Brittany Terrell

University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

“Virginia native turned New York transplant that loves movies, TV, sushi and traveling to Italy.”

Hometown: Orange, Virginia

Fun Fact About Yourself: I was an NBC Page for Saturday Night Live during Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis’ final season on the show. It was my first job after undergrad. Let’s just say I have some fun (and hilarious) stories to tell…

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Virginia – Philosophy Major, Drama Minor

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Recount Media, Executive Producer

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager? The case method allows you to gain insights from countless perspectives on the same subject matter while learning from your peers as you do it. My classmates come from different industries across different companies all over the world – and so do the cases we’re reading about. I can’t imagine a better way to get a more well-rounded business education. The pressure is on in every class for all of us to be prepared to contribute to the classroom. At the same time, the pressure is also off because there’s always going to be something we don’t know. Everyone in the class has a perspective we don’t have and an experience we’ve never encountered before. We’re all learning at the same time, and we all have something to gain from each other.

Aside from cases and classmates, what was the key part of Virginia Darden’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Not only does Darden continue to rank #1 for professors, but it also has a huge emphasis on community. After spending the first part of my career in media in New York City, community is something I have been yearning for. I want to know my professors outside of the classroom. I want to build relationships with my classmates that last for decades after graduation. Building those lasting relationships is what I was looking forward to most in an MBA program. Once I was accepted, I started meeting with rising 2nd-year students and some professors, several months before starting classes. I was stunned at how welcoming everyone was. Everyone made time to meet and answer questions I had about everything from coursework to recruiting. I’m coming from a very competitive career landscape, and it was incredibly refreshing to walk into that welcoming of an environment right away.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at Virginia Darden? I’m most excited about Darden Worldwide Courses and exchange opportunities at Darden. Darden Worldwide Courses give every student the opportunity to immerse themselves in a week-long learning opportunity in a different country, with the cost being covered by The Batten Foundation. In the bit of global travel, I’ve been able to do before Darden, I’ve learned the most about myself and about the world in those experiences. I love that Darden places such an emphasis on learning opportunities that extend beyond the United States. Many of us are going to be working for global companies, with colleagues all over the planet. It’s more important than ever to see the world and business from as many perspectives as possible.

Looking at your recruitment, what was the moment when you realized Darden was the right program for you? Why? Once I realized that Darden had a growing but tight-knit entrepreneurial community, I was sold. I launched my own media agency before coming to Darden. I may continue with that, launch a new venture, or explore entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) and even venture capital. Regardless, it is supported and possible at Darden and that is exciting.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I have to say that resilience has been my biggest accomplishment so far. I have worked my way up from an entry level post-grad position with the NBCUniversal Page Program to Executive Producer at a digital media startup over the course of 11 years. I climbed every step on the ladder in that time. It wasn’t easy and the journey was full of ups-and-downs – some of those are exactly what led me to Darden. But the resiliency to keep pushing through all of that is why I am here today. I’m grateful to Darden for seeing those ups-and-down on my application as an asset in the big picture of who I am and what I have to offer.

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2026? Why? Darden is all about building community and fostering relationships and I can say that I genuinely want the people around me to succeed. If you are part of my life, I’m rooting for you. I’m rooting for all of us. I feel that way about my entire class. If you have my back, I’ve certainly got yours.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Virginia Darden’s MBA program? There is so much information and so many resources online that can help with MBA applications. However, I would advise against using any of them. If you’re applying to Darden, my best advice, as cliché as it’s going to sound, is to be as authentically you as possible. On your application, don’t be afraid to come with real stories about who you are and where you come from – not the stories you think Admissions wants to hear. I applied to Darden during the Early Action round, and I was able to meet several members of the Admissions team a few weeks after I was accepted during a Women’s Conference for prospective and recently accepted students. When I walked into The Forum Hotel on Grounds, I was shocked at how many of them recognized me off my name alone, just because they had each spent so much time individually reading through my application. My best advice is to be you because they are not looking for you to be anyone else.