Things have been going fairly well for me, I have two job offers... Read>> Posted February 11, 2008
ASK NOT WHAT DARDEN CAN DO FOR YOU, BUT WHAT... A Long Answer To A Short Question
The following essay was what I submitted to Darden in response to the question they ask everyone, "What have you done during the past year to add value to Darden, UVA in general, and the Charlottesville community?"
"My commitment to becoming fully immersed in the community of Charlottesville, the broader University, and Darden in particular is rooted in the circumstances surrounding my admittance to the school. After being disappointed by the lack of emphasis on real learning at many top B-Schools, I thought I would give up on the application process and skip B-School to focus on my small business. However, after an alumnus of Darden strongly recommended I attend a cocktail event in LA, I decided to give Darden a closer look. At the cocktail event, Dean Bruner met with me personally and pledged that if I gave Darden a chance, I would find it to be very different. In the end, I only applied to Darden and was, thankfully, accepted. The following events blew me away, and every day I find new cause to reaffirm my commitment to be fully present and fully committed to making the most of this experience.
Following in the footsteps of our namesake Colgate Darden, I participate weekly in foreign policy, UVA politics, and other lighthearted debates as a regular member of the Jefferson Society on main grounds. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet people from the broader University community and make new friends. I serve on the Jefferson Society Appropriations Committee and also mentor younger Society students in refining their resumes and helping them with job-hunting tips. Additionally, I sing in the choir of All Saints Anglican church every week. This is both a joy and a serious time commitment, but something that allows me to get my mind off class and serve our parish in a very tangible way. Finally, my wife and I have made a conscious decision to participate in area charity running events and have enjoyed running in several large fund-raising events.
However, I haven’t only spent my energy away from Darden. I also spend a lot of my time building into my first year class. Over the course of the year I led several review session in Marketing, Operations, and LO. This was a lot of fun, but also gave me the chance to repay some of the investment that has been made into me in subject areas where I was not as experienced. Building on my background as a marketing consultant I was constantly busy designing over a dozen logo’s and t-shirt designs for such diverse organizations as the Darden Black Business Student Forum, Darden Marketing Club, Section E events, and student projects.
After noticing an opportunity to enhance our reputation as a school I spoke with several other creative students and helped launch the Darden Student Blog page. I chaired two well-attended Faculty/Student Symposiums on the topics of the recruiting advantages of Darden’s LO program, and the value of the cutting-edge research faculty are doing here. The last event was very exciting and featured Dean Bruner and several other beloved faculty members.
Finally, I applied for and was selected to be a part of Darden Marketing Management (DMM) next year, and was selected to be Vice President of the Darden Christian Fellowship – in which I will be responsible for planning nearly 30 events throughout the year."
While it can certainly be argued whether or not I did a good job at Darden, it's pretty clear that I was busy around Darden, and in that at least... I take a great deal of satisfaction. Posted May 15, 2008 COMMENT ON THIS POST
