How To Approach Darden’s 2020-2021 Essays

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business is best known for academic rigor, teaching excellence, and case method mastery.

With an acceptance rate of 24.4%, the B-school seeks out applicants who can add value to Darden’s tight-knit community. Darden’s MBA essay prompts for 2021-2022 are designed to help the admissions team gauge an applicant’s personality and understand how he or she will contribute to the B-school community. Stacy Blackman, founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting, recently offered a few tips on how applicants should approach each of Darden’s essay prompts.

This year, the B-school is taking a new approach, where students respond to one of two prompts for the “Leadership and Impact” and “Diversity and Inclusion” questions.

LEADERSHIP & IMPACT

Darden asks applicants a number of short answer questions. This year, the B-school is taking a new approach, where students respond to one of two prompts for the “Leadership and Impact” and “Diversity and Inclusion” questions, the first of which is shown below.

Darden strives to identify and cultivate responsible leaders who follow their purpose. Please respond to one of the following prompts (200 words)

• Option 1: Tell us about a time when you acted with a team to solve a problem or seize an opportunity. What role did you play? What did you learn from this experience?

• Option 2: Tell us about a time you acted to solve a problem for the greater good. What drew you to this issue? What did you learn from this experience?

Blackman recommends that applicants approach the options with specific examples.

“Past experience is a great predictor of future performance, and specific examples provide the most insight into your behavior,” she writes. “When you choose an example, think about former leadership opportunities. How did you behave? Are you a consensus builder or a director of projects? Do you keep the project running on time, or do you question the premise? How do you deal with difficult peers or bosses?”

Examples, according to Blackman, can be either professional or extracurricular. Regardless of which example you choose to highlight, be sure to include details about the impact that you made.

“The effect could be big or small, so long as it was meaningful to you and those around you,” Blackman writes. “Ideally, this example highlights your broader interests and passions.”

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

This year’s diversity and inclusion essay asks applicants the following:

The Darden School develops practices and cultivates a culture that reflects and incorporates the worldviews of its many community members. In this inclusive culture, the community learns important — and sometimes uncomfortable — lessons from one another, resulting in more conscientious global leaders and citizens. Please respond to one of the following prompts (200 words)

• Option 1: Share a time when you learned something related to diversity, equity, or inclusion that was previously unknown to you? How did this experience impact your perspective?

• Option 2: Share a time when you advocated for a perspective, identity, or community different from your own. How did this experience impact your worldview? (200 words)

When approaching option one, Blackman suggests thinking about experiences when you’ve lived or worked in a different culture.

“Consider how you broadened your mind as a result or changed your approach,” Blackman writes.

Option two, according to Blackman, is more active and action-oriented.

“This would be an action you took to advocate for others,” Blackman writes. “However, you may have found that you learned about yourself as well. Perhaps in your advocacy, you learned a more nuanced approach to a community or people. Or, you may have discovered your own blind spots and biases. Self-reflection is welcome in this question.”

Check out the rest of Blackman’s tips here.

Sources: Stacy Blackman Consulting, P&Q, P&Q