UVA Darden’s MBA application features three short essays that ask you to get introspective about who you are, what you value, and what you’ll bring to the Darden community.

The low word counts for the Darden MBA essays require you to use the space wisely. Your goal is to deliver well-honed narratives that provide enough specificity to showcase your unique and memorable characteristics.

We strongly encourage you to outline all of your Darden essays first, as opposed to writing each one individually. This will help ensure that each essay shares something new; it also helps you make the best use of limited space. For example, if you plan to talk about leadership in one essay, it may not be in your best interest to use an example of leadership in another essay. Use your limited real estate strategically to shape a compelling narrative packed with fresh and memorable information across your essays. Avoid repeating anything that might be found elsewhere in your application.

Don’t be afraid to express your own writing style in your Darden essays. While it can be a daunting task to provide so much information in such limited space, the admissions committee can learn a lot about your personality by the way you write — how you say it, not just what you say. Every sentence should feel natural and authentic. If you’re artistic, maybe you weave illustrative details in your storytelling. If you’re funny, don’t be afraid to deploy humor. An admissions coach can help you refine your essays so that they showcase both your personality and professionalism.

Decoding the UVA Darden MBA Essays

Darden Essay Question 1

What would you want your classmates to know about you that is not on your resume? (100 words; hard cutoff)

Here, Darden’s admissions team wants to get to know your personal interests beyond a surface level. This Darden essay question frames this exploration in terms of what you stand to offer your future classmates, so it is important to dig deep and get personal. Instead of making generalized statements such as “I love to swim,” talk specifically about experiences you’ve had with swimming and the impact it has had on your life, relationships, career, etc.

With only 200 words, choose to focus on one or two passions, motivators or interests that mean the most to you. Then, describe why it is important to you and how you will share it with your peers in a way that will allow you to facilitate meaningful connections. This question is resonant of Stanford GSB’s iconic essay, “What matters most and why?” It’s an invitation to share more about who you are and what makes you tick, not just what you do.

Note the key phrase, “not on your resume.” It signals that this question isn’t about professional accomplishments. Instead, your response should convey who you are, what you care about and how you’ll show up in community.

Darden Essay Question 2

Please describe a tangible example that illuminates your experience promoting an inclusive environment and what you would bring to creating a welcoming, global community at Darden. (300 words; hard cutoff)

This Darden essay question reflects the school’s values around creating a diverse and inclusive MBA community. It is an invitation to convey your understanding of, commitment to, and fit with these values. It’s also a behavioral-style question, seeking evidence of what you have done in this area. This reflects the admissions committee’s belief that past performance is the best indicator of future action. S

Of the three Darden MBA essays, this is the longest.  Start by getting introspective about the spirit of the question and consider the kinds of examples of your leadership that demonstrate shared values and awareness.

The phrasing of the question explicitly suggests a structure. Devote the introduction of this Darden MBA essay to a brief example of a time when you promoted an inclusive environment. Your example should demonstrate your motivation and your capacity to drive change through leadership. It’s also worth noting that Darden stresses the “global community at Darden,” so your example could be a time when you promoted the inclusion of global perspectives.

Your past example should provide evidence that you will be effective in what you hope to achieve at Darden in terms of driving inclusivity. Look back to your notes from your research about Darden and reflect on the learnings and skills from your example. It may be helpful to write a connecting sentence that highlights these learnings and skills and frames them in terms of how you are enabled to drive inclusivity at Darden.

Use the rest of the essay to describe one or two ways you will promote diversity and inclusion at Darden. Be specific; rather than writing, “I will be a leader,” provide a distinct idea for something you will do to promote inclusivity and what resources or organizations at Darden you will be involved with that will help you accomplish it.

Darden Essay Question 3

At this time, how would you describe your short-term, post-MBA goal in terms of industry, function, geography, company size, and/or mission, and how does it align with the long-term vision you have for your career? (200 words)

Again, the question explicitly suggests a structure for this Darden essay. Start off by providing your short-term goal with as much specificity as possible. Short-term goals involve your near-immediate plans — either for an internship and/or two to three years after b-school. During this period, you should be acquiring specific expertise or skills that’s essential for you to reach your long-term vision.

Given the slim word count and the simple fact that Darden doesn’t ask for your past experience, don’t spend much space discussing related details or skills that can be found on your resume to explain your short-term goal. Only use those details when they are absolutely necessary to provide context. Use the sentences that follow to frame your short-term goals in terms of your passions. From there, seamlessly dive into how these steps set you up for your long-term vision.

Notice in this Darden MBA essay, the school does not ask for the same level of specificity for your long-term vision as it does for your short-term post-MBA goal. You can still provide something specific, but Darden is giving you the opportunity to discuss your long-term goal in ways other than a job function or company, like creating a type of impact. The admissions committee expects you to have a clear understanding of where a Darden MBA can take you, and that you have thought about how the MBA, coupled with your short-term goals, will make clear progress in the intended direction. (For more insight on crafting short- versus long-term MBA goals, read our related article on how to create MBA goals.)

Want More Advice?

Your Fortuna coach can point you to Darden essay examples, or you can browse the latest articles on the Darden Admissions blog.

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Fortuna’s Trisha Nussbaum is an MBA admissions coach and graduate of NYU Stern with a background in tech consulting.