Discover Darden and The Consortium

I attended the Discover Darden event yesterday cosponsored by The Consortium at Darden. The event was great for so many reasons: the Consortium interview at Darden was open-ended and conversational; the close-knit community facilitated by First Year (FY) Learning Teams; and the realness of the students, faculty, and alumni (as opposed to the "Conceited, intimidating, and better than you attitude at some top programs) provided me an education of Darden thought I may not receive from online sources.

The day was jam-packed with tours, networking, and Q&A sessions. Yes, I was tired after waking up at 4:45am that morning to drive 3 hours with traffic from D.C. to Darden. But, I made sure I was engaged throughout the day, and that I networked - I asked for business cards from most everyone there, after engaging them in conversation first. Attending the event had the extra bonus of letting me interact with and size my potential competition (and the competition was fierce). Furthermore, in networking I learned about the Toigo Foundation whose programs inspire minority students to pursue careers in finance while providing them with lifelong support and training, and tuition assistance (I will continue researching this organization to determine whether or not I should apply).

Arriving back home to D.C. around 1:00am that night, I was exhausted. My bed became my best friend shortly after I arrived through the door. The next morning, however, I followed-up via e-mail with all the contacts I got the day prior; I also submitted my Consortium interview form for my interviewer to complete. I also followed-up with candidates (you never know which students you could end up in school with). As a way to distinguish myself, I included a sentence about my interest in photography along with two pictures I have taken (everyone likes to see nice pictures).

I am convinced that Darden is a good fit for the "whole of me" and will be applying to the program via the Consortium by November 15, 2009 for first round decision.

P.S. This past Thursday, I received notice from IE Business School that my application materials for the Masters in Advanced Finance Program have been received and that my application will be under review by the Admissions Committee. Hopefully, I can get a decision by the end of the month!