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From http://hindustantimes.com/news/674_396595,00310004.htm
The Indian view of Darden
Virgin territory, yet
Rumu Banerjee
“Indian students are attractive as they provide a global point of view to the programme, besides being English-speaking,” says Prof. Elliot Weiss, Associate Dean, Darden Business School, University of Virginia, US.
Interested in an MBA from America? Then head to the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. Ranked No. 9 internationally by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), it’s come in 17th on the best B-school, world-wide, rankings of the Financial Times and 12th on the Business Week listings. But the really interesting bit of information is that Darden has dethroned names like Wharton and Harvard from the EIU list in its climb to the top. Incidentally, the University of Virginia has been ranked the No.1 public university (2004) by the US News and World Report team.
So, what makes this school so special? Is it the quality of the faculty (ranked No.2 by Business Week for quality of teaching); the strong alumni network (ranked No.1 by the EIU) or the committed placement centre (again ranked No.2 by Business Week)? Well, it’s all this and more. In an exclusive talk with HT Horizons, the Associate Dean of Darden Business School, Professor Elliot Weiss, spoke about what makes Darden the best choice for Indian students.
Why should an Indian student opt for Darden and not Wharton or Harvard?While I admit that Darden may not be as well know as perhaps Wharton, I’d say we offer better options. There are a number of reasons why Indian students should choose Darden: one, our faculty is the best —- we’ve been ranked No.2 for quality of teaching by Business Week. Our professors are on top of their field of specialisation; they remain close to actual business problems and decisions through academia, consultancy as well as our executive programmes. So they have their fingers on the pulse of the real business world. Two, our focus is not functional mastery but leadership, understanding the business of management and not only the theory of it. Three, the case method of instruction. Here, major business challenges are analysed through discussions in class and informal groups. However, it’s not just an analysis of past businesses and then going back to lectures. In fact, most business problems don’t occur within a single discipline; a case taught in a Finance class may also include issues covered in Ethics or Operations classes. This integrated approach allows our students to analyse issues from different perspectives.
But why shouldn’t they go to B-schools in Asia, like in Singapore etc.? After all, the business environment there would reflect home conditions more, wouldn’t it?
I don’t think so. Business principles are global, applicable everywhere. That our programme comprises 30 per cent international students reflects this; in fact, it represents a cross-section of the global population that would be hard to find elsewhere, it’s the ‘real’ world. Also, our case studies are international, from Latin America, Asia and Europe. Look, we obviously must be doing the right thing, for it’s very hard to fool those who come for the executive programmes. If they’re happy with our course and faculty, it means that we’re in touch with the trends in the business world.
What are the programmes that you offer?
We offer a two-year MBA as well as an Executive Education programme. There’s a common core in the MBA programme in the first year and then students can opt for specialisation later. Incidentally, we have a required course in the first year on Ethics (in fact, we were one of the first universities to have this mandatory course). The classes are usually divided into five sections of 63 students, who are then moulded into learning teams of diverse backgrounds. The Executive Education modules are short-term programmes for working managers.
What’s the percentage of international students at Darden?
Out of the 300 plus students in our two-year MBA programme, I would say around 25-30 per cent comprise international students, of which eight per cent are Asians in the Class of ‘04 and nine per cent in the Class of ‘05.
What about placement? Has that been affected by the economic slowdown?
To be honest, yes, it has been affected. Most of our students, both international and domestic, opt for placement in investment banking and consultancy positions. However, jobs in these sectors are not as many as there used to be. There are also visa restrictions that international students are facing now. But the internships have gone well this year (95 per cent got internships). I would say I’m more confident of our current first years who’ll be graduating in 18 months.
At a glance
Darden is one of the few B-schools to have an India Chapter of the alumni network. The President of the India Chapter is V. N. Dalmia, Vice-Chairman and MD of Dalmia Continental (P) Ltd. and Sunshine Tourism Services (P) Ltd. as well as President of Dalmia Automobiles (P) Ltd. His contact number is 23246198, email: sunshineindia@vsnl.com.
Darden has a Career Development Team that looks after the placement/ internship needs of students. It provides a variety of programmes like Career Discovery (to decide on a career pathway); individual career consultations; Professional Development Services to help pick skills ranging from writing resumes to facing an interview board; as well as workshops and special events.
It provides 130 merit scholarships to international students as well as GATE loans
Fees are around US$ 33,000 for the MBA programme while living expenses come to $1,500/month for the nine month period while at school
The median base salary for the Class of 2002 was $85,000 (median signing bonus approx. $15,000). Companies coming in for recruitment included the likes of AT Kearney Inc., Citibank/ Citicorp, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch, Pfizer, UBS Warburg, Standard & Poors Corporation etc. |
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发表于 2003-9-29 15:45:00
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