The Application Process

Yes it's very helpful... I already directed a friend to the post who is considering Tepper. I think later today I'm going to post my Yale campus visit too... because I only posted it on my blog

money9111 wrote:Yes it's very helpful... I already directed a friend to the post who is considering Tepper. I think later today I'm going to post my Yale campus visit too... because I only posted it on my blog

You should. That was an awesome debrief on your blog.

Here is my latest blog post.

Today, I put together two questionnaires for current Students at Darden and Kenan-Flagler. I sent one to students at Darden with leadership roles in the Healthcare club. I sent the second to students at Kenan-Flagler with leadership roles in the General Management club. In total, I sent the questionnaires to twelve current students. I didn't really know what to expect when I sent these, but to my surprise I have received two responses already. Two students from Darden have responded to my questions and one even offered to talk more in depth. Here is a sample of the questionnaire that I sent to Darden.

Hello, I am prospective student and will be applying to Darden's MBA program in the Fall to be part of the class of 2013. I am interested in Healthcare field. Ideally, I would like to enter a Leadership Rotational Program with a Healthcare organization.

I found your contact information on the Healthcare club website and thought it would be appropriate to contact you. I am going to be visiting Darden on March 22nd and wanted to reach out to you in advance to gather some information. I hope you don't mind me reaching out to you and I respect that you have a very busy schedule.

Here are a few of the questions that I was curious about:

*Have you seen an increase in companies recruiting for the Healthcare industry at Darden?
*What type of positions are these recruiters hiring for? Consulting, Leadership Rotational Programs, or other types of positions?
*Does Darden have a strong alumni network in Healthcare?
*How active is the Healthcare club and what are some of the future plans for the club?
*Are there any professors you recommend I reach out to?
*How has your experience been at Darden so far?

I appreciate any information that you can provide.

I highly recommend reaching out to students at your target schools with a similar questionnaire. It is a great way to research the schools and gain valuable information that you can use in your essays. I plan on creating additional questionnaires for all of my target schools. I will update my blog in the next few days after I hear back from some more of the students.

So I have heard back from 3 Darden students and 2 Kenan-Flagler students from my questionnaires. I actually spoke on the phone with a Kenan-Flagler student for about 25 minutes last night which was pretty valuable. Also, I have a call scheduled on the 15th with a Darden student! I am very happy that the students I reached out to are so willing to help me out and answer all of my questions.

I sent my third questionnaire out to 3 Tuck students today. I already heard back from one of them that wants to schedule a call on Sunday!


Here is a quick summary of my conversation with the Kenan-Flagler student:

How has recruiting been this year?
She said it has been pretty rough, especially for international students. This seems to be a common theme with all of the students I talk to.

Have many Healthcare companies been recruiting on campus?
She said there are a lot of healthcare companies recruiting on campus. I told her I am interested in a Leadership Development Program (LDP) with a Healthcare company and she gave me contact information for a student that will be joining Johnson & Johnson for a LDP. I'm very happy about this! I can't wait to talk to this student because she is doing exactly what I want to!

How helpful have alumni been?
She said they have been very responsive and always willing to help out. However, most alumni aren't in a position to hire students.

What type of events does the General Management club sponsor?
She said a lot of different networking events. Here is a list of some of the things the club does:
-Match first year students with second year mentors.
-Provide lists of companies and positions for companies not recruiting on campus.
-Networking events to publicize different companies

How has your experience been at Kenan-Flagler?
She broke this down into two areas. She said first the school experience has been wonderful. It is a very close and collaborative group of students and she really got a lot out of her school experience. However, the recruiting experience has been terrible. She said it has been very stressful and difficult to find a job.

Here is the latest post on my blog:


Call with Tuck Alum

Yesterday, I had a call with a Tuck alum. I actually filled out the Tuck Connections (https://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/admission ... _form.html) form and the alum reached out to me the day after. I was very happy with the responsiveness! If you are interested in Tuck and want to speak with a current student or alum, I recommend filling out the form. I was interested in speaking with someone that was focused in general management and was in the Healthcare industry. The alum I spoke with was both. He currently works for a large Pharma company and graduated from Tuck in 2005. Here are some of the things we discussed:

Concentration
General Management/Marketing

Career Switch
Yes, his degree in undergrad was actually in History. I was glad to hear this because he was able to make the transition to the Healthcare field. My undergrad degree is Business Administration and I am currently in the Travel Procurement and Fleet Management fields so Healthcare will be a career switch for me.

