Meet Five of the ‘Real Humans’ of UVA Darden’s Class of 2023

The MBA website Clear Admit recently spotlighted the University of Virginia Darden School of Business Class of 2023, a group that set a variety of records for diversity and academic accomplishments.

The publication profiled five students with varied backgrounds and career goals, including students who worked most recently in higher education, marketing and business development — or served in the U.S. Military.

One of the students profiled, Megan Scott (Class of 2023), said she decided to pursue an MBA as part of an effort to pivot to corporate finance, and chose Darden in part due to the location and the case method classroom.

Why did you choose UVA Darden? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose Darden because of the case method and the location. The case method is used here and at Harvard and after attending a few case method introduction workshops, I knew that this would be the best way for me to learn. I love that our content is taught through conversations and that all of my classmates bring their real work experience to the table to deepen conversations. We are never being lectured to which is such an engaging way to learn.

Most people do not know that UVA is in the middle of Virginia wine country! They call it the Napa of the East Coast because there are over 40 vineyards within 30 minutes from the school! Between the vineyards, the amazing hiking trails nearby, and the food scene I knew there would be a lot to do during my free time. I actually spent my birthday here on a hot air balloon ride over the vineyards. It is truly a beautiful place.

What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2023?
I think my most valuable contribution to this class is my perspective. I come from a somewhat non-traditional background: I’m a woman, African American, worked in sales, and lived downtown in a big city for many years. In most of my discussions during cases, I reference real experiences of people I’ve met and worked with and bring my perspective to the conversation about the industries and businesses we are discussing. I think it helps my classmates think about things a little differently than they may have before and that’s a good thing.

I also was elected to the leadership team of my section at Darden (the 70 students we take our core classes with every day) as a co-social chair, I am also a co-social chair for the 2023 Consortium class at Darden, and one of the Black Business Student Association (BBSA) First-Year Liaisons. My involvement in the social aspects of Darden is a great contribution as well because we are really a community here and I love having a hand in that.

Read the full interview and view the profiles of Class of 2023 students Tyler Kelley, Myles Stroud, Lucy King and Jade McLaughlin.