
Gender: Male
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: I am a recent (2009) graduate of the Wharton MBA with a joint degree MA (writing intensive). I served as a member of the Graduate Admissions Committee in the 2008-2009 season, where I evaluated applications and conducted interviews. I am a prior military engineer who successfully transitioned to management consulting. | ||
| Start a project with lgelblum! |
Mentor: lgelblum |
Accepted at: UC Berkeley Haas
Industry Exp: Finance, Non Profit
Gender: Female
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: Hello! I am in my first year at Haas School of Business pursuing a dual MBA / MPH. I am originally from the Bay Area. I studied International Economics as an undergrad and played #1 singles on Georgetown's D-1 Tennis team. At Georgetown, I was also involved in the Jewish student association and interfaith dialogue groups as well as being a peer mentor and economics TA. I love travelling and had awesome study abroad experiences in the Dominican Republic and Hungary. During college, I mainly worked in the NGO space, in roles including advocacy, research, and analysis. After college I worked at a middle-market investment bank in Miami for two years, focusing mainly on healthcare and technology. I then transferred to the company's San Francisco office and spent another 1.5 years as an Associate in technology and clean technology banking . I am now enrolled in the dual MBA / MPH program and interested in pursuing a career in biotech or global health strategy / finance. | ||
| Start a project with tali! |
Mentor: tali |
Accepted at: LBS
Industry Exp: Engineering, Technology
Gender: Female
Background: Israel |
Mentor Details: | ||
| Start a project with Anna! |
Mentor: Anna |
Accepted at: Wharton
Industry Exp: Consulting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Government, Non Profit, Technology
Gender: Female
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: I received my MBA at Wharton in 2009. As a member of the Graduate Admissions Committee I evaluated applications and conducted interviews. I have very strong writing skills (majored in English and Political Science undergrad). Before business school I worked for a management consulting firm and a nonprofit international policy think tank. I am particularly good at helping applicants hone their story, portray their experiences in a compelling manner, and address questions that will likely arise in the minds of those on the admissions committee.
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| Start a project with MBAAdmit! |
Mentor: MBAAdmit |
Accepted at: Chicago Booth School of Business
Industry Exp: Accounting, Banking, Consulting, Finance
Gender: Female
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: Congratulations on making the decision to pursue your MBA!
I am a 2008 University of Chicago grad and have been consulting on MBA admissions in New York and Chicago as an independent consultant. My specialty is combining my business and international background, admissions experience and writing abilities to develop an admission package that isn’t just written right, but written right for an MBA admissions committee.
My credentials include:
• MBA from University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business
• BBA in Finance from Indiana University, Kelley School of Business
• Admitted to top business schools during my own MBA admission process
• Currently providing admission consulting to MBA applicants through own business
• Prior involvement with MBA admissions and interviews
• Published writer and editor
• Background in financial services and consulting with work experience in the United States and Middle East. | ||
| Start a project with WhartonMBA10! |
Mentor: WhartonMBA10 |
Accepted at: Wharton
Industry Exp: Banking, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Health Services and Health Care, Private Equity
Gender: Male
Background: United States |
Mentor Details: Professional writer + Wharton MBA '10 = Success!
Before Wharton I worked in the Public Relations industry and drafted hundreds of press releases. I have the professional business writing background needed to help you develop the best essays for all top MBA programs. | ||