Experience at Tuck
He was very enthusiastic about Tuck. He stressed the how it truly is a collaborative school and that everyone helps each other out. I went on to ask about some study abroad opportunities and he told me about the International Field Study. Essentially, you are assigned a project team and you work on a consulting project in another country. He actually worked on his project in Hungary and Romania. Sounded very interesting and is definitely something I would want to participate in!

Job Opportunities
I didn't go too in depth with him on this because the economy is a little different than when he graduated in 2005. However, he did say that when he was going through recruiting roughly 60% of the on-campus recruiting were for positions in New Jersey, New York, and Boston. The other 40% was scattered throughout the country.

We talked about a few other things and he encouraged me to keep in touch and we could talk again as it gets closer to applications. He said he would be glad to share advice on essays and my application. I thought that was great and I will definitely keep in touch with him!

I just got off a call with a Tuck student. It was a really good half hour conversation! I will definitely be reaching out to him again as I get closer to applications.

I will post a detailed debrief of our conversation in the next few days.

were you amazed at how spot on Tuck Connections is with matching you up with someone with your similar interests? i was literally blown away with my connection.

money9111 wrote:were you amazed at how spot on Tuck Connections is with matching you up with someone with your similar interests? i was literally blown away with my connection.

Yeah, it was right on. It gave me the perfect alum to talk to! I couldn't believe how fast he reached out to me too.

Call with a Darden Student

Yesterday, I had a call with a Darden student in a leadership role in the Healthcare Club. Here is a summary of our discussion.

Recruiting/Internship/Full Time Job
This student had his internship with a Finance company and is going to be working full time for the company following graduation. He ultimately wants to work in a Pharma company, but sees the position he accepted as a good bridge to his ultimate goal. I asked questions about how recruiting was going for his friends. He said it has been tough, but not nearly as bad as last year when they were looking for internships. He said roughly 65% of the students have a full time job offer right now.

Case Method
He said this was his primary reason for attending Darden. He loves the format and how it forces you to struggle through a difficult concept with limited information. I am really interested to sit in on a class and see the case method in action!

Learning Teams
Darden has what they call "Learning Teams." When you first start, you are paired with 5 or 6 other students. The school tries to set it up so that you are with a diverse group of students with different skills. Essentially, you meet with this group of students to discuss the cases prior to class. I think this is a great program because it gives you a chance to work with others and run your ideas by each other.

Darden Weakness
He said he felt the biggest weakness is the limited time for recruiting and traveling for job interviews. However, he said they are adjusting the schedules so this probably won't be as much of an issue in the future.

Advice
I asked if he had any advice for me. His advice was regarding essays. He said since you are visiting the grounds, make the essays personal. If something really stands out to you, make sure you point it out in your essays.



I had a call with a Tuck student a few days back. I will put together a debrief from that shortly.

Darden/Charlottesville Anticipation

Well the work week is finally over! All week I was thinking about my upcoming trip to Charlottesville. You would think since it's been on my mind constantly I would have my two day trip planned out.... Well, I don't! I know that I am going to walk the grounds on Sunday and try to fit in Monticello on Monday after my class visit/tour/lunch. Other than that, I don't have anything planned.

Everyone I talked to about Charlottesville said it is great. I hope it doesn't disappoint. As of right now, weather.com says it is supposed to rain both Sunday and Monday. I really hope it holds off. Rain gods, if you're reading this, DON'T LET IT RAIN!

I leave Pittsburgh Sunday morning and have a 6-hour drive. I will most likely have a new post up late that night with my initial thoughts on Charlottesville.

In Charlottesville

Well I have been in Charlottesville since 3:30 PM EST. It was a long day of travel, so this will be a short post. I did walk to the School of Business tonight. I took quite a few pictures, but here is just one of them at the entrance.



