Share your thought process as you encountered a challenging work situation or complex problem. What did you learn about yourself?
(500 words maximum)

While the 2013-14 Darden MBA application is not yet available, we encourage you to get a head start on writing your essay. In addition, there are plenty of opportunities to learn more about the Darden School this summer through events and online chats. Check back throughout the summer for application deadlines, admissions advice and fall travel dates!

“Leadership and Theatre: Ethics, Innovation and Creativity” is just one of over 100 electives that Darden offers. Learn more about Darden’s most unique and innovative courses on our MBA Elective Highlights page.

Here is a transcript from this week’s chat:

Question: Hi, I am considering applying for the Executive MBA for the Class of 2016.  Will the applications timing be similar for the next cycle?

Answer: Yes, I expect the timing of the EMBA application cycle to be similar to this past year when we had application deadlines on the 15th of every month beginning in October and ending in June.

Question: When will the full-time MBA application essay questions become available online?

Answer:  The full time MBA application essay questions should be available toward the end of the month.

Question: Are there events in August (such as Fridays in July) when prospective students can come visit Darden?

Answer: We do not have any events in August, because that is the time that students are returning to Grounds, meeting each other and getting acclimated to the Darden culture. It isn’t the best time for us to introduce guests. But, we will be resuming events the first week of September, if not in the last few days of August. You are always welcome to swing by the Admissions office, though, and speak to a member of our team.

Question: Is there a Darden counselor that can specifically speak with me about G.I. Bill?

Answer: Yes, you should email financialaid@darden.virginia.edu.

At this event, you will hear from Ken Zamkow, Israeli Darden MBA ‘06, and Head of US Marketing for LiveU. He will be visiting Tel Aviv and hosting an information session about Darden and post-MBA careers in media, technology, and high-growth startups. Please feel free to join him on Wednesday, 26 June, 2013, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in Tel Aviv (exact location TBD) to hear more about his experiences.

For more information and to RSVP for this event, e-mail Ken at zamkowk06@darden.virginia.edu.

About Ken Zamkow, Head of Marketing, US & The Americas, LiveU:

Ken leads LiveU’s U.S. marketing efforts and has been overseeing the company’s strategic relationships with large global broadcast and cable networks, major studios, O&Os, sports networks and leagues, online platforms, and music. As part of LiveU, Ken has been closely involved in the online live productions of various Super Bowls, Grammy Awards, NBA All Star Weekends, US Elections coverage, London Olympics, various innovative web productions such as MTV O Music Awards, and various other global high-profile news events. LiveU was recognized by CNBC in its inaugural Disruptor 50 list in 2013, of privately-held companies that have “turned their sectors upside down”.

Prior to LiveU, Ken led the launch of video and social media products at Business Wire – A Berkshire Hathaway Company; developed Video on Demand (VOD) products at Cox Communications; co-founded the web solutions firm i-Sites Interactive Media; and consulted for a number of digital media startups including Drop.io, Flixwagon, and others.

He is regularly invited to speak at industry events, including NAB (National Association of Broadcasters), Digital Hollywood (where he also serves on an Advisory Board), Sports Video Group, Streaming Media, and NY Video 2.0, and in schools such as Columbia Business School and Baruch College, as well as at University of Virginia events, where he earned his MBA at Darden Business School. He was a features guest on a number of technology shows including TWiT and others. Ken lives in the East Village in Manhattan.

In the fall of 2011, alumnus W.L. Lyons Brown (MBA ’87) helped the School raise over $1 million to enhance the state-of-the-art incubator and expand its scope. All i.Lab participants will be divided into work teams and paired with industry-specific mentors, many of them Darden alumni and local business owners currently working in food service, biotech, I.T. and more.

In addition, i.Lab Incubator participants will have year round access to the Incubator’s resources, including entrepreneurship workshops.

