The Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Photo/Andrew Shurtleff Photography, LLC
What To Know About The Darden Interview
The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business ranked number 11 in P&Q’s “Top Business Schools” ranking last year.
Darden is a prestigious b-school with an incredibly talented MBA students (P&Q recently named two UVA Darden grads to our 2020 Best & Brightest MBAs). But what sorts of students does Darden seek out and how can an applicant put their best foot forward when applying?
Stacy Blackman, of Stacy Blackman Consulting, recently offered a few tips for how applicants can succeed in the Darden MBA interview.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS KEY
At Darden, interviews are anonymous. This means the interviewer knows nothing about an applicant other than their name and interview time prior to an interview.
While this allows for a fairer approach to interviewing, Blackman says it also highlights the importance of making a strong first impression.
“Ensure your initial interactions with your interviewer—or the person setting up the interview beforehand—via email, by phone, or in-person are favorable and demonstrate your enthusiasm and positive attitude,” Blackman writes.
It’s also important to note that Darden interviews are conversational in nature.
“While you will likely do most of the talking, you should not prepare to deliver an uninterrupted monologue,” according to the Discover Darden Blog. “The best interviews are a dialogue between the applicant and the interviewer.”
CONTEXT, ACTION, RESULT
You’ll want to highlight your leadership experience and global exposure in your Darden interview.
The best way to go about telling your story, according to Blackman, is to answer questions in the C.A.R. format, which stands for Context, Action, and Result.
“As you answer the question, you’ll first summarize the situation, then tell the interviewer what you did, and finally, discuss what happened afterward,” Blackman writes. “Remember to include anything quantifiable—give them the numbers—whenever possible.”
As always, practice is important if you want to put your best foot forward come interview day.
“The school cautions against mistaking its conversational interview approach as a free pass to wing it,” Blackman writes. “You have only about 35 minutes to convey a lot of information about yourself.”
Harvard University sued the federal government to block sa proposed rule change that would have required foreign students to take some in-person classes this fall. File photo
What Harvard’s Joint MS/MBA Degree Program Is Like
For those interested in pursuing a career in the life sciences post grad, a dual MS/MBA degree may be enticing.
The MS/MBA joint degree offers students with a life science background the opportunity to develop strong business knowledge in their career post-grad. At Harvard, the joint MS/MBA program can be completed over two academic years and students get access to world-renowned faculty and resources in Harvard Business School, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and Harvard Medical School.
Nora Rabah, an MS/MBA joint degree candidate at Harvard Business School, recently highlighted the key things applicants should know about Harvard’s MS/MBA joint degree program in a blog post for MBA Voices.
DIVERSE STUDENTS
One of the key characteristics of Harvard’s joint MS/MBA program, according to Rabah, is the diversity in students’ backgrounds. Rabah notes that in her cohort of 11, students have a variety of experiences that benefit the learning environment.
“A few people, including myself, did come from a biotechnology company, but there were also people from life sciences consulting firms, research laboratories, medical device companies and larger pharmaceutical companies,” she writes. “This diversity is especially important for our small group cohort where we heavily draw from each other’s experiences and maintain a tight-knit community from which we can learn every day.”
STRONG PASSION FOR HEALTH CARE AND LIFE SCIENCES
Passion for the health care and life sciences is strong in Harvard’s joint MS/MBA program. But that doesn’t mean that students aren’t open-minded.
“Although the entirety of my cohort is unified by our passion for healthcare and our strong interest in life sciences, we also are eager to explore various roles in the health care industry,” Rabah writes. “I have not met one person who isn’t open to learning more about different subsections in healthcare, such as health tech, start-ups, pharmaceutical policy and more.”
REAL MBA EXPERIENCE
Students in the MS/MBA program at Harvard truly get the MBA experience at Harvard.
In fact, the majority of the first year’s curriculum is dedicated to the MBA.
“You are a part of a section, you have an MBA email and are included in all of the MBA-wide student events,” Rabah writes. “I did not feel like I had missed out on anything – on the contrary, starting the MS a few weeks before starting the MBA felt like a gain.”
Sources: MBA Voices, Harvard Business School
Graphic courtesy of AtlanticGMAT.com
Should You Take the GRE or GMAT?
The GRE has grown in popularity in recent years.
In fact, according to a survey by Kaplan Test Prep in 2016, roughly 92% of 224 US b-schools accepted the GRE score for admissions. In 2009, only 24% did the same.
While the flexibility in testing is a benefit for applicants, many may be wondering which exam they should take and how each exam differs.
The admissions team at The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business recently broke down the differences between the GMAT and the GRE and which exam applicants should take considering their goals.
KNOW YOUR PLANS
At Booth, there is not specific preference for either the GMAT or the GRE.
However, Booth admissions advises applicants to consider their plans to help determine which test might make sense to take.
“If you are looking to apply to joint degree programs where the non-MBA degree requires a GRE score, narrowing your focus to the GRE may help you focus your preparation and attention on a single test that would meet the degree requirements for each program,” according to Booth admissions.
Applicants should also consider what industry they intend to be in post-MBA.
“Though the recruiting process is continually evolving, there are companies within certain industries (investment banking for example) that will ask for your GMAT score as part of the recruitment process,” according to Booth admissions. “Doing some research into this ahead of time can ensure that you choose the test that best represents you to future employers.”
HAVE A TIMELINE
Regardless if you decide to take the GRE or GMAT, experts recommend taking your chosen test at least three to six months prior to applying for b-school.
“Knowing that scores are valid for five years does afford you some flexibility,” according to Booth admissions. “If you are an undergraduate student, you may consider taking the test before graduating as you are more recently exposed to relevant subject matter. Whenever you choose to take the test, give yourself enough time to achieve a score you’re happy with and that will make for a strong application.”
TEST SCORES ARE JUST ONE ELEMENT
While test scores are important, experts stress that they are just one aspect of the holistic admissions process.
“Be sure to place an equal emphasis on the rest of your application and present the strongest version of yourself across your essay responses, expression of long and short term goals, by selecting recommenders who will best speak to your strengths, and adequately representing your employment history and extracurricular involvement,” according to Booth admissions. “Working to thoughtfully develop these aspects of your application can also have a significant impact on the overall strength of your profile.”
Sources: Chicago Booth, Accepted
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