Charlottesville seems really nice. I love the architecture of the buildings. I can't wait to check out Monticello tomorrow, I am sure it is amazing! Well I am off to relax, tomorrow is going to be a long day.

Back in Pittsburgh

So I got back from Charlottesville Monday night. I am a little disappointed because I didn't get to do nearly as many things as I planned to in Charlottesville. I needed an extra day there... But that is OK, if I get an interview with Darden when I apply, that gives me a good reason to spend a few more days in Charlottesville! So as you can see from the last sentence, I am very interested in Darden! I will put together a full debrief of my visit this weekend.

Of the three schools I have visited today, here is my "wish" list in order:

1. Darden
2. Kenan-Flagler
3. Tepper

Darden Visit



Day before visiting Darden
I left Pittsburgh early Sunday (March 21st) and drove to Charlottesville. I ended up making only one stop on the Pennsylvania turnpike and made it to Charlottesville in about 6 hours. It was a pretty interesting drive. The GPS brought me through the middle of nowhere. At one point, I was on a road for over an hour and didn't see another car! Once I got to the Residence Inn in Charlottesville, I checked in and relaxed in my room for about 45 minutes. I grabbed a quick bite to eat and had a few hours before it was dark, so I walked to see the school. It was a 10 minute walk from the Residence Inn to Darden. All I can say about the school from the outside is WOW, such phenomenal architecture and a great location. I walked all around the outside of the school snapping pictures for a half hour before making my way back to the hotel for the night.

Arrival in the morning
My class visit was scheduled for 8:00 AM, so I arrived at Darden around 7:30. I wanted to walk since Darden was close to the hotel, but it was raining out. I stopped at the gatehouse when I arrived to get a parking pass for the day. Unfortunately, I walked out of the gatehouse and on my way up to the main building without asking where the admissions office was. So I wondered around the main building for awhile until I found someone to lead me in the right direction. Once I got in the office, I checked in but the lady wasn't sure what class I was sitting in on. I was the only prospective student in the admissions office at that time (I always seem to be the first one at these visits). Luckily, it wasn't long before the student came to get me and we made our way to class. If anyone is interested to know how to get to the admissions office, here is a picture below with directions.



So to get to the admissions office, you go up the steps and make a right. You then walk down the pathway and will enter the building on your right. Once you enter the building, immediately go down the stairs and you will be in the admissions office.

Class Visit - Global Financial Markets
The class I sat in on was a first year elective, Global Financial Markets. I was really looking forward to going over a case and seeing the case method in action, but the class didn't have a case to review. I was a little disappointed about it, but nothing I could do about it. They went over the yield curve in class (should ring a bell If you read my Tepper debrief). Although there was no case to review, the class was fantastic. There was so much interaction during the class. The professor seemed pretty tough on the students, but he was just forcing them to get the most out of the class. I felt that there was far more interaction among the students at Darden than the students at the other two schools I visited (Kenan-Flagler and Tepper).

First Coffee
After the class, the student brought me to first coffee. I got the feeling from him that First Coffee isn't something you go to that often. This is the time I had to talk with the student most, so I asked him a bunch of questions. I was a little disappointed with his answer about the weaknesses of Darden. It was more tailored around him specifically than the school. We talked about the other schools that he applied to (Duke and Kenan-Flagler). He had to decide between Duke and Darden. He was really torn between the two schools. Ultimately, he chose Darden because he hates Duke basketball. Yes, you read that right, because he hates Duke basketball! I got a good laugh out of that! Also, we talked with a professor that teaches Ethics.

I didn't have anything scheduled for awhile after first coffee, so the student asked me if I wanted to go with him to his second class. I jumped on the opportunity to sit in on another class! The only stipulation was to not tell the admissions office he let me sit in on a second class J.

Second Class Visit - Leadership in Organizations
The second class I sat in on was a first year core class. I got a very warm welcome from the class. Just a warning to anyone visiting Darden, you may have to go to the front of the class for an interesting introduction. That's all I am going to say because I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone!

