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Darden School of Business

Darden MBA Events - May 2025

In May 2025, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business is organizing a total of 14 MBA events, including 7 virtual sessions and 7 in-person events.

Virtual Events 

The Full-Time MBA Virtual Coffee Chat, led by the assistant director of admissions, provides applicants an opportunity to learn more about Darden’s program and admissions process in an informal setting. This session will be held on May 2 and May 16. 

Business School
Darden School of Business
Location
New York
Online
San Francisco
Virginia

Darden MBA Events - February 2025

Darden will host 16 MBA events in February 2025, including 11 virtual and 5 in-person sessions.

Virtual Events 

Several Virtual Coffee Chats will take place on February 3, 7, 10, 18, 19, 21, and 25, offering prospective students a chance to engage with the Darden assistant director of admission to learn about the MBA program and application process. 

Specialized sessions include a Military Virtual Coffee Chat on February 11 and a Women’s Virtual Coffee Chat on February 13 and 21, with the latter featuring Graduate Women in Business (GWIB). 

Business School
Darden School of Business
Location
Online
Virginia

Batten Scholars Program Essay Analysis and Strategies

The Batten Scholars Program, administered by the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Technology at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, is designed for students who aspire to be change-makers at the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology. 

By participating in the i.Lab Incubator, UVA Entrepreneurship Cup, and NSF i-Corps Program, scholars have the opportunity to work on impactful ventures, innovate, and connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and leaders. 

Business School
Darden School of Business
MBA Funding
Scholarships

Darden MBA Events - August 2024

In August 2024, the Darden MBA program has a packed schedule with a total of 39 events, including 17 virtual and 22 in-person sessions. 

These events are spread across various formats, such as coffee chats, information sessions, and major MBA forums, providing ample opportunities for prospective students to learn about Darden and connect with admissions representatives.

Business School
Darden School of Business
Location
Atlanta
Beijing
Chicago
Dallas
Lima
New York
Santiago
Sao Paulo
Seoul
Shanghai
Tokyo
Washington DC

Darden MBA Events - July 2024

In July 2024, the Darden School of Business is hosting a diverse array of 34 events to engage prospective MBA students. 

These events, including 16 virtual and 18 in-person, are designed to provide insights into the Darden MBA program and its application process.

Business School
Darden School of Business
Location
Accra
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Houston
Johannesburg
Lagos
Los Angeles
Nairobi
New York
San Francisco
Washington DC

Darden MBA Events - June 2024

Darden MBA has 17 events for June 2024, featuring 7 in-person and 10 virtual events. The month kicks off with a Full-Time MBA Breakfast with Dawna Clarke in London on June 3, where prospective applicants can learn about the Darden MBA program and application process.

Darden will participate in the Top MBAs events in London, Atlanta, and Munich on June 4, 5, and 8, respectively, allowing prospective students to connect with admission representatives from top business schools worldwide. 

Business School
Darden School of Business
Location
Amsterdam
London
Munich

The Jefferson Fellowship Program – Darden MBA’s $180,000 Award

Established in the 1990s, the Jefferson Fellowship Program shortlists outstanding candidates from around the world who exhibit strong leadership qualities. 

The Jefferson Scholars Foundation's measures look closely at instances of ethical leadership, diplomatic intervention and decisive action, a proven ability to translate ideas into action, and a stellar academic record. 

Business School
Darden School of Business
MBA Admissions
Business School Research
MBA Funding
Fellowships

Oculus Fellowship – The Full-Tuition Award at Darden (Merit-Based)

The Oculus Fellowships, started in 2020-21, recognizes exceptional leadership potential and academic competence in applicants. 

Named after the Oculus, the circular opening in the dome of the hall, the fellowships symbolize the impact of the presence of enlightened students in the university and the MBA program.  

Similar to most cohort-based fellowship programs, Oculus fellows enjoy exclusive access to famed Darden alum and receive mentorship from senior leadership and benefactors to the Oculus Fellowships.

Business School
Darden School of Business
MBA Admissions
Business School Research
MBA Funding
Fellowships

Batten Scholars Selection – Entrepreneurial, Innovation or Technology

Darden’s Batten Institute presents the Batten Scholars program for candidates with exceptional potential to contribute towards entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation.

The scholarship is awarded as part of the MBA application. 

