Meet Virginia Darden’s MBA Class of 2017

Lauren Bowden

University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee

Undergraduate School and Major: Lewis & Clark College (Portland, Oregon)

Major: Psychology

Minor: Theatre with a concentration in Dance Composition

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Sail Safaris (St. John, US Virgin Islands) – 100 Ton Master Merchant Mariner Captain

Red Legacy Development (St. John, US Virgin Islands) – First Mate

Bamboo Studio (St. John, US Virgin Islands) – Sales Team Manager

St. John Childcare Services (St. John, US Virgin Islands) – Co-Founder and Head of Business Operations

Spyglass (St. John, US Virgin Islands) – Bartender

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE?

1) Take the GMAT as early as possible. This will allow you to get accustomed to the actual testing conditions and provide you with the time to re-take the exam if necessary.

2) Enroll in a GMAT test prep course. I took an interactive 6-week online course that I found incredibly convenient and helpful. The course also helped to keep me accountable with the material through weekly assignments and practice tests.

3) Take practice tests before you have mastered the material and take them often. In the beginning, your score will fluctuate. With time, it will level out to your actual ability.

Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? If you are interested in a particular industry or function, look at the school’s hiring data. Find out at which companies the students intern and go full-time after business school. In order to determine fit, I found the best way is to talk to current students. Ask the students meaningful questions that will offer insight into the school’s culture.

What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? I know each person will have a different method, but for me I wrote my essays and reviewed them by myself. However, it is amazing how many times I re-read my essays making minor changes almost every time I read them through. Every time you read your essay, ask yourself, “Is there another way I could say this that would make this sentence stronger?” Be concise in your message and use action verbs as often as possible.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Darden has a great tight-knit community, which is fostered not only through its actual campus but also through its location in the smaller city of Charlottesville. Darden is also unique in that it is almost entirely case method. Given Darden’s approach to the case method, students learn from each other through the classroom and their learning teams. The case method allows for each student’s perspective to add to the overall learning experience for everyone.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I came to Darden to complement my practical business experience with the formal business training of an MBA. Darden’s strong core curriculum and general management focus will provide me with the tools to be well-versed across all parts of the business spectrum. Given that Darden hinges upon the team learning environment, I hope to further develop myself as a leader, and I look forward to continuing to work and learn with people from all over the world. 

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