1999 Profile Update
School Statistics
Graduates' Comments
SURVEY DETAILS
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Virginia's Darden School slipped six places to No. 11 in 1998. The school's overall drop is the result of a dramatic decline in student satisfaction. Darden led in that category in BW's '96 student poll, but then plummeted to No. 15 this time around. One chief complaint was the overwhelming workload at the case-study school, especially during the first-year core, causing some to regard Darden as a boot camp in disguise. Still, students did commend the school for having the most integrated courses and were also impressed with Darden's ethics curriculum, ranking it the best in the Top 25. Also, UVA faculty did a good job of making themselves available outside of class, ranking seventh in the elite group. That helped bolster the school's small, cooperative culture. (With only 485 total students, it's fourth-smallest in the Top 25.)
Job placement was another student gripe. It's not hard to understand why: UVA had the fourth-lowest percentage of students with a job at graduation, surpassing only Wisconsin, Washington University, and Berkeley. Moreover, grads had the dubious distinction of being tied with Indiana, UNC, and USC for garnering the second-lowest average number of job offers. But an interesting paradox is that while Darden's students were critical of the program and their career opportunities, the school's recruiters were quite pleased. Evidence of the rising corporate satisfaction (from 11th in 1996 to 8th in '98 on the corporate poll): the school's increasing number of on-campus, second-year recruiters. Over the course of one year, the placement office ushered in 31 new on-campus recruiters -- bringing 1998's total to 188. Meanwhile companies rated Darden grads seventh for their general management prowess and eighth for communication skills. Grads that did bag jobs earned a respectable average pay package totaling $126,723, placing them in the middle of the Top 25. They also earned the sixth-highest sign-on bonuses, worth an average of $20,750, and had the seventh-highest change in average salary in the Top 25, earning 86% more than they did prior to entering B-school.
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STRATEGY FOR APPLICANTS
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Getting into Darden is tougher than ever. In 1998, the school received 3,267 applications -- that's up more than 50 percent from the 2,086 it received just four years earlier. The quality of applicants has improved, too, with the average GMAT for those admitted in 1998 hitting 685, 75 points higher than in 1992. All told, just 15 percent of those who applied to Darden in 1998 got in, compared with 28 percent in 1994.
With that kind of competition, your GMAT score and GPA are more important than ever, according to Admissions Director Jon Megibow. But Darden also places a lot of importance on a strong interview, Megibow says, so if possible, arrange to visit the campus and call to schedule an in-person talk with admissions as early as possible, since interviews are scheduled between August 1 and February 1 on a first-come, first-serve basis and not all requests can be accommodated. International applicants are not expected to make the trip to Virginia, but are welcome to request an interview with an alum in their region or at an MBA Forum -- but only after their applications have already been reviewed. (In 1998, a little over half of Darden's applicants were interviewed.)
Darden considers communication and interpersonal skills the key to success both in the case-oriented MBA program and in a general management career in general, so how you present yourself will be just as important as what you have to say, according to Megibow: "Are people confident in their body language? Are they flexible in terms of their responses to different kinds of questions? Are they attentive listeners as well as articulate responders?"
Applications are considered in rounds, with deadlines each month between November 1 and the final deadline of April 1. However, if you apply early, you'll have an answer more promptly: Those who apply before November 1 or December 1 will get a reply within six weeks, while those who apply before March 1 or April 1 may not hear for 10 weeks. You can submit your application either on line, through Darden's Web site, or on paper, through the mail.
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CURRICULUM
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Electives available in 1998: 90
New electives in past three years: 34%
The core curriculum was last revised in: 1997
Accelerated MBA program offered?
