Experience Darden

In this special edition of Darden Admissions’ podcasts, we’re excited to share a recent conversation between Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions Dawna Clarke and Interim Dean of the Darden School of Business Jeanne Liedtka. In this wide-ranging conversation, Liedtka reflects upon her tenure at the Darden School, what drew her to the field of Design Thinking, what she loves about Charlottesville, the impact of the Darden academic environment and more. This episode is essential listening.

In this episode we catch up with Victoria Velasquez. Victoria is a second year student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, and she is also President of Darden’s Consulting Club. We talk with Victoria about her background, her decision to pursue an MBA, what led her to Darden as well as what drew her to leading the Consulting Club. She also shares the Consulting Club’s plans for the months ahead and how the club supports students with an interest in consulting.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jim Zuffoletti. Jim is a Darden alum, graduating in the Full-Time MBA Class of 2005, and he recently returned to Darden to serve as Entrepreneurship Community Director for the Batten Institute as well as an instructor for the Venture Velocity course. We talk with Jim about his background, his passion for entrepreneurship, what the Venture Velocity course is all about, his advice for prospective students and more.  

The Round 1 deadline for Darden’s Full-Time MBA program is 4 October! In the spirit of the season, we catch up with Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions Dawna Clarke to hear her tips and advice for Round 1 applicants.

This year’s Darden Diversity Conference will take place late October 2023, with the virtual event scheduled for 23 October and the in-person event planned for 28-29 October. In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with three first year students in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2025 who attended last year’s Diversity Conference – Matt Au, Brianna Huff and Luis Otero. We talk with Matt, Brianna and Luis about their respective MBA journeys, the role the Diversity Conference played in their MBA research processes as well as why they think prospective students should attend this event.

During this episode, we catch up with Sid Parekh, a second year student in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024. We talk with Sid about his decision to pursue an MBA, what led him to Darden, as well as his engagement with the Student Admissions Committee (SAC) and his leadership roles with Darden’s Consulting Club and the Community Consultants of Darden student organization.

In this episode of the podcast, we talk with Alex Hickey. Alex is a second year student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2024, and she is also the President of the Darden Wine and Cuisine Club (WACC). We talk with Alex about her background, how she decided to pursue an MBA, what led her to Darden, her experience serving as social rep for her first year section, WACC’s plans for the months ahead and more.    

We’re excited to re-share one of our favorite conversations from earlier in the year – our Office Hours interview with Dean Emeritus Bob Bruner. As a financial economist, Bruner is best known for his research on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and financial panics. He served as dean of the Darden School from 2005 to 2015, and, this May, he retired from the Darden School in May after 41 years of service and leadership. In this conversation, we talk with Bruner about what led him to Darden, his passion for the case method, his interest in financial crises, what the panic of 1907 can tell us about financial crises generally, his thoughts on the recent Silicon Valley Bank collapse and more.  

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Managing Director of Admissions Whitney Kestner to talk about the support available to Full-Time MBA students prior to the start of school. In this wide-ranging discussion we touch upon a host of resources including CDWhy, Accounting MOOCs, B-Ready, Darden Before Darden, International Student Orientation Program (ISOP), the ‘Hoo Crews and more.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Tim Laseter (MBA ’94, PhD ’03). Laseter is a member of the Technology and Operations Management faculty, and he teaches courses in operations strategy, innovation and emerging technology at Darden. He maintains his connections with practitioners by serving clients as a senior advisor, speaker, workshop facilitator, and expert witness. In this conversation we talk with Laseter about his background, what led him to Darden for his MBA, what he enjoys about teaching, as well as how he discovered his interest in operations. We also discuss several of his courses, including Operations Strategy, Digital Operations, Emerging Topics in Technology & Operations, his Darden Worldwide Course and a new course he has helped develop for Darden Executive Education, “Unlocking Value of AI, Blockchain and Digital Assets.”