Experience Darden

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Shane Dikolli. Dikolli is a member of the Darden’s Accounting faculty, and his primary research interests focus on the performance evaluation of CEOs spanning both analytical modeling and empirical analysis. We talk with Dikolli about his background, what led him to Darden, why he’s so interested in CEO performance, the Darden Worldwide Course he leads to Australia, his Strategic Costing elective and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba. 

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Haley Mendlin. Haley is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and she applied to Darden through the Future Year Scholars Program, Darden’s deferred enrollment program. She is also VP of Finance for the Healthcare Club and serves on the Darden Disability Alliance. We talk with her about her decision to apply to Darden, what she’s enjoyed about learning through the case method, her interest in healthcare and what the Healthcare Club has planned for the year ahead, how she’s spending her summer, and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Tomás Bicudo. Tomás is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and he is also the President of Darden’s Latin American Student Association (LASA). We talk with Tomás about his decision to pursue an MBA, what led him to Darden, his role on the GenAI student advisory board, serving as a tutor for the Global Economies and Market course, brewing beer with Three Notch’d Brewery as part of Darden’s School of Brew student organization and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Pauline Jaffe. Pauline is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and she also applied to Darden through the Future Year Scholars Program, Darden’s deferred enrollment program. We talk with her about her decision to pursue an MBA, how she decided when to start her MBA program, how she explored her career goals and interests during her first year, her plans for this summer and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba. 

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Dan Levetown. Dan is a recent graduate in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2026, and we talk with him about his decision to pursue an MBA, what led him to Darden, his cleaning start-up, Refresh Routine, his favorite courses at Darden, his recommendations for things to do in Charlottesville and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba. 

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Julia Boyer. Julia a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and she has a number of leadership roles – VP of Finance, Consulting Club, VP of Women’s Engagement, Golf Club, VP of Career and Alumni Engagement, Graduate Women in Business (GWIB), and Forte Ambassador. We talk with Julia about her background, her decision to pursue an MBA, what motivated her to take on leadership roles during her second year, her recommendations for visitors to Charlottesville and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba. 

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Alem Bello. Alem is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and he is also the Admissions representative for the Darden African Business Organization (DABO). We talk with Alem about his decision to pursue an MBA, coming to the U.S. to study at Darden, the role DABO played in his MBA research process, what he’s enjoyed about life in Charlottesville, his plans for the summer and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba. 

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Hannah Cho. Hannah is a student in our Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and she is the President of Darden’s Marketing and General Management Club. We talk with Hannah about her background in the beauty industry, her decision to pursue an MBA, her plans for this summer, what she’s looking forward to in her second year and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba. 

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Kelly Okun. Kelly is a graduate in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2025, and she is currently running her venture, Fairway to Green, an equitable media company covering the worlds of men’s and women’s golf. We talk with Kelly with what’s she been up to since graduating, winning the Kathryne Carr award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, how Fairway to Green has grown since her time in Charlottesville, what she’s looking forward to in the months ahead and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Anthony Palomba. Palomba is a member of the Data Analytics Decision Sciences faculty area at Darden, and he teaches Data Storytelling and Media & Entertainment Business to MBA, MSBA, and Executive MBA students. A media scholar specializing in machine learning, causal inference, and applied econometrics, Palomba explores how audiences engage with entertainment content and how technology is transforming competition across the media, advertising, and gaming industries. Prior to academia, he led research for global media and technology companies including HBO, Facebook, CNN, Fox Sports 1, Sesame Street, and NBCUniversal/Comcast. He continues to consult for GBK Collective, working on projects with primarily FAANG clients. We talk with Palomba about what led him to Darden, the elective courses he teaches at Darden, the storylines he’s following across the media and gaming industries and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba. 

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Jingjing Li. Jingjing is an Associate Professor of IT and Innovation at the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, and she is also one of the Academic Directors for UVA’s MS in Business Analytics (MSBA) program. We talk with Jingjing about Module 4, the module she leads in the MSBA program, how the program is incorporating AI into the curriculum, how the program stays relevant in a rapidly evolving landscape and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Rory McDonald. McDonald’s research focuses on how firms compete and innovate effectively in new technology-enabled markets. Drawing on a mix of in-depth fieldwork and archival data, he studies how executives develop viable strategies in these contexts and how they obtain resources that improve their chances of success. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with McDonald about his background, what led him to Darden, how the Strategy course fits into the Darden core curriculum, his popular electives, “Disruptive Strategy” and “Disruptive Innovation,” his current research interests and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba. 