No
New Courses in Past Three Years
Competitive Dynamics, Doing Business in Mexico, Capital Market Flows &, Institutions, Financial Trading, Corporate Financial Transactions, Mergers, Acquisitions and Restructuring, Range in Investments, New Product Management, Range in Consumer/Service Marketing, Personal Leadership, Leadership Dynamics, Leadership, Values &, Ethics, Leadership & Diversity through Literature, Managing Teams, Supply Chain Management, Range in Manufacturing, Range in Innovations, Multiparty Negotiations, System Dynamics, Entrepreneurship: An Introduction, Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Sustainable Business, Corporate Venturing & Development, Venture Capital, Range in Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital, Emerging Information Technologies, Corporate Communication, Cross-cultural Communication and Business, Corporate and Divisional Strategy, Strategy Consulting: Process and Concepts, Managing the Politics of Strategy, Investigation into the Nature of Strategy, Corporate Governance
Most Popular Electives
Mergers, Acquisitions and Restructuring, Bargaining and Negotiating, Corporate Financial Transactions, Entrepreneurship, Managing the Growing Enterprise, Valuation, Venture Capital
Most Popular Professors
Bob Bruner, Ed Freeman, Jeanne Liedkte, Sherwood Frey
Majors or Concentrations Added in Past Three Years
Darden does not have majors or fields of concentration. However, the school's second year students can choose a "Range" elective, an umbrella course of study, to deepen knowlege of a particular facet of business. In Range electives students meet 10-12 times a year, take a common set of co-requisite courses, complete a directed study related to the Range, and participate in a variety of related programs, field research, club activities, and presentations. Range electives are offered in Consumer/Services Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital, Innovations, Investments, and Manufacturing.
Teaching Methods
Lecture: 15%
Case Study: 70%
Business Projects, Guest Speakers, Simulation: 15%
| Full-time faculty members: |
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52 |
| Adjunct or visiting faculty: |
34 |
| Average core class size: |
60 |
| Average elective class size: |
40 |
Laptop computer required?
Yes
Grading System
A= Excellent, B+ = Very good, B = Good or satisfactory graduate work. A B is considered the minimum no-penalty grade. A C is not satisfactory as a general level of work, but passing for a particular course. F = Failure.
Exchange Programs or International Campuses
Ecole de Commerce Solvay (Brussels, Belgium); International University of Japan (Japan); National University of Singapore (Singapore); University of Western Ontario (London, Canada); IPADE - Instituto Panamericcano de Alta Direccion de Empresa (Mexico City, Mexico); Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (East Kowloon, Hong Kong)
Best Areas of Study
Finance, Leadership, Marketing, Operations, Entrepreneurship
Areas School Would Like to Improve
N/A
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1998 PLACEMENT
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On-campus recruiters for graduates: 188
On-campus recruiters for first-year internships: 128
On-campus student full-time job interviews: approx. 2,259
On-campus student internship interviews: 1,914
Job opportunities posted via the Internet or E-mail: 436
Top Employers/Number of 1998 Hires
| Deloitte & Touche |
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12 |
| Coopers & Lybrand |
9 |
| Booz. Allen & Hamilton |
6 |
| McKinsey & Co. |
6 |
| United Technologies |
6 |
| Anderson Consulting |
5 |
| A.T. Kearney, Inc. |
5 |
| Citibank |
5 |
| General Mills |
5 |
| Wheat First Union |
4 |
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ALUMNI NETWORK
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Number of living alumni: 6,307
Alums who gave to the school during the 1997/98 academic year: 40%
Median alumni gift: $250
Number of alumni clubs: 21
Number of dues-paying members: 0
Number of staffers devoted to MBA alumni relations: 4
Placement services offered for alumni?
Yes
Description of Alumni Placement Services
Through a permanent endowment, in 1998 Darden's Career Services Office established an office of Alumni Career Services dedicated exclusively to assisting alumni in issues of career management. Services include career and vocational counsel/assessment, personal coaching, job search skills, and a growing assortment of electronic networking and data-based aids.
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1999 Profile Update
School Statistics
Graduates' Comments
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Key Contacts
School Web Site
E-Mail:
darden@virginia.edu
Address:
Darden Graduate School of Business Administration
PO Box 6550
Charlottesville, VA 22906-6550
Dean:
Edward A. Snyder
(804) 924-7481
Director of MBA Programs:
Robert D. Landel
(804) 924-4832
Director of Admissions:
A. Jon Megibow
1-800-UVA-MBA-1
Director of Alumni Relations:
Marni C. Churchill
(804) 982-2152
Director of Financial Aid:
Laurence G. Mueller
(804) 924-7559
Director of Career Services:
Anne S. Harris
(804) 924-7685
Application Deadlines:
U.S.
November 2, 1998; December 1, 1998; January 15, 1999; February 15, 1999; March 15, 1999
International
November 2, 1998; December 1, 1998; January 15, 1999; February 15, 1999; March 15, 1999
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