Darden’s application is one of the shortest among the leading business schools that requires you to write three essays in all. Two of them expect you to describe in ONLY 150 words your employment history and personal information, and the third one (the major essay) expects you to share your perspective of leadership in a changing global world. All three essays pose different challenges, the first two are tests of your writing skills challenging you to be as precise as you can, while the third one (your REAL Challenge) evaluates you on your perspective of leadership in the global context.

Let us look at them one by one.

Essay 1: Personal Information Essay: At Darden, a core part of your academic experience is your participation in and contributions to your learning team. What will you contribute to your team? (150 words)

This straightforward question presents an opportunity for applicants to highlight their teamwork skills, strengths, personality, and hobbies to the admissions committee. Since this question is school-specific, you need to be thoroughly familiar with the school’s program. When demonstrating your connection and contribution to Darden, you must prove that you have done your homework about the program. Brevity is the key here as you are allowed to use only 150 words.

Example: Moreover, my managerial experience will enable me to provide my team valuable insight into the nuances of practical business development and risk management in a unique business environment of developing countries. I am confident that as an experienced organizer of various workshops, I will add significant value to my teams by ensuring the synergy of peers’ efforts, leading to my team's success.

Essay 2: Employment History Essay: If you were on an elevator with your dream company CEO or angel investor, what would you tell him/her about your professional ambitions and goals? (150 words)

Instead of having a full-length essay about career goals, Darden has framed the typical career goals essay as an elevator pitch. Since the essay should address a CEO or angel investor it is imperative that you present a clear and concise statement of your career goals, providing a brief picture of your accomplishments that have enabled you to set these goals. Due to the restrictive word limit, there is absolutely no scope of stating reasons for applying to Darden.

Example: "My career in consulting will enable me to add value to various businesses and lead me to my long-term goal of setting up my own consulting company focused entirely on strategic advisory for financial companies. My dream is to make my future firm a boot camp for young talents who aim to establish their own business and thrive in a creative and effective professional environment"

Essay 3: Share your perspective on leadership in the workplace and describe how it has been shaped by the increasing influence of globalization. (500 words)

This essay gives applicants the opportunity to discuss their perspective on leadership and to offer their thoughts about how globalization has shaped their perception. The challenge here is to discuss your changing perspective of leadership in the wake of global changes. Keep in mind nobody cares about what your perception of leadership is; all they care about is if your perspective is a product of your own professional experiences in a global context.

Therefore, when presenting your view on leadership in the workplace, be extremely careful in not talking about leadership in vacuum saying “My perception of leadership is to inspire or motivate others……, etc.” An essay full of definitions of leadership will die its natural death because this is not what Darden is looking for. They are looking for bright leaders who can take initiatives, adapt themselves to change s when required, and seize opportunities in this fast-changing global world.

So, the key here is to apply it to your life and give examples. Remember, this essay needs to be alive with your passion and examples from your workplace initiatives. You should be able to convince how the global event that took place at that time directly or indirectly affected you in the work place or outside the work place, how you dealt with it, and what you learned from it.

The key words to zero in on are leadership and globalization, the favorite mantras of B-Schools. In order to be able to identify examples of your leadership skills, you need to understand what exactly leadership means. Broadly speaking Darden’s application is one of the shortest among the leading business schools that requires you to write three essays in all. Two of them expect you to describe in ONLY 150 words your employment history and personal information, and the third one (the major essay) expects you to share your perspective of leadership in a changing global world. All three essays pose different challenges, the first two are tests of your writing skills challenging you to be as precise as you can, while the third one (your REAL Challenge) evaluates you on your perspective of leadership in the global context.

Now illustrate your leadership ideas with examples/stories from your work-life. Recall times when you exemplified one of those definitions and led effectively at a time when the world was hit by specific global challenge e.g. recession, oil crisis, etc. Select your stories/ examples from different jobs over your professional experience. Your experiences should be the ones in which you challenged yourself and adapted yourself to the changes that occurred due to increasing globalization. Make sure that each paragraph supports your case and unfold your story.

The outcome of your story should be - what you learned from it, how it enhanced your skills, or how it deepened your perspectives. The new perspective and the lessons learned would tell the Ad Com who you are as a person and if you would fit into Darden's classroom and community or not.

Thus, the structure of your essay would be like this:

• the challenge you faced in a global context
• the action you took
• the outcome/result of your action
• the lesson you learned or the perspective you gained

Example:

Beginning in 2008, sensing the abundance of opportunities outside North America, we decided to expand to other geographies. (the global context)

Coincidentally, HSBC was launching its credit card in Chile, so in order to capitalize on that, I flew to the USA and persuaded HSBC management to partner my team in this venture. (the action)

That small $ 48K engagement proved to be a huge success and also opened the doors of many other Latin American countries to us. Building on this success, my team extended its support in Europe in 2011, too.  (the outcome)

Evidently, in today’s global business arena, the ability to seize the opportunities is the hallmark of effective leadership. (the lesson learned /the perspective gained)

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