Experience Darden

In this episode of the podcast, we chat with rising second year Full-Time MBA student, Chris Kraft (Class of 2022). Kraft is originally from Minnesota, and she reflects upon her decision to pursue an MBA, what led her to Darden, as well as the challenges and the highlights from her first year as a Darden student. Kraft also hosts her own podcast – The Career Queer – and we even managed to find time to talk music, which given her connection to the Twin Cities naturally involved a discussion of Prince.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the fourth installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Greg Fairchild (MBA ’92). We talk with Fairchild about what it’s like to teach at Darden as an alumnus, why he’s passionate about entrepreneurship in rural and inner city communities as well as his work with the Resilience Project and the Darden Prison Program. Fairchild also reflects upon how his personal connection to the Tulsa Race Massacre has shaped his professional interests.

Where some people see problems, other people see opportunities. We chat with Coco Woeltz (MBA ’21) and Isabelle Kayal Larsen (EMBA ’21) about Hummingbyrd, their sports bra and athletic apparel-focused venture. Woeltz and Larsen reflect upon their MBA journeys, what led them to Darden and how the venture courses and resources of the Batten Institute brought them together. Woeltz and Larsen  also share insights about the importance of friction points in the entrepreneurial journey and what they are learning as they work to take Hummingbyrd to the next level.

File under: Essential listening. Executive Director of Admissions Dawna Clarke chats about the innovations for this year’s application, including essay optionality, the continuation of the test waiver pilot, and an update to the number of required recommendations. Dawna also shares her favorite tips and advice for Darden applicants, including the importance of approaching the application process with joy, excitement and pride in your accomplishments.

DeMario Moore (Class of 2022) and Jen Bundy (Class of 2022) are the newly elected Darden Student Association (DSA) President and Executive Vice President. We chat with DeMario and Jen about their background, how they decided to pursue an MBA and what led them to Darden. They also share more about drew them to DSA leadership as well as their vision for the DSA in the year ahead. We also discuss their best advice for prospective students, and why everyone should have a folder in their inbox title “Greatness.”

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the third installment of our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Dennie Kim. We talk with Kim about his background growing up in New York City, how he knew he wanted to be a teacher, what attracted him to healthcare and how COVID-19 has highlighted challenges and inequities in the US healthcare system. Kim also shares his advice for MBA students considering a career in healthcare.

This year, UVA Darden has three Consortium co-liaisons – Chisom Omenyinma (Class of 2022), Rafael “Rafa” Rivera (Class of 2022) and Sarah Rumps (Class of 2022). We talk with Chisom, Rafa and Sarah about how they decided to pursue an MBA, what attracted them to the Consortium liaison role and what their goals are for the year ahead. We also find time for a few time management tips, TV recommendations and, of course, pieces of advice for incoming Darden MBA students.

We continue our spotlight on student founders with an interview with Megan Nash (Class of 2022). Megan‘s venture, Rayna, is an electric hair trimmer made for women, by women. We talk with Megan about the inspiration for the product, what her research says about the potential market opportunity, how the Darden community have helped her along her entrepreneurial journey and how her venture has gone from idea to prototype and manufacturing in less than a year. 

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcasts, we share the second installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Kinda Hachem. We talk with Hachem about growing up in Toronto, what initially sparked her interest in Economics, her “Economics of Money and Banking” course and more. We also check in about a number of hot topics in Economics, including the current U.S. debate about inflation, K-shaped recoveries on a global scale, the greatest current threat to the banking system, and the concept of a global corporate tax rate.

Purvaj Dharia (Class of 2021) is the outgoing VP for International Affairs for the Darden Student Association (DSA). We connected with Purvaj earlier this year to talk about his MBA journey and how the DSA has supported international students during the pandemic. Purvaj also shares why he thinks people and culture should be top of mind for any prospective MBA student.