Virginia, Darden MBA Interviews
According to publicly available reports, Darden bundles a half-dozen interview questions into one covering statement that directs interviewees to tell their story.
- In a nutshell, Darden’s single question is “Tell me about yourself.”
In at least one case, this extended version of the same question was asked:
“I am here for you to tell me your story. Just tell me about yourself. In the process you can cover college, anything before college if relevant, your resume, why MBA and why Darden.”
According to the public reports you should expect:
- to be given 20-30 minutes for your story (though the whole interview itself may last longer should you talk for a long time and follow up questions are saved until the end of your monologue.)
- to be interrupted sometimes with follow-up questions.
- to be interviewed by a current student, possibly with an adcom member present (unless, of course, you have arranged on an off-campus interview with an alumnus.)
- the interview to be blind (i.e. the interviewer will not have seen your resume.)
- a relaxed atmosphere: In the Virginia Darden MBA interview interviewers seem genuinely interested in hearing applicants’ personal histories, from what I’ve seen in reports.
- to be given the chance to ask questions about Darden to the interviewer.
Based on what the reports say, Darden really seems to want to get to know the person “behind” the application- the person who wrote the application essays and earned the test scores that inspired Darden to extend an interview invitation.
Considering that most interviewers are students, and the fact that they are allowing interviewees the freedom to talk so much about their lives, suggests they consider this the best way to select for people who would be the most interesting future classmates.
Darden MBA Frequently Asked Interview Questions
- Tell me something about yourself?
- Walk me through your resume?
- Why MBA? Why Darden MBA school?
- Why MBA now or Why MBA at this stage of your career?
- What is your short & long term goals?
- What is your Plan B if consulting/Investment banking does not happen?
- What are your key strengths? Can you give some examples please?
- What is your biggest weakness ? Can you give some examples please?
- How can you add value to the Class?
- Why should we take you?
- One reason that we should not select you?
- Interests and Hobbies – Be prepared!.. questions as basic as “Why do you do poetry (or any other activity” may be asked.
- Some Situational & Behavioral Question
- What would you describe are your greatest achievement to date?
- Give me an example of a time you faced a conflict while working on a team. How did you handle that?
- Give me an example of a time when you did not meet a client’s expectation. What happened, and how did you attempt to rectify the situation?
- Case questions are fairly common in MBA interview especially for consulting aspirants. Below are a few sample for to practice for:
- How many Golf balls can fit in a Boeing 747?
- What’s the global market size for smartphones?
- Do you have any Question for us?
Darden MBA Interview Questions – 1
I had a 30-min interview with a 2nd year international student. It was very easy going and conversational. It was also a blind interview and my interviewer did not take notes. The questions are very typical for MBA.
They include:
- Introduce yourself and tell me about your background.
- Why MBA?
- Why Darden?
- How do you see yourself getting involved on campus?
- Tell me about a conflict you had with a coworker and how you resolved it?
- What is your international experience?
- What classes are you interested in?
- Do you have any questions for me?
Darden MBA Interview Questions – 2
My interview was at 9am at Darden’s admissions office with a member of the Adcom. There were about 10-20 interviewees also there for morning interviews, with about 4-6 scheduled every hour. My interviewer stated at the beginning that the interview would be completely blind, as she had not even viewed my resume. She then asked me to spend about 15-20 minutes talking about myself. Although 15-20 minutes sounds long, I was in reality telling her aspects of my life that she would then ask clarifying questions about. Overall, the interview was more conversational than question and answer style. However, she did ask some specific questions related to Darden and my background, including:
– Why MBA?
– Why Darden?
– How do you see yourself contributing to Darden?
– What would you become involved with at Darden?
– Describe a time when you had difficulties in a team setting?
In general none of the questions really surprised me, but I did gain a sense of the Darden community. Specifically, Darden seems to represent a homely, family environment that caters to those seeking an intimate learning environment.