Batten Scholars program is competitive and structured as a cohort-based program, including networking opportunities with fellow scholars and alumni through events and facilitated conversations. 

Amount: Full tuition and fees for Full-Time MBA candidates.

Number of Awards: Not Specified

Business School
Darden School of Business
MBA Funding
Scholarships

What is the Essay Question for the Darden MBA Batten Scholars Program?

MBA Funding
Scholarships

Prospective students interested in the scholarship must submit a supplemental essay as part of the Darden Full-Time MBA application. The essay should address how candidates meet the program criteria, contribute to the Darden community, and how the award would further their career ambitions in entrepreneurship, innovation, or technology. A 500-word essay is required, and candidates should choose one of the following criteria:

Batten Media Fellowships at Darden MBA: US Nationals (Merit Based)

Established in 1988 by Frank Batten, the founder of The Weather Channel and the former chairman of the Associated Press, the Batten Media Fellowships at Darden MBA aims to provide professionals with at least three years of experience in the news media with the opportunity to pursue an MBA. The program has welcomed Batten Media Fellows from renowned media outlets, such as ABC News, CNN, National Geographic, and The Washington Post. 

Business School
Darden School of Business
MBA Admissions
Business School Research
MBA Funding
Fellowships

Darden Post-MBA Placements - By Industry & Function (2023 Graduating Class)

Consulting emerged as a dominant industry at Darden Post-MBA program in the recruitment sphere, boasting the highest hiring rate of 46.30% among the industries, highest among all the T20 schools, and even 4% higher than top M7 school in consulting, i.e., Kellogg (44%).  Notably, this industry also offers the most lucrative median base salary, standing at an impressive $190,000. 

Darden MBA Inclusive IMPACT Essay Tip #1 – Recruitment

Recruitment processes were complex enough a decade ago. The volume that a talent manager receives requires finding tweaks that filter out certain profiles. The filtering based on technology products, skill sets, years of experience, and association with certain brands (internships and full-time) became tools to manage the volume.

MBA Admissions
MBA Application
MBA Essay Writing Tips

Sample Darden MBA Inclusive IMPACT Essay (Revamping Recruitment)

In this narrative, the applicant quotes the brutal murder of George Floyd as a revealing moment that demonstrated the privileges he had as a White American while interacting with the police. The event forced a self-reflection on the personal, professional, and community-level engagements he was leading.

Business School
Darden School of Business
MBA Admissions
MBA Essay Examples, Openers & Essay Writing Strategies

Winning MBA Essay Guide - A Complete Guide for M7 and Top 15 MBA Application Essays 


F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay guide will teach you how to transform your essay into a life journey with trials and tribulations that will move the admission team.

+ Over 245 Sample Essays (Read Previews of F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay Guide Sample Essays here)

+ Top 15 MBA Programs (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Booth, MIT, Kellogg, Yale, Haas, Darden, INSEAD, LBS, NYU Stern, Tuck, Duke Fuqua, Ross)
+ The Art of Storytelling 
+ Leadership Narratives
+ Review Tips
+ Persuasion Strategies
+ The Secret to "unleashing" your unique voice
+ How to prepare and present for the Video Essay
+ How to write about your Strengths
+ How to write about your Weaknesses
 
 

Want to try the individual school Essay Guides before upgrading to the Winning MBA Essay Guide? Try below.

F1GMAT's Essay Guides

  • Harvard MBA Essay Guide (20 Sample Essays)

    Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words) 

    Example #1: Persistence Narrative 
    Background Information: The applicant – a design and music talent, shares her journey through several setbacks. She attributes curiosity to her growth.  
    Curiosity: Philosophy  
    Curiosity (Explained): Curiosity as a philosophy is tough to translate into a narrative unless you are from the creative industry or your contributions had an influence on a solution or an initiative.  
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to capture the humanity of the applicant and her influence in music instead of just highlighting how she overcame multiple roadblocks to gain attention as a designer.  
    Theme: Persistence  
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Life Starts at NO (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example) 

