Events Ahead Soon at Darden, HBS, MIT Sloan, Kellogg and Wharton
After a quiet weekend in observance of the recent holidays, things pick up again in the coming week, to say the least. There are events scheduled at UVA’s Darden School of Business, Harvard Business School (HBS), MIT Sloan School of Management, Kellogg School of Management, the Wharton School, UT-Austin’s McCombs School and Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.
Darden Days, which is organized and run by first-year MBA students, begins this Thursday evening, April 20th, with a welcome event in the garden of Dean Scott Beardsley’s Pavilion on the UVA Lawn. Beardsley lives in a UNESCO World Heritage site—so it’s a unique experience and a cool way for admitted students to also get to see more of the broader university. Admitted students are also invited to take part in Cold Call, a regular Thursday evening social for the Darden community to gather in the school’s courtyard for drinks.
Darden also gives admits a taste of its distinctive case method through a mock class focused on a real case—this year’s is about Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. “The academic side and the way that Darden teaches is very unique, and sitting in on a mock class was very powerful and ended up being a big factor in my decision,” says first-year student Claire Good, who helped organize this year’s Darden Days. In addition to mock classes, Darden Days will also feature student-led career panels sharing what recruiting is really like, a full day of programming for admitted students’ partners and a big Charlottesville community fair showcasing everything from housing options to student groups, global leadership opportunities to entrepreneurship resources. The weekend will end on Saturday afternoon, April 22nd, with trips to local breweries, vineyards and an optional hike.
“What’s neat about Darden Days is because we have a little bit more time to play with and it is all student led, we do our best to make sure everything mimics what the actual student experience is like,” says first-year MBA student Kyle Collins, who also worked on the student committee to plan the event. “We want admits to really see what would it be like to be at Darden—in a classroom, on a learning team, going through the recruiting process,” he continues. “This is not just an info blast. It’s very much designed so admitted students can see what the experience of going to school here would be.”
Admitted students will also gather at Kellogg from April 20th through 22nd for “Day at Kellogg (DAK).” The school expects to welcome more than 300 admitted students and “joint ventures,” as spouses and partners are called. Kellogg is especially excited to host this year’s DAK because it will be the first to take place entirely in the school’s new Global Hub, a stunning building that opened last month. In addition to exploring the brand-new facilities, admitted students will also hear from Kellogg Dean Sally Blount as well as Facebook Chief Marketing Officer Gary Briggs, MBA ’89, who will provide an alumni keynote. There will also be academic and career sessions, many opportunities to engage with current students and alumni and a closing reception in downtown Chicago.
Meanwhile, in Texas, UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business will also be putting on its Preview Weekend on April 21st and 22nd. In the land of the longhorns, admitted students should expect to hear from the dean, faculty, student affairs and career management and benefit from lots of panels featuring current students and alumni. “Something we are always excited about is the specific programming for significant others that we provide during the weekend,” says Director of MBA Admissions Rodrigo Malta. “Last but not least, we have a ton of optional activities that leverage Austin and the UT campus,” he adds, including football stadium tours, a yoga class, a run/walk at Lady Bird Lake downtown, and a visit to food trucks.
The Boston schools also chose this upcoming weekend to host admitted students. At HBS, the event is called Admitted Students’ Weekend, or ASW. “ASW is a great opportunity for Class of 2019 admits who are undecided about HBS and for those who are already committed,” says Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Chad Losee. “Throughout Thursday April 20th and Friday April 21st, you’ll be able to meet future classmates, current students and members of the Harvard community. You’ll even get to test-drive the case method.”
Across the river at MIT Sloan—on April 21st and 22nd—Round 2 AdMIT Weekend will feature an Olympics theme. Through participation in the “Sloan Olympics,” “accepted students will have a chance to win a gold medal from the gold standard of business schools,” according to the invitation. They’ll also have an opportunity to hone their storytelling skills at “The Yarn,” a student-run event described by the school as similar to The Moth. They’ll also get to sit in on classes, meet students and alumni, get a feel for student housing options, attend the SloanFest reception and meet with student groups such as Sloan Women in Management. There’s also a panel specifically for significant others, who are invited as well.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, too, will welcome admitted students to campus this coming weekend. Wharton’s Spring Welcome Weekend takes place from April 21st to 23rd. In its description of the event, Wharton suggests three goals for admitted students who attend: “Set realistic and transparent expectations about life at Wharton, begin building your Wharton network with your future classmates, and get a sense of University City and Center City [our Philadelphia].” Events run the gamut, from career panels to social events, master classes with top Wharton professors to parallel programming for admitted students’ partners.
For second-year Wharton student Divinity Matovu, her biggest highlight as an admitted student was a master class taught by Marketing Professor Americus Reed. The most fun activity of the weekend? The Spring Welcome Soiree—a big party with an open bar. Sunday brunches hosted by professional groups give admitted students yet another opportunity to explore some of the resources they’ll have available to them as Wharton students.
And that brings us to Cornell’s Johnson School, whose event rounds out another April weekend packed with activities for admitted students. Called Destination Johnson, it kicks off April 20th and continues through April 23rd. The event was designed to offer admitted students a chance to get to know each other and current students, Sage Hall, the campus and Ithaca. Not only that, there will be an event to celebrate Earth Day hosted by the Sustainable Global Enterprise Club, pizza and bowling with the Student Council, meetings of the Wine Club and Johnson on Tap Club and more to showcase the school’s culture. And as at many other schools, special programming will also be available for the partners of admitted students.