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Blake Dietrick-Siefert. Blake is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and we talk with her about her background in professional basketball, her decision to pursue an MBA, how her career goals have evolved during her first year, what she’s looking forward to in her second year and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Grace Haffner. Grace is a first year student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and she also applied to Darden through the Future Year Scholars program, Darden’s deferred enrollment program for current undergraduates or students in their final year of a masters program who are yet to enter the workforce. We talk with Grace about her decision to pursue an MBA, what led her to Darden, how she figured the right time to go back to school, her plans for the summer ahead and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Andrew Katz. Andrew is a student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2027, and we talk with him about his decision to pursue an MBA, what he’s enjoyed about his first year, climbing Mt. Everest in the summer before starting at Darden, his start-up venture, Katalyze LLC, and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professors Marc Ruggiano and Rob Phillips. In this hour-long conversation, we talk with Ruggiano and Phillips about what Darden means by ethical AI as well as some of the ethical considerations across the AI value chain.  For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Christina Zhu. Christina is a second year student in our Full-Time MBA Class of 2026. We talk with Christina about her background, her decision to pursue an MBA, what led her Darden, her global experiences as a Darden student, what she’ll be doing after graduation and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Raj Venkatesan. Raj is a member of the Marketing faculty at the Darden School of Business, and he is also one of the Academic Directors for UVA’s MS in Business Analytics program. We talk with Raj about the MSBA program, how the faculty keep the curriculum current, the program’s upcoming fifth and final module, some of his favorite MSBA capstone projects and more. We also find time to discuss his Digital Marketing elective and how he’s incorporated AI into that course. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Jared Harris. Harris’ research centers on the interplay between ethics and strategy, with a particular focus on the topics of corporate governance, business ethics and interorganizational trust. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk with Harris about his background, what led him to Darden, how he has incorporated AI in the core Strategy course, why he thinks his Business Ethics Through Literature elective may be more important now than ever and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Alys Herbert and Katie Williams. Alys and Katie are Second Year students in UVA Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2026, and they also led the Student Tutoring program this year. We talk with Alys and Katie about their journeys to Darden, what drew them to the Tutoring program, how many students take advantage this resource, their advice for future MBA students and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Justin Hopkins. Professor Hopkins has taught various courses across Darden's programs and at the UVA Law School including electives on financial reporting and financial statement analysis. He has authored a number of cases helping students to gain a deeper understanding of the content of financial reports, the economic drivers of a firm's financial condition, and the governance characteristics of a company. We talk with Hopkins about his background, what led him to Darden, what drew him to Accounting, how Darden approaches teaching Accounting in the core curriculum, his recent paper on white collar crime prosecutions and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Anna Caughron. Anna is a Program Manager with Darden’s Institute for Business in Society, and we talk with her about the Golub Capital Board Fellows program.  The Board Fellows program connects Darden students with local nonprofit organizations for a unique opportunity in board service. Fellows serve as non-voting board members while simultaneously participating in classroom courses in board governance. In addition, Golub Capital Board Fellows have a lasting impact on their nonprofit partners by completing a meaningful project for their nonprofit over the course of the program.  For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with Charlie Meyer. Charlie is a second year student in Darden’s Full-Time MBA Class of 2026. He is also the President of Net Impact at Darden. We talk with Charlie about what led him to Darden, what drew him to Net Impact, his experience with the Golub Board Fellows program and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this episode of the podcast, we catch up with friend of the podcast, Whitney Kestner. Whitney is current co-leading Darden’s Admissions team, and we talk with her the recent announcement of waves for our Round 3 Full-Time MBA deadline, recent rankings highlights for Darden, forthcoming resources for admitted students and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.

In this special edition of the Darden Admissions podcast, we share a recent installment in our ongoing ‘Office Hours’ faculty spotlight series, a conversation with Professor Scott Miller. Miller is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business, Director of the Democracy and Capitalism Lab at the Karsh Institute of Democracy, and Senior Fellow at the Miller Center of Public Affairs. As an economic historian, Miller examines the development of modern economic systems, particularly during period of instability and volatility. In this conversation, we talk with Miller about his background, his Financial Crises and Alexander Hamilton courses, his thoughts on the relationship between democracy and capitalism and more. For more insights, tips, and stories about the Darden experience, be sure to check out the Discover Darden Admissions blog and follow us on Instagram @dardenmba.