I interviewed on campus with a second year student. There were numerous other activities scheduled for your interview day such as class visits and lunch with current students and professors. I had attended one of the Darden Open House days prior to my interview so I did not stay for any of the additional events. The student I interviewed with my very friendly and after answering the initial question it became much more conversational.
The interview was completely blind without a copy of my resume.
The interview began my student interviewer telling me that this was my opportunity to ‘tell my story’ and that I would have about 20 to 30 minutes to tell him about myself. I included information on the normal interview questions you would expect such as my work history, short and long term career goals, why I want to pursue an MBA, why now and why Darden as well as hobbies and personal interests. While the time they give you for this seems long, structuring your answer around the normal interview questions makes it a bit more structured. Also, my interviewing interjected on occasion so it made it feel a little less like a monologue. Following this he asked if I had any questions for him – we had a quick conversation about recruiting and what his plans are for after graduation as well as life at Darden outside of class and in Charlottesville. He was very enthusiastic about the program which made the interview have a more casual feel.
Thankfully I was somewhat prepared for the interview format or else I would likely have found the time they allot you a bit overwhelming. Practicing how you want to structure your response is definitely crucial in this case. Because of the case method at Darden, it seems that this format is used to make sure you are comfortable speaking without specific prompting and can convey information clearly and articulately. Also, because there are not many follow up questions, I would suggest to future applicant that you are aware of what accomplishments or key projects you have worked on that you want to include as you will likely not have the chance to do so later.
Interview length: 45 minutes
