The Darden Deferred MBA program is an opportunity for outstanding students studying in college to secure a seat at one of the best MBA programs in the world after trying their hands at a full-time job in the industry of their choice for a few years. It is also commonly known as Darden’s Future Year Scholars Program. If you decide to apply to the Darden Deferred MBA program, you would need to gather a lot of information related to admissions in the program like eligibility criteria, requirements for the application, etc. All of this information has been collected here in this blog.
About the Program
The Darden Deferred MBA program provides a secure seat at the full-time MBA program of Darden to the students studying in the final year of their graduation program or master’s degree program. This full-time MBA program can be pursued after gaining full-time work experience of up to four years.
The minimum deferral period can be of two years and the maximum can be up to 4 years. They encourage students to get into good roles in different industries to gain experience of a number of professions before embarking on a full-time MBA journey with them.
Class Profile
They encourage applicants from diverse educational backgrounds to apply for the Darden Deferred MBA program. The last class had 404 students who represent 35 countries. 24% of them were international and 39% were women. They had an average GPA of 3.5 in their undergraduate programs.
Eligibility Criteria
Let us check out who all are eligible to apply to the Darden Deferred MBA program and when to apply –
1) All the students that are in the last year of their undergraduate programs can apply.
2) The students who are doing a 5th-year master’s degree program can also apply for the Darden Deferred MBA program.
Requirements for Applying
Applicants can start with their application online on the website of Darden. They ask some basic information like demographic information, academics, address, etc. There is a special residency section in the application form in which applicants are required to give information related to verification of residency. There are other requirements for the process of applying to the Darden Deferred MBA program that have been listed below –
1) Unofficial transcripts of all the degree programs a student has attended. If the education of an applicant has been completed in some other language than English, the transcripts would be required to be translated and sent to their office along with the official transcript.
If a student has matriculated at Darden, then, official transcripts need to be submitted from all the institutions previously attended.
2) Standardised Tests – They allow scores in a number of standardized tests like GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment (EA), MCAT and LSAT. At the time of application, self-reported scores are allowed but the applicants must be prepared with official score reports that would be sent to the Darden Admissions office, when called for.
3) Resume – This is one of the most important requirements of the application to the Darden Deferred MBA program. One must use her/his resume to highlight leadership skills and tell about different achievements, especially the quantifiable ones.
4) 2 Letters of Recommendation – The recommendation process is fully electronic. These letters should come from two people who know an applicant well and have supervised her/him in a professional setting. The recommenders would require to evaluate an applicant across a set of competencies and answer some short questions. The list of the short answer questions are –
a) Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization.
b) How does the performance of the applicant compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles?
c) Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response.
5) Short Answer Questions – This is also an important thing where applicants should pay a lot of attention and effort. These short answer questions should be used as an opportunity to show achievements and skills, why you fit into their program, etc. These questions are –
a. Darden strives to identify and cultivate responsible leaders who follow their purpose. Please provide an example of a situation in which you have made a meaningful impact. (200 words)
b. Diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission, and they work best when they are an integral and celebrated part of our community. Read University of Virginia’s Commitment to Diversity Statement. Share a time in which you engaged with a perspective, identity, community or experience that was different from your own and how it impacted your worldview. (200 words)
c. The Batten Foundation Worldwide Scholarship provides all Darden students in our full-time MBA program with an opportunity to participate in a Darden Worldwide Course. If you could choose any location in the world, where would you want to travel, and why? (50 words)
d. Tell us what you would want your learning team to know about you — personally, professionally, or both? (100 words)
e. What is your short-term, post-MBA goal and why? (150 words)
6) For international students who have not completed their studies from English speaking universities, a score in TOEFL/IELTS/PTE is required. Average TOEFL score of their class is 106.
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Application Process
The most important thing to know before applying to the Darden Deferred MBA program is the application deadline dates. They have two different rounds in which students can apply. The deadline for the Future Year Scholars Program Round 1 is around in the middle of March and the decision date is in April. On the other hand, the deadline for the Future Year Scholars Program Round 2 is around at the beginning of June and the decision date is around in the middle of July.
After making sure about all the requirements for the Darden Deferred MBA program, one can apply online by going to their website. After the initial evaluation of applications, invites are sent to some applicants for interviews. An interview ranges from half an hour to 45 minutes. It is important to note that they have a policy of conducting blind interviews, i.e. the interviewer does not read or review the applicants’ applications or resume.
Please note that all the applicants are considered for scholarships at the time of admission. They may also receive different awards at the time of matriculation.
The Darden Admissions Committee tries to know the complete picture of their applicants through different things like short answer questions, recommenders, etc. Therefore, it is imperative to pay attention to all the different aspects and highlight the best of your skills and abilities.
Contributor – Richa Mathur
Marketing & Brand Manager | Content Creator
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