Darden MBA
(Gorilla, 590
Points)
on 6/28/09 at 6:14pm
How is UVa's Darden MBA program perceived on the Street? Is it a target? They have lots of kids with run of the mill backgrounds and an acceptance rate hovering around 25-30%. On the flip side, UVa's brand is strong and they have a very rigorous curriculum.





Darden
Darden is considered a very strong program (more of a case study method of teaching similar to that of Harvard) all over, although not still on the same level as the top 5-10s. It is most likely a semi-target to a target, since although most of the top firms recruit there (at least for one position or another), the representation (number, not quality) of the students at those top firms isn't as strong. Many people think it is absolutely a rising star, and if you are interested in the program, you won't go wrong - it also has a strong alumni network (which cannot be overvalued).
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Darden is defintely a
Darden is defintely a semitarget to target for many large firms. If you can get into one of their student investment funds that would be helpful from a knowledge and recruiting standpoint. That said, UVA doesn't have the sort of superstar finance faculty you'll find at MIT Sloan, Chicago or Wharton. Those three are probably the best finance departments, followed by Columbia, NYU and Stanford. Unless you take PhD classes though, faculty rep is a secondary concern. I would guess the network is stronger at Darden than some of the schools above, which (except for Stanford) are vastly over-represented on the Street.
Columbia is on Par with
Columbia is on Par with Wharton in terms of concentrations in finance........
Darden vs. NYU
What about Darden vs. NYU? They seem to be similar in the overall rankings/prestige category. However, NYU has the superstar faculty, and Darden has the rigorous curriculum/case method/stronger alumni network. Personally, I feel that I would just fit in better at Darden -- would I go wrong choosing Darden over Stern?
For that matter...
What about Darden vs. UCLA Anderson or UC Berkeley Haas?
Re: Darden vs. NYU
Absolutely not. While NYU is known for its Finance focus, Darden is a wonderful school and both are top 15. Both will give you strong opportunities, and, at the end of the day, it is about fit for B school. If you fit better at Darden, you will be more comfortable, network more, do more things, and enjoy your experience much more (and get more out of it), and at the end of the day, rankings pretty much the same, that's what really matters. If you like Darden, and you like their method of instruction, and you the think it is a good overall fit, then do it, and don't look back.
Same can be said for Darden vs Anderson and Haas (even though Haas is top 10). It really depends on what you are interested in pursuing post MBA, where you want to live, and where you think you will fit, bluntly, best. All are very good schools - without knowing what you are interested in, and where you think you will enjoy your 2 years the most, it is tough to say which is probably best for you.
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Not so weak
Forget the overall student profiles and focus on the finance kids. As of last year, the Darden Finance club resume book was available online. Pretty impressive. "run of the mill" was not the norm among the finance resumes I saw. Darden has the lowest GMAT (around 670 average) of the top schools. My conclusion (and by no means fact) is that Darden is a place for someone with a strong profile but relatively weak GMAT.
I would agree with the above
I would agree with the above posters but in terms of alumni network i would also have to say it is relatively weaker than those aformentioned schools.
alumni network
I would agree with the above posters but in terms of alumni network i would also have to say it is relatively weaker than those aformentioned schools.
Really??? I've heard the complete opposite. I've heard that Darden's network is one of the strongest there is outside of the top 10 schools. I consistently hear Darden compared to Tuck both in terms of focus (general management, rigorous curriculum, middle of nowhere setting, close knit community) as well as strength of the alumni network as a result of the above. From what most people tell me, the 2nd tier city schools like UCLA, Berkeley, NYU have awful alumni networks.
I agree
I agree with patek. I have always heard that Darden has one of the strongest alumni networks of a top 15 school - but as with all of these things, everyone's experience is different.
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true
Absolutely not. While NYU is known for its Finance focus, Darden is a wonderful school and both are top 15. Both will give you strong opportunities, and, at the end of the day, it is about fit for B school. If you fit better at Darden, you will be more comfortable, network more, do more things, and enjoy your experience much more (and get more out of it), and at the end of the day, rankings pretty much the same, that's what really matters. If you like Darden, and you like their method of instruction, and you the think it is a good overall fit, then do it, and don't look back.
Same can be said for Darden vs Anderson and Haas (even though Haas is top 10). It really depends on what you are interested in pursuing post MBA, where you want to live, and where you think you will fit, bluntly, best. All are very good schools - without knowing what you are interested in, and where you think you will enjoy your 2 years the most, it is tough to say which is probably best for you.
