What has surprised me about Darden

I was at the Delhi airport when I heard someone shout out, “Tharru, is that you?” I turned around to find an old classmate waving at me. It had been a long time - four years to be exact and I was overjoyed to see him. As we reminisced about the good old days, it stuck me – “After all these years, I am going back to school.” I was excited and nervous at the same time.

Fast forward one week and I found myself sitting in Classroom 50 attending my first class. The first thing that caught me by surprise was the pace at which the class moved. I am used to lecture based method where one can switch off for practically 50% of the class and still follow almost everything that happens. The case-study method that we follow here, is much faster. As a student, I have to be engaged all the time. The primary reason for that is the rich perspective that people bring in with them in the classroom. For example, I have had classes for only two weeks now and already there have been countless instances when fellow students have raised points which have made me say, “Wow! I could have never thought of that.” The case-study method ensures that the classroom is an intense and powerful experience. I think that the best way I can describe this to you guys is by quoting Professor Marc Lipson, “The Darden classroom is a unique and unreplicable experience.”

However, as you enter Darden’s building there is nothing that will give you even a hint of the intensity of discussions that happen within its walls. In fact, you would be forgiven if you felt like royalty. Darden is by far the most beautiful campus that I have seen. And please note I say this after having seen various campuses across the world – India, Japan and France.  Before coming to Darden, I knew that the University of Virginia was a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but I am still amazed at how beautiful it actually is. At night, the place almost resembles a resort.

Finally, I was surprised at the warm receptions that I got from the extended Charlottesville community just by virtue of me being a Darden student. Before coming to Darden I had spoken to quite a few alumni and had felt to some degree the much touted “Tight-knit community”. However, I never knew that this community extended much beyond Darden walls. Just yesterday, I had gone to Bank of America to deposit some money and as soon as the lady behind the desk got to know that I was a Darden student she immediately prioritized my request. Another example - A few days back, we were at Chipotle, a restaurant near Darden when suddenly the owner joined us at the table. He had got to know from someone that we were all first year students and wanted to come and make us feel welcome. I have countless of such stories. I feel immensely fortunate to be a part of such a community. And, you know what the best part is? It is just the beginning. 

 Saunders Hall – Darden Graduate School of Business