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by beatthegmat » Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:32 pm
Hey Everyone,

I'm happy to let you guys know that djkvakin, one of our esteemed Beat The GMAT members, has offered to serve as a Darden MBA student rep for our community! Feel free to ask him your questions about life as a Darden student.

Thanks djkvakin for representing Darden!
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by Osirus@VeritasPrep » Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:43 am
Can you speak on the case method. Do you feel that you really learn finance and accounting through the case method or is it more a situation where you learn great soft skills, but the hard skills are lacking? Do you guys do any work in Excel, or is it mainly just preparing for class in case you get cold called?
https://www.beatthegmat.com/the-retake-o ... 51414.html

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by djkvakin » Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:30 am
Great question!We absolutely value and understand the importance of developing two sets of skills-soft and hard. Soft being the leadership and communication, and hard being your core excel, accounting and finance skills. During the first year, Darden offers Data Analysis class that summons and develops really complex data analysis skills. Our accounting practices are best described in the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmm0WgLuyHg. When it comes to finance, each case has a technical note, and you can learn/refresh the concepts. Additionally, everyone is a member of a Learning Team, and you can always learn from your teammates. Cases just put the technical information into a real life context. I hope that helps.
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by Nole23 » Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:02 am
Hello,

I had a question about the academic atmosphere at Darden. Would you describe the classroom as more competitive or collaborative? (Any examples would be great!)

Thanks
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by djkvakin » Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:43 pm
Nole23 wrote:Hello,

I had a question about the academic atmosphere at Darden. Would you describe the classroom as more competitive or collaborative? (Any examples would be great!)

Thanks
Darden academic experience is highly collaborative. Since all our classes are taught using the Case Method, we depend on each other's experiences to learn. Well, #1 ranked faculty helps a bit as well :) In addition to a classroom experience, we are all assigned to a mandatory Learning Team that has to meet every day before classes to discuss cases for the next day. I just got back from my LT meeting and boy am I glad I have the support! If you are considering applying to Darden I highly recommend coming to school for a visit-the admissions committee does a great job pairing you with a first year student to take you to class, and then pairing you with a few of the second year students to take you to lunch (courtesy of Darden) with a professor.
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by Nole23 » Tue Aug 24, 2010 5:28 am
Your response was very helpful! Thank you for your feedback. One other quick question. I know at Darden a large part of your grade is class participation. Do you ever find yourself competing with your classmates for air time?

Thanks
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by djkvakin » Wed Aug 25, 2010 5:36 pm
Nole23 wrote:Your response was very helpful! Thank you for your feedback. One other quick question. I know at Darden a large part of your grade is class participation. Do you ever find yourself competing with your classmates for air time?

Thanks
Good question. Most professors emphasize the difference between class participation and class contribution. There is quite a difference between the two. That said, most of the students think about what they have to say before raising their hand. In some classes you see more hands than in others, though, but everyone gets a chance to contribute. Professors also send you some feedback based on what your contributions have been so far (usually somewhere in the middle of the term so you have a chance to improve).

I hope that helps.
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by djkvakin » Fri Sep 17, 2010 10:35 am
Good news for Darden came out today in the Economist MBA schools ranking. Please follow the link to review the document. Darden is now ranked 7th among the US schools and 11th in the world.

https://www.economist.com/whichmba/2010/ ... nking-tool
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by ashokkadam » Sun Oct 24, 2010 8:44 am
@djkvakin,

How good is Darden for General Management? Can you provide some facts and figures?

Can you comment on GMAT score? what should be a safe range of the GMAT score for an Indian applicant?

How good is the Darden Career Services for an international (non-US candidate) who want to work in US post-MBA?Can you provide some facts and figures?

Can you please share your brief profile?
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by djkvakin » Thu Oct 28, 2010 5:44 pm
ashokkadam wrote:@djkvakin,

How good is Darden for General Management? Can you provide some facts and figures?

Can you comment on GMAT score? what should be a safe range of the GMAT score for an Indian applicant?

