UVA Darden MBA Interview report from a Round 1 applicant on-campus.
Arrived day before the interview and stayed at Inn at Darden (very convenient location for an early morning interview; free parking). Checked in at Saunders Hall around 7:30-40am for 8am interview with a second-year student.
Do NOT bring a copy of your resume. Interview is blind. As you may have seen in other Darden post-interview reports, the big interview question was, “Tell me about yourself.” I talked for about 35-40 minutes about my childhood/upbringing, college days, and professional experience, and explained how all of those experiences led me to applying to the school and why I would be a good fit. The interviewer interrupted here and there for clarification, but no additional questions. After my long spiel, the interviewer talked about Darden experience and allowed me 10-15 minutes to ask questions.
After the interview, I participated in all of the activities (class visit, lunch with current students, panel sessions with faculty, students, administrators), which I recommend doing (especially class visit)! Because the interview is blind/the question is open-ended (compared to other b-school interview questions…why MBA? short-term, long-term goals? weaknesses/strengths, impact you made at work), I didn’t know how well I did. I actually thought I completely bombed it because I was rambling so much. But happy to say I received an offer!
Advice
For future applicants, I will repeat what others have said: do your homework to learn about the school/program, and show in your application/tell the interviewer you did. Read the admissions blog (super helpful!); reach out to student representatives, clubs; attend info sessions, fairs, webinars; spend a day to explore c-ville.
Preparing for an upcoming UVA / Darden MBA Interview? Check out Clear Admit’s other resources:
- Clear Admit UVA / Darden Interview Guide: Strategic tips for approaching Darden’s interview questions, and more.
- Podcast Episode 23: 5 Most Common MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace
- Interview Archive: More firsthand accounts from UVA / Darden MBA applicants themselves
After your interview, be sure to add your first-hand interview report to the Clear Admit Interview Archive.