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Very good advice. It is truly all about fit and where you're going to be most comfortable. For me, I love the case method, rigorous curriculum, and strong alumni/classmate relationships. However, I'm not sure if I could handle going to school in the "South" and having a decent portion of my class being from there/wanting to stay there.
IB placement this year
Does anyone know how Darden IBD placement was this year for both full-time and summer positions (particularly at the large firms)? Thanks in advance.
peer schools
Does anyone know how Darden IBD placement was this year for both full-time and summer positions (particularly at the large firms)? Thanks in advance.
None of the employment reports are out yet -- but if I were to guess, it'll probably be comparable to its peer schools (Duke, Michigan, Cornell)
Yeah, the reports won't be
Yeah, the reports won't be out for a while. I was looking for some anecdotal evidence also, Darden's employment report is not the most informative.
Moderate at best. I'm
Moderate at best.
I'm currently a 2nd year student at Darden (graduating 2010). Before any of my classmates get all excited, let me preface this by saying there are many pros to the darden experience. Unfortunately, I have found them to be massively overweighed by the cons. Also, I'd like to mention at the beginning that of course most of my classmates and students at other schools will give positive reviews for the lone reason that brand value is SO important at MBA school (probably more important than what you learn), so most students feel they MUST give a positive review in order to increase (albeit ever so insignificantly) the brand value of their school on the internet, etc.
Below, I'll give a quick, and very honest*, overview of the major pros and cons:
PROS:
1) Professors: professors are good, they're smart, funny, and interactive. They may not be world reknown, but I'm here to learn, not get autographs.
2) UVA: the campus is beautiful, the weather is great, the student body is picturesque and ever so quaint.
CONS:
1) Job Placement: this is the killer. although I feel our curriculum is the same as most top tier schools and our professors are as good if not better, year after year we get housed when it comes to job placement. Just to throw out a few names, Duke, UNC, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, and even Georgetown often dominate top financial and consulting recruiting stats. Don't get too excited by the stats you see on school websites, they're all artificially manipulated in one way or another. Go to the schools, and randomly ask where students are going to work (and when they got their job), you will find many Darden students who simply answer with a tear. Why? maybe because of #2...
2) Students: DON'T GET ME WRONG I LOVE MY CLASSMATES, they are funny, for the most part kind, and very supportive. The problem I see is Darden gets a lot of students who were simply average in their field or great in average fields. The worst problem is the abundance of overseas students who can barely spell the word "derivative", let alone calculate the present value of one. I'm not saying I'm the next Donald Trump, but at least I can hold my own when it comes to basic algebra. Professors have to stop class numerous times to explain simple mathematical concepts, and let's just say you will be beating your head against the wall if one or two members of your learning team have a hard time with accounting (the EASIEST subject in the history of business).
3) ADMINISTRATION: no darden student will disagree with me here. the administration is in shambles. Admissions is a nightmare...have you tried to use their new IT system? Career services if full of a bunch of people who really couldn't make it in the business world, hence they are working for around 40 G's a year, and are trying to help students find jobs paying over 100. It just doesn't make sense.
4) The program: In general, the darden program is more busy work (reading far too many case studies for the time given, where a case study is never given it's due time in analysis and debate) and GAMES than any real learning. After two years, I don't really feel like I have a specialty in any useful subject, a I think most analytical ability is just natural, not forced upon you by reading 4 case studies per day for 2 years. The A-E sections, mascots, sports competitions, and other events are all good fun, but sometimes I feel like I'm in MBA kindergarten. If you put 90% of the students in a situation where they'd have to use real knowledge and skills to help build a country's infrastructure and economy, they'd fail miserably. They only know how to "gamble" on the economy a bit better, and sound smart in meetings.
There you have it. That's the real story. Take it for what it is. You'll never read a more honest assessment of a student's own school.
gpa: 3.2
gmat: 660
Buyside CFA wrote: Forget the
bollywoodmba wrote: Moderate
i agree with affirmative
dipset1011 wrote: i agree
Like college, isnt what you
I am in 100% agreement with
gpa: 3.2
gmat: 660
Why do companies value an MBA
bcbunker1 wrote: Why do
There is a SHITLOAD of work
Bollywood: Thanks for the
Why don't we first determine
Damn I am happy I didn't
Killer_Queen wrote: Damn I am
Bollywood: Great post. I am
jojoarmani
This is exactly why i don't
bcbunker1 wrote: This is
a current darden student
It seems to me that
I am not sure if this guy is