The class discussed a case about Wyeth (the pharma giant acquired by Pfizer). The case was about creating the right type of incentives for the Wyeth employees to ensure a strong development pipeline of new drugs. This time I really got to see the case method in action. The class was exceptional! The professor essentially was a facilitator and the class debated different ideas the entire time. It was very interactive and everybody was so willing to share perspectives. I knew for sure after this class that the case method would be a great way to learn!

After Class
After class, I went back to the admissions office and talked with a few other prospective students. Most of the prospective students visiting that day will apply at the same time as me (class of 2013). This is the first visit that happened. Every other visit, I was the only one visiting to apply for the class of 2013. There was one student waiting for his interview. He seemed a bit nervous because he didn't have much time to prepare. I believe Darden called him for the interview only two days earlier. Definitely not much advance notice.

I was scheduled to go to lunch in the late afternoon, but that was over 2 hours away. Unfortunately, something came up back home and I had to leave Darden early. I was disappointed that I had to leave early, but if I get an interview with Darden, I will definitely be going back!

Glad you liked it!

Kenan-Flagler vs. Darden

I was asked to put together a comparison of Kenan-Flagler and Darden since I visited both schools. I am going to do a summary of location, recruiting, class/teaching method, and students. I will go through each of these topics and state which school I give an edge to.

Note: This is based solely on my research, campus visits, and conversations with students. Please take this entire post with a grain of salt.

Location
Edge - Even
I can't really give the edge to either of these schools for the location. I really enjoyed both locations. The one thing that I liked about both of these schools is that the business school buildings are not in the middle of the campus. They are somewhat separated from the main campus. That makes for easier access. However, Kenan-Flagler is close to the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area. This could be considered an advantage for recruiting. That said, I think Darden has does well recruiting with companies in RTP. If nightlife is an important aspect of your decision, Kenan-Flagler has the edge there. Franklin Street seems like a great place for nightlife.

Recruiting
Edge - Darden
I have exchanged numerous e-mails with students at both schools regarding recruiting. In general, I think it has been a tough year everywhere for recruiting. However, I think it has been a little more difficult at Kenan-Flagler. Here is some information from the employment reports from both schools to back up my highly scientific (haha) hypothesis.

Employment Reports:

Kenan-Flagler
https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/assets ... report.pdf

Darden- https://www.darden.virginia.edu/uploaded ... 202010.pdf

Class of 2009
Kenan-Flagler - 57.31% offer received by graduation.
Darden - 77.2 offer received by graduation

Kenan-Flagler - 71.15% offer received by three months after graduation.
Darden - 81.6% offer received by three months after graduation. (Not 100% sure this number is accurate)

Kenan-Flagler Average Base Salary: $93,012.12
Darden Average Base Salary: $102,903

From the employment reports the one thing that sticks out to me is the percentage of students accepting consulting positions. At Darden, 31% of the students accepted consulting positions. At Kenan-Flagler, only 14.44% accepted consulting positions. This is probably due to Darden's use of the case method.

Darden's information for the class of 2010 internships is not nearly as detailed as Kenan-Flagler's information. Therefore, I won't state any facts from those reports.

Class/Teaching Method
Edge - Personal choice
It is tough to give an edge to either school for teaching method because it is highly personal. It truly depends on each individual and how he/she best learns. For me personally, I think 70% case and 30% lecture would be ideal. My one concern with 100% case is in classes such as accounting. This was one of my key questions to Darden students. I never received a good answer. I get the feeling that the case method doesn't work well for accounting classes. In fact, on my Kenan-Flagler visit, one of the students mentioned she had to help a Darden student understand accounting at a competition that both schools participated in. Again, this is a highly personal subject. Thus, I will leave it up to my readers to decide which school has the edge.

Students
Edge - Slight edge to Kenan-Flagler
The students at Darden were great. They were very welcoming and they have a fun way of introducing you to a class. The students at Kenan-Flagler were very welcoming and passionate about the school. I know in the class I sat in on, the students were very interested in talking to me (not the ones from the admission office). I thought that was interesting and didn't know if it was like that at all schools since Kenan-Flagler was my first visit (it's not like that at all schools, trust me). This is why I am giving the edge to Kenan-Flagler students. I know it's not the best reason, but I felt like I was just another class mate while I was at Kenan-Flagler.