UVA Darden Admissions: Essay Advice

DardenMBA

7 Dec 201801:22

Summary

TLDRThe speaker, standing on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall, offers insights on writing Darden essays. They highlight the school's preference for multiple short answers over a single long essay, which aims to provide a broader view of applicants. The prompts cover personal stories, leadership, and aspirations, with an emphasis on authenticity and personal traits. The speaker encourages applicants to share their genuine selves and have a trusted person review the drafts for authenticity.

Takeaways

📝 The Darden application process involves writing several short answer essays instead of one long essay, providing a broader perspective on the applicant's personality.
🏙️ The speaker is speaking from a favorite location in Charlottesville, the Downtown Mall, to create a personal connection with the setting.
🤔 The essay prompts cover a range of topics, including the applicant's learning team, personal interests, travel desires, short-term goals, and excitement about Charlottesville.
🌟 There is a significant emphasis on leadership and impact, reflecting Darden's commitment to developing high-impact leaders.
👌 Authenticity is key in writing the essays; applicants should write in a way that is genuine and true to their own voice.
😄 If the applicant has a sense of humor, it should be integrated into the essays to showcase their personality.
🎨 Creativity should be incorporated if it is a part of the applicant's identity, making the essays more engaging and unique.
🔍 After completing a draft, it's recommended to have someone who knows the applicant well read the essay to ensure it sounds like them.
📖 The Darden admissions team is looking forward to reading the essays, indicating the importance they place on getting to know the applicants through their writing.
📚 The essays are an opportunity for applicants to share their story and make a strong impression on the admissions committee.
💡 The script suggests that thoughtful and personalized responses to the essay prompts can help set an applicant apart from others.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the Darden essays in the application process?
-The purpose of the Darden essays is to provide a broader perspective on the applicant as a person, allowing them to share their story and showcase their personality and experiences.
Why does Darden prefer short answer questions over one long essay?
-Darden prefers short answer questions to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the applicant's personality, background, and aspirations in a concise format.
What is the significance of the Downtown Mall in the video script?
-The Downtown Mall is mentioned as one of the speaker's favorite places in Charlottesville, which serves to personalize the introduction and create a connection to the location.
What types of essay prompts can applicants expect in the Darden application?
-Applicants can expect a range of prompts, including questions about their learning team, personal interests, travel desires with Darden, short-term goals, and what they are excited to explore in Charlottesville.
How does Darden emphasize leadership and impact in its essay prompts?
-Darden emphasizes leadership and impact by including prompts that encourage applicants to discuss their leadership qualities and the impact they aim to make.
What advice is given for writing a compelling Darden essay?
-The best essays are genuine and authentic. Applicants should integrate their humor or creativity if it reflects their personality and have someone who knows them well review the essay to ensure it sounds like them.
What is the importance of being genuine and authentic in the Darden essays?
-Being genuine and authentic helps the admissions committee understand the true personality and values of the applicant, which is crucial for evaluating fit with the Darden community.
What should applicants do after completing a draft of their Darden essays?
-After completing a draft, applicants should have someone who knows them well read it and confirm whether it accurately represents their personality and voice.
How does Darden view the role of humor in the application essays?
-If an applicant has a sense of humor, integrating it into their essays can make them stand out and show their unique personality.
What is the role of creativity in the Darden application essays?
-Creativity is encouraged as a way for applicants to express themselves and showcase their individuality in the essays.
What does Darden look forward to in reading the applicant's essays?
-Darden looks forward to getting to know the applicants better through their essays, understanding their aspirations, and evaluating their potential as future leaders.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Darden Essay Tips and Personal Story Sharing

