Darden School of Business

-The community and teamwork-focused learning environment make the Darden MBA program unique. I cannot imagine a class that was more tight-knit and supportive, and also unique and diverse, as the Darden class that I was a part of. The strenuous academic environment prepares students very well for professional opportunities after school.

-Because it is a smaller program in terms of the number of students in each class, it can be a challenge for the school to attract companies in some of the non-traditional fields. Students are still able to find job opportunities, but the amount of work that they need to put into the internship/job search is disproportionate when compared to those students looking for opportunities in consulting/banking/general management. Perhaps admitting a larger class size with more students interested in the non-traditional opportunities could help to draw more of the non-traditional companies.

-I thought that both professors and career services were extremely dedicated to students. Professors had an open-door policy and were happy to spend time with students who stopped by to ask questions. Career services went above and beyond for interview preparation.

-The bulk of the leadership professors are career academics. The school does an incredible job bringing practitioners in from every industry at every level to impart leadership lessons and the like. However, if I had to pick one area that they could strengthen, it would be adding some recent, accomplished practitioners to the rolls of leadership professors.

-Case method brings the classroom alive. Excellent faculty. Great location in Charlottesville. Small class size increases student relationship building. Alumni extremely active and open to contact. Finance, Accounting, Ethics, Operations, and Management all very strong departments.

-The marketing program needs to be improved, a stronger push to make contact with West Coast companies also needs to be spearheaded by the career development center.

-The culture is second to none. I've never been part of something where everyone (students, faculty, staff, assistance, community) is so happy to be a part of it.

-I would like to see Darden make international programs more accessible. I think they should consider making some kind of off-campus program mandatory, or should provide subsidies or scholarships to encourage more students to participate.

-I believe what makes our program unique is the combination of 100% case method, small class sizes, and our emphasis on ethics. Many schools can claim one or two from this list, but Darden's differentiation is that the 100% case method extends beyond the classrooms and into every aspect of not only the graduate school, but the entire University of Virginia as well. Just as we are responsible for taking charge of the case and leading discussions, we have the class sizes to incorporate most, if not all of the views and perspectives of our students, and the drive to become ethical leaders that permeates the entire University becomes an extremely edifying experience for all parties involved. I am so proud to be a graduate from not only the Darden School, but a product of University of Virginia as well.

-High course load first year limits participation in some other things such as case competitions, etc. The marketing dept. needs to be rethought. Economics dept. focuses almost exclusively on macro issues -- would be nice to have some microeconomics included.

-Darden is focused on teaching. The classroom experience cannot be replicated in any other MBA program in the US. Professors are not only excellent in the classroom, but they have an open door policy and are always available to coach you and answer questions. This is particularly valuable to a "non traditional" student like me who needed a bit more help in the beginning.

-Darden's location in the small town of Charlottesville makes it more difficult to recruit with some firms especially those located on the west coast. While large west coast firms such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft recruited at Darden, smaller firms required more work to network with. However, Darden's career development office, professors, and student clubs greatly ease the process by connecting students with those firms who can't make it to Darden.

-The PEOPLE at Darden are irreplaceable. The program is hard and competitive, but everyone is rooting for you. I love this type of healthy competition.

-Lower prestige and remote location make it difficult to get top-notch tech companies to the school. Same for speakers.

-There is a complete absence of graduate assistants. Every piece of the learning process, from running the class to making themselves available at all hours for extra help, is managed by the full professors.