A few of the Darden students participating in this year’s i.Lab Incubator include:

• Avrist Trucking: Avrist is a crude oil trucking company focused in the emerging role U.S. shale plays.
• CoverPlay: CoverPlay creates new products for iPads and other tablets to enhance listening experience. By building ultrathin (2 mm thick) flat panel speakers into iPad cases, CoverPlay delivers powerful audio and tablet protection in one sleek and slim case.
• FlippCorp: FlippCorp’s mission is to flip the corporate classroom through collaborative learning.
• mPOSbooks: mPOSbooks is a service which helps users of mobile Point-Of-Sales (POS) systems meet their data integration needs. Current accounting/CRM software do not support mobile POS systems and current mobile POS systems do not address the analysis needs of the merchants. mPOSbooks is a platform which fills this gap.
• Nouri Inc.: Nouri makes the best tasting organic energy bars that are naturally healthy. For every bar sold, Nouri provides a hot meal for a hungry child in school in Botswana. Since its founding in August 2012, Nouri has sold over 11, 000 bars.
• phoodE: phoodE is a cloud based online platform that helps small businesses manage their operations more efficiently. By enabling coffee shops, sandwich shops and specialty food stores to interface with their purveyors and minimize burdensome operational tasks, phoodE helps small businesses return to their passion of providing superb food and service to their customers.
• YOLOCALS: To solve tourists’ problem of identifying the truly authentic local experience, YOLOCALS will create a platform for tourists to meet locals. The website will serve as an online / offline marketplace that will connect visitors with tour guides.

The i.Lab Incubator is just one of many resources available to entrepreneurs at Darden. To learn more about courses in entrepreneurship, competitions and other programs, visit the Darden Entrepreneurship webpage.

]]> http://blogs.darden.virginia.edu/admissions/2013/06/04/introducing-the-2013-darden-i-lab-incubator-companies/feed/ 0 http://blogs.darden.virginia.edu/admissions/2013/05/30/application-feedback-appointments-now-available/ http://blogs.darden.virginia.edu/admissions/2013/05/30/application-feedback-appointments-now-available/#comments Thu, 30 May 2013 14:00:17 +0000 Fareine Benz http://blogs.darden.virginia.edu/admissions/?p=3027 Continue reading →]]> If you will be reapplying to Darden and would like to receive feedback on your application, you can schedule one 15-minute feedback session with a member of the Admissions Committee during the month of June.

At this time, we are not offering feedback appointments to applicants on the waitlist. 

This is an opportunity to find out how you can improve your candidacy for your Darden application for the coming year. Please note that reconsideration for the current admission cycle is not an option.

To schedule a phone appointment, please go to our Application Feedback page. Within 48 hours of signing up for an appointment, you will receive an e-mail with the name and phone number for the Admissions Committee member you are to call at the designated time. Feedback appointments will not be offered after 28 June.

“Fridays in July” will occur on the following dates:

• Friday, 12 July 2013
• Friday, 19 July 2013
• Friday, 26 July 2013

To register, click on the dates above.

After your visit to Darden, there are several opportunities to explore the surrounding Charlottesville community. Visit Fridays after Five at the Downtown Mall, tour a vineyard or grab dinner at one of Charlottesville’s 300+ restaurants — which is among the most restaurants per capita in the United States.

We encourage you to visit Darden’s Pinterest boards “We <3 Charlottesville” and “Charlottesville Eats” for resources and recommendations on how to maximize your trip to Darden and Charlottesville.

The Darden Class of 2013 celebrates graduation on the steps of Saunders Hall

Alumni giving rates are often viewed as a way to judge the strength of a school’s alumni network.

The Darden School of Business reached 100% participation in class gift giving for the Class of 2013. Every graduating student in the three formats of Darden’s MBA — the full-time MBA, MBA for Executives and Global MBA for Executives — donated to the annual fund, contributing a total of $205,420 to the Darden School.

Darden alumni have one of the top five highest giving participation rates among the world’s leading business schools: 42% of Darden alumni made a gift to the School in fiscal year 2012, with 41% of alumni contributing to the Annual Fund. Seventeen alumni classes — two more than last year — achieved at least 50% participation in the fund.

VividCortext, a company dedicated to introducing technical intelligence to manage complex information systems, helps customers measure, analyze and understand system behavior at a very deep level by focusing on tools for MySQL. To date, Kyle and his business partner Baron Schwartz have raised approximately $700,000 in seed funding. Read the full article on Kyle Redinger and VividCortext.

Darden provides over $1 million in entrepreneurship scholarships awarded annually, hosts competitions that award more than $90,000 annually and offers more than 25 academic courses in entrepreneurship and innovation. Learn more about entrepreneurship at Darden by visiting the Center of Entrepreneurial Leadership and i.Lab Incubator websites.

Below you will find a list of companies that hired Darden graduates from the Class of 2012. You can also view the list of hiring companies by region or learn more about Darden’s recruiting opportunities around the world.