    Example #2: International Community Building 
    Background Information: The applicant, a Machine Learning (ML) entrepreneur specializing in healthcare diagnostics, shares how his curiosity to learn other ML algorithms’ evolution in diagnosing Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease transformed his platform into a global community. 
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to show the applicant’s contributions in diagnostic from 2020 to 2024 by citing two events. Such examples build credibility instead of engagements that were recent. The evolution of the platform from an AI development community to a community for discussing the application of AI in diagnostics is captured through a ‘curiosity’ angle.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Growth through Collaboration (AI in Healthcare) (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #3: Culture
    Background Information: The applicant, an Entrepreneur from India narrates his first entrepreneurial experience – facilitating exchange of stamps in the late 1990s.
    Theme: Culture
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Instead of addressing the biases in the investor community that could turn preachy, I wanted to focus on the applicant and his entrepreneurial journey by citing two entrepreneurial experiences – a platform(club) for stamp collection and his Grocery delivery App.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – The American Dream (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #4: Addiction
    Background Information: The applicant – a beneficiary of the foster home system, captures the sacrifice his adopted grandparents made to save him from a path of addiction. Paying it back through early intervention among teenagers and community engagement is the curiosity narrative.
    Theme: Addiction
    MBA Essay Strategy:  My strategy is to capture a gratitude narrative in the first one-third of the essay to demonstrate motivation for starting the venture and dedicate the latter part of the essay to the unique solution
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Drug Addiction and Gaming (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #5: Scarcity
    Background Information: The applicant, an education major, recognizes that 70% of all students in Kenya don’t have a computer. The curiosity that drives him to pivot from one solution to another is the growth narrative.
    Theme: Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Often, innovation is captured with a ‘hero’ narrative where the applicant is the sole originator of an idea. I wanted to break that cliché and include a person from whom the applicant learned to use a concept called ‘scaffolding.’
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Scarcity (Growth-Oriented HBS Essay Example)

    Example #6: FinTech
    Background Information: The applicant captures a vulnerable moment of a beneficiary to compare his journey of side hustle before a technology giant noticed his talent. Although cryptocurrency is not a flavor for the year, capture niches where innovation is still happening. 
    Theme: Education, Child Welfare
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Empathizing with a techno solution is tough without a strong backstory around the beneficiary. For the essay, I wanted to clearly establish the beneficiary – Rami, before the applicant narrates the similarities to his journey and finally shares the solution that emerged from his curiosity.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – FinTech as a Tool for Good (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #7: Learning from the best
    Background Information: The applicant – a Remote Engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, reflects on a value that has helped her learn from the best regardless of her geographical limitations.
    Theme: Learning
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The effectiveness of the case-study method depends on the assumption that peers in a Harvard MBA class will help elevate your learning experience. For the essay, I have highlighted the applicant’s recognition of this value proposition with three examples.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Learning from the Best (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #8: Military & Search for IMPACT
    Background Information: The most common narrative for US military applicants is to quote 9/11 and the reaction your immediate family had while watching the events unfold. The horrifying moment is captured as a motivation to join the Military. On digging deeper, most applicants would share that their motivations were diverse.
    Theme: Career Choice
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I wanted to quickly highlight that the applicant had the choice of entering any industry. One achievement to demonstrate his curiosity that I shared in the first half is the invention of a game. Since the game is mentioned in the resume and verifiable through search, I didn’t quote the name. By clearly highlighting the person’s curiosity and career options, the family legacy is used as a factor in joining the military.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Career Choice after a Military Career (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
     
    Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

    Example #9: Small Business Values
    Background Information: The applicant - a second-generation Asian American, is familiar with the values of fiscal conservatism, building relationships, and understanding the daily struggles of the community through his family’s department store.
    Theme: Customer-Centric
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The applicant’s role in developing an App for the store is highlighted in the essay at a crucial part of the narrative so that the essay is not all about his father. I have also humanized the journey – by sharing how upset the father was when the revenues fell by 40%. The essay is about the transformation in the applicant’s value from a person chasing productivity and optimization technique to someone who is truly thinking about the customers. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Small Business Values (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #10: Breaking Away from Family Business
    Background Information: A unique challenge that applicants whose parents are public figures or CXOs of businesses or entrepreneurs are the pressure to live up to the parent’s standards or milestones. For the leadership narrative, the burden of legacy is established before the narrative addresses his leadership principles.
    Theme: Authenticity  
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, I want to capture an entrepreneur’s journey to rise above his entrepreneur father’s image. But I didn’t want to make the entire essay about this complex dynamics. The narrative is around the applicant’s focus on customers and surrounding with teams who keeps him grounded. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Breaking Away from Family Business(Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #11: Creativity and Communication 
    Background Information: When the overall percentage of users with internet access is 62% in South Africa and the inequality accentuated by the rural and urban divide, the applicant endured the lack of digital infrastructure, and spending close to 22% of the family income on gaining relevant information on schools, global exams, and financial assistance. 
    Theme: Creativity, Communication
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The strategy is to share why the applicant values no distraction in a child’s home for optimum education experience. Then I highlight the many roadblocks the applicant’s non-profit faced in receiving fee waiver for their cooperative run ISP.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Non-Profit (Telecom) (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #12: Mental Health
    Background Information: The applicant like most didn’t pay much attention to the mental health epidemic until tragedy hit home.
    Theme: Communication, Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  A question we frequently get from applicants is whether they should cite tragedy in the family as a motivation for a venture or a non-profit initiative. As long as you don’t linger too much on the tragedy and offer a balanced narrative, there are no restrictions on leveraging unique stories from your life. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Mental Health (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #13: Trauma, Healing & Finding Authentic Self
    Background Information: The applicant narrates the absurdity of war in the narrative about the duties in Kabul, and the trauma. Instead of wallowing in on the horror, the applicant takes what makes military applicants strong and guides unprivileged children build life and leadership skills.
    Theme: Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing PTSD in an essay, the healing process, and the cues that helped the applicant are too sacred to be shared in a Harvard MBA application essay. However, with the right motivation and narrative arcs, you can capture the essence of your journey without sharing the darkest secrets. That is what I did by merging two stories – the horrors of the war with a non-profit engagement.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Military & PTSD (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #14: Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra
    Background Information: In this narrative, the applicant captures Peru’s Silver mining boom of 2006. The growth experienced in her father’s business shifted the family’s economic status to a new stratosphere. Through the changing economic and family dynamics, the applicant finds her voice in a unique way, initially to record her unheard voice but later as one of the youngest subject matter experts in mining and commodities.  
    Theme: Failure
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, the strategy is to show how life’s unpredictability is a blessing. By narrating two setback events, the essay demonstrates the applicant’s resilience and her acknowledgment of people who made a comeback possible.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #15: War, Immigration and Starting Over Again
    Background Information: Despite a raging war in Syria, the family of the applicant was unblemished by the chaos. The strategic government assets near the applicant’s house would have made the region an easy target, but it was not. The calmness of her journey is shattered in one event. From the privileges of a cocooned life, the applicant is forced to think about survival, her sister’s future, and her future in the US. The second half of the narrative captures the change that was forced on her. 
    Theme: Gratitude, Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I consciously chose not to start the essay with a dialogue or trauma. Two lines are allocated to set up the narrative before the trauma event.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – War, Immigration and Starting Over Again (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

    Example #16: Creative or Finance
    Background Information: The applicant starts the narrative with the origin of her talents. The unbridled enthusiasm receives a reality check when in high school, the applicant’s father has a conversation with her about academics. While the applicant picked up her quant skills, she was reaching over 50,000 loyal fans, and her videos captured 1 million views. 
    Theme: Passion, Talent
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing vulnerability is the toughest part for Harvard MBA applicants. For this essay example, I have captured the applicant’s uncertainty about career choice throughout the essay. Here the goal is to show vulnerability in the career choice essay while for leadership and growth essay, I could capture one example each from creative and PE industry respectively to balance the narrative. So don’t follow this example without a strategy.  
    Read: Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay – Creative or Finance (Business-Minded HBS MBA Essay Example)

  • Stanford MBA Essay Guide (24 Sample Essays)
  • Columbia MBA Essay Guide (21 Sample Essays)
  • Wharton MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • INSEAD MBA Essay Guide (19 Sample Essays)
  • Darden MBA Essay Guide  (21 Sample Essays) 
  • Yale SOM MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Tuck MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Haas MBA Essay Guide (18 Sample Essays)
  • NYU Stern MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays + 6 Examples - Visual Essay)
  • LBS MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Essays)
  • MIT Sloan MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Cover Letters + 3 Sample Video Statement Scripts + 3 Sample Optional Essays)
  • Kellogg MBA Essay Guide (11 Sample Essays)
  • Chicago Booth MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)
  • Ross MBA Essay Guide (31 Sample Essays)
  • Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Guide (10 Sample Essays + Two 25 Random Things Samples)
  • Cambridge MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)

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