The speaker begins by acknowledging the stress associated with writing Darden essays and offers to share insights and tips for a good start. They introduce themselves while standing at the Downtown Mall, a favorite spot in Charlottesville. The speaker explains that the application includes several short answer questions instead of a single long essay, which is intended to provide a more comprehensive view of the applicant's personality. The essay prompts cover a range of topics, from learning team insights to travel interests, short-term goals, and excitement about Charlottesville. A significant focus is placed on leadership and impact, reflecting Darden's commitment to developing high-impact leaders. The speaker advises applicants to write genuine and authentic essays that reflect their personality, whether it's humor or creativity, and to have someone who knows them well review the draft to ensure it sounds like them. The speaker expresses anticipation for reading the essays and getting to know the applicants.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Darden essays

Darden essays refer to the application essays for the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. The video emphasizes the importance of these essays in showcasing the applicant's personality and experiences. The script mentions that the Darden application includes short answer questions instead of a long essay, which is intended to provide a broader perspective on the applicant.

💡Downtown Mall

Downtown Mall is a specific location in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is mentioned as one of the speaker's favorite places. It serves as a backdrop for the video, adding a personal touch and a sense of place to the message being conveyed.

💡Essay Section

The 'Essay Section' is a part of the Darden application process where applicants answer a series of questions to demonstrate their personality, experiences, and aspirations. The script notes that this section includes a variety of prompts, indicating the school's interest in understanding the applicant on a deeper level.

💡Short answer questions

Short answer questions are a type of prompt in the Darden application that require concise responses. The script contrasts these with a traditional long essay, suggesting that the school values brevity and focused communication.

💡Personal story

The term 'personal story' is used in the script to encourage applicants to share their unique experiences and background. It is central to the video's theme of authenticity in the application process, as it suggests that the school is interested in the individual's journey and growth.

💡Leadership

Leadership is highlighted in the script as a key aspect that Darden values in its applicants. It is mentioned in the context of the essay prompts, indicating that the school seeks to develop high-impact leaders through its programs.

💡Impact

Impact refers to the influence or effect an individual has on others or their environment. The script emphasizes the importance of demonstrating one's potential for impact in the essays, which aligns with Darden's focus on cultivating leaders who can make a significant difference.

💡Genuine and authentic

The script advises applicants to write essays that are 'genuine and authentic,' meaning that they should accurately reflect the applicant's true self. This is exemplified by the suggestion to integrate humor or creativity if those are aspects of the applicant's personality.

💡Draft

A 'draft' in the context of the script refers to the initial version of an essay before it is finalized. The speaker advises applicants to have someone who knows them well review the draft to ensure it captures their essence accurately.

💡Sense of humor

The script suggests that if an applicant has a sense of humor, they should integrate it into their essays. This advice underscores the importance of showcasing one's personality and making the application stand out.

💡Creativity

Creativity is encouraged in the script as a way for applicants to express themselves in their essays. It is an example of how applicants can demonstrate their unique qualities and make their essays more engaging.

Highlights

Writing Darden essays can be stressful, and the speaker offers insights and tips to help get started.

The speaker is at the Downtown Mall, one of their favorite places in Charlottesville.

The application includes a number of short answer questions instead of one long essay.

This approach provides a broader perspective on the applicant's personality.

Applicants are encouraged to share their story through the essay prompts.

Essay prompts include questions about the learning team, travel with Darden, short-term goals, and excitement about Charlottesville.

There is a big emphasis on leadership and impact, reflecting Darden's commitment to cultivating high-impact leaders.

The best essays are genuine and authentic, reflecting the applicant's true self.

If the applicant is funny, they should integrate their sense of humor into the essay.

Creative applicants are encouraged to incorporate their creativity into the essays.

After drafting, have someone who knows you well read the essay to ensure it sounds like you.

The Darden team looks forward to reading the essays and getting to know the applicants.

The speaker provides a personal touch by sharing their favorite place in Charlottesville.

The essay prompts are designed to give a comprehensive view of the applicant's aspirations and interests.

The importance of authenticity in the essay writing process is emphasized to ensure the essays are a true reflection of the applicant.

Applicants are advised to use their personal traits, such as humor or creativity, to make their essays stand out.

The speaker suggests a review process involving a close acquaintance to validate the essay's authenticity.

The transcript conveys the Darden team's enthusiasm for learning about the applicants through their essays.