How good is the Darden Career Services for an international (non-US candidate) who want to work in US post-MBA?Can you provide some facts and figures?

Can you please share your brief profile?
Ashokkadam,

Darden has always been a strong General Management school and I would estimate that about 20% of my classmates are interested in General Management as a career. I would wait for the next employment report to come out to get you a better sense of what the breakdown really is. Please also be mindful that General Management numbers are tough to capture because it's a cross-industry function (it could be retail banking, pharma, tech, etc-and those may be captured separately).

As far as GMAT score goes, and it's true for any school, it is only one piece of the puzzle. Obviously, you would want to be above the mean, but it's ok to fall within 80% range (as is reported on the class profile page: https://www.darden.virginia.edu/web/MBA/ ... s-Profile/). I am not aware of any special treatment Indian applicants receive when their applications are reviewed. All I can tell you is that we have a lot of brilliant Indian students in our class and it's probably safe to say that their GMAT scores in general are a bit higher.

Unfortunately, I am only a student, and not a career center employee, so I don't think I can furnish you with facts and figures as it relates to helpfulness of the career services center when it comes to finding jobs for international students seeking employment in the US. The way I would go about searching for such information is follow Darden bloggers-some of them are international students, and they talk a lot about their experience, and perhaps reach out directly to some second year students or even career services to get some guidance on this topic. Also, please be mindful that it's essentially your responsibility to find a job, and career services will serve you as a great resource, but not more than that.

I am originally from Belarus, and came to the US in 2001, I am a permanent resident and have been doing consulting in Washington DC for about 4.5 years before Darden. I am now interested in Investment Banking in the US.

I hope this information is helpful.
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by Giorgio » Thu Nov 18, 2010 4:32 am
Hi djkvakin,

Can you emphasize one unique feature of Darden.... ( except of its top faculty) What is Darden known for?

How strong is Darden in Finance?

Who are the major recruiters at Darden?


Thank you!
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by djkvakin » Sun Nov 21, 2010 2:06 pm
Giorgio wrote:Hi djkvakin,

Can you emphasize one unique feature of Darden.... ( except of its top faculty) What is Darden known for?

How strong is Darden in Finance?

Who are the major recruiters at Darden?


Thank you!
Thanks for your question. It's very tough to point out just one particular thing, but I would argue that for the most part Darden is known for the case method and very distinct culture. See, I had to mention at least two things. If you are interested in learning more about Darden, you should really come visit the school to truly understand what "Darden culture" and case method mean.

We are gaining strength in finance, and about 20% of our class, including yours truly, are seeking opportunities on Wall Street. All major banks come to interview on campus, and to host various workshops and events. For the full list of companies recruiting Darden students, I would like to direct you to our web page:
https://www.darden.virginia.edu/web/Recr ... t-Reports/

I hope this is helpful.
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by jmoy911 » Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:40 am
Hi djkvakin,

I have become more aware of Darden due to the annual Value Investing Conference they host (as can be found on youtube). Does Darden offer any specific MBA programs relating to value investing (possibly as a sub set of finance?). I didn't see any online but perhaps you can provide further insight.

Also, have any of your classmate gone towards the value investing route and what do their path's look typically like?

Thanks!
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by djkvakin » Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:00 am
jmoy911 wrote:Hi djkvakin,

I have become more aware of Darden due to the annual Value Investing Conference they host (as can be found on youtube). Does Darden offer any specific MBA programs relating to value investing (possibly as a sub set of finance?). I didn't see any online but perhaps you can provide further insight.

Also, have any of your classmate gone towards the value investing route and what do their path's look typically like?

Thanks!
Sorry for a late response: got a little too busy with recruiting here :) All is well that ends well, I suppose.

As far as I know, Darden does not offer a specific program in Value Investing. We do have Darden Capital Management club and there is a class associated with managing the DCM portfolio. DCM club is a great place to meet some of your peers, and participate in national stock pitch competitions, etc.

I hope this is helpful.

Good luck!
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