Sunday, October 19, 2014

Then God said, "Let there be a LT"

MBA is a fact paced environment. Curriculum is tough and your peers are accomplished. This is no place for the light hearted or as the economist professor would have me say, this is no place for laissez-faire attitude. Darden, I admit is no different. Yes, the environment is extremely collaborative which encourages everyone to show their best sides. But at the end, all of us are Type A personalities – ambitious and driven almost to a fault. Something which would be true for any top ranked business school in the world.

The difference in Darden however is in, “Learning Teams” (LT). I am sure all of you by now know that Darden is a 100% case study method. This means that as soon as the class begins the professor opens the case to discussion. No professor walks you through concepts here. The actual learning actually happens a day before with your LT.  LT is carefully designed so everyone brings in different expertise and perspectives.  It is here you get to test your thinking and ask the basic questions. I love my LT. These guys are fun, intelligent, inclusive and humble. Its been only 2 months now but I feel as if I have known them for a while. Darden would be a much worse place without these guys! 



Paloma, Lisa, Colin, Tom, Nick, Adi - LT # 23 (Team MJ)

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Get more connected with Darden - Check Out the Video Blog

One of the things that really helped me while I was applying to Darden was the video blog which Sarah Neher maintains so diligently. I would specially encourage the international applicants to check that out.  Here is the link to her most recent video!



Sunday, October 12, 2014

Busy is just a four letter word

If you told me a month ago that things are going to get tougher, I would have laughed and said, "They just can't". The first month by all estimates was tough. But it pales in comparison to what October has been so far. Courses have become much more tougher. I have finally come to the realization that MBA is actually a graduate degree. Additionally, every week we have had numerous company officials come down for briefings, coffee-chats or dinners. And of course, there are those famous/infamous case-study competition. Accenture case challenge is on, there is a brand challenge currently underway and we recently finished Danaher's marketing case study competition. On most of the week days I am in Darden from 8 am - 10 pm. 
In any other place, in any other time, I would be dead tired by now. But business school is a special place with its own rules on time management. People make things work in ways which are just not possible in the real world. Take for example the Darden Cup. To the uninitiated, Darden Cup is a set of sport competitions that happen across the year between sections (there are 5 sections in total within Darden). In the schedule that I just described, people have found time to practice for these games. And every game has had an attendance of more than 200 people. Even professors have showed up to the games!

We have just finished Cricket and Soccer and Section - C has won both of them! (the fact that I am from Section - C is purely a coincidence, promise :)). These games have been the highlight of my Darden experience so far. 

The point that I wanted to make is that anyone who says you can't manufacture time has clearly not been to a B-School.


Section - C's Soccer Team

Monday, October 6, 2014

What has surprised me about Darden

I was at the Delhi airport when I heard someone shout out, “Tharru, is that you?” I turned around to find an old classmate waving at me. It had been a long time - four years to be exact and I was overjoyed to see him. As we reminisced about the good old days, it stuck me – “After all these years, I am going back to school.” I was excited and nervous at the same time.

Fast forward one week and I found myself sitting in Classroom 50 attending my first class. The first thing that caught me by surprise was the pace at which the class moved. I am used to lecture based method where one can switch off for practically 50% of the class and still follow almost everything that happens. The case-study method that we follow here, is much faster. As a student, I have to be engaged all the time. The primary reason for that is the rich perspective that people bring in with them in the classroom. For example, I have had classes for only two weeks now and already there have been countless instances when fellow students have raised points which have made me say, “Wow! I could have never thought of that.” The case-study method ensures that the classroom is an intense and powerful experience. I think that the best way I can describe this to you guys is by quoting Professor Marc Lipson, “The Darden classroom is a unique and unreplicable experience.”
However, as you enter Darden’s building there is nothing that will give you even a hint of the intensity of discussions that happen within its walls. In fact, you would be forgiven if you felt like royalty. Darden is by far the most beautiful campus that I have seen. And please note I say this after having seen various campuses across the world – India, Japan and France.  Before coming to Darden, I knew that the University of Virginia was a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but I am still amazed at how beautiful it actually is. At night, the place almost resembles a resort.

Finally, I was surprised at the warm receptions that I got from the extended Charlottesville community just by virtue of me being a Darden student. Before coming to Darden I had spoken to quite a few alumni and had felt to some degree the much touted “Tight-knit community”. However, I never knew that this community extended much beyond Darden walls. Just yesterday, I had gone to Bank of America to deposit some money and as soon as the lady behind the desk got to know that I was a Darden student she immediately prioritized my request. Another example - A few days back, we were at Chipotle, a restaurant near Darden when suddenly the owner joined us at the table. He had got to know from someone that we were all first year students and wanted to come and make us feel welcome. I have countless of such stories. I feel immensely fortunate to be a part of such a community. And, you know what the best part is? It is just the beginning. 

 Saunders Hall – Darden Graduate School of Business