Why Location Matters When Choosing an EMBA Program

There’s a lot to consider when picking an EMBA program.

A prospective student may take into account everything from a program’s ranking on a list like Ivy Exec’s, to its network in that applicant’s chosen industry. But no less important than any of these other considerations is a school’s location.

With a goal of reaching an even more geographically and professionally diverse cohort of students, The University of Virginia Darden School of Business has now added a new location in Rosslyn, Virginia—just a short hop across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

“Darden was already in D.C. in a number of different ways,” Brett Twitty, Director of Admissions for Darden’s executive formats tells Ivy Exec. “The executive formats of the Darden MBA seemed like a natural fit with the market.”

By opening up its academic and professional offerings to the Washington, D.C. metro area—some two hours from Darden’s main campus in Charlottesville, Virginia—Darden is able to expand its EMBA and GEMBA (Global Executive MBA, which takes students to South Africa, China, Europe, and India) programs, while maintaining the same faculty for each experience.

Twitty explains that the university has taken note of a growing trend among EMBA students who are seeking to “have it all”— looking for the best program that also offers the most convenience.

“We have found that students increasingly want to maximize their Executive MBA experience, seeking a program that allows them to “have it all.” This means a program that offers both cultural and curricular fit, opportunity – both during and after school, a strong brand, a committed alumni network, and all at a price point that’s comfortable for the student,” Twitty says. “So, location is important, but it is one of many factors a student is weighing as she chooses a program, and no two students seem to conduct this analysis in exactly the same way.”

To get a better understanding of how current EMBA students weigh location in their decision on to where to study, Ivy Exec spoke to current Darden program participants.

Corbin Norman is a Washington D.C. resident who received his Masters in Systems Engineering from UVA in 2012. As a result, he was already familiar with the Charlottesville campus.

“I love Charlottesville and all it has to offer for a young entrepreneur like myself, but for the next phase of my life, I wanted to invest in an MBA program that was more convenient in terms of both schedule and location,” Norman told Ivy Exec about his choice to pursue a GEMBA with Darden. “The Rosslyn location provides that convenience I was looking for in an MBA program, and allows me to minimize my time away from home and the office.”

While Norman believes he still would have attended Darden, even if the Rosslyn location had not been an option, the thrill of studying in Washington, D.C. goes far beyond mere convenience.

“Being so close to D.C. enhances the experience at Darden because I am at the intersection of business, politics, and world affairs. The relationship between business and government (foreign and domestic) is getting increasingly complicated and oftentimes bitter. Sitting in a classroom, discussing a case about that relationship and how it affects business performance, government regulations, and broader economic and societal issues all while gazing over the nation’s capital is mind blowing. At times, I have to take a step back and gather all my emotions because being a part of this is so inexplicably powerful and overwhelming,” Norman added.

Meghan Azevedo is an EMBA program participant at Darden’s main campus in Charlottesville. While her commute to Rosslyn would have been shorter, she opted to drive a bit farther to enjoy the “college campus feel” of Charlottesville. Besides, when the Maryland resident compared the commute to other schools she was considering, like Fuqua and Kellogg, a trip by car seemed more convenient that weekly flights. She advises other prospective EMBA students to perform a similar mental calculus when it comes to picking a location for their program.

“The best advice I would give to anyone looking to embark on this incredible journey is to know your limits. Time is a precious resource, but becomes even more so in an Executive MBA Program,” Azevedo offered. “With the high demands of my job and my personal need for family time, in addition to the academic workload that I knew would come from pursuing my EMBA, I was not willing to allocate a lot of time to travel. Travel time is an incredibly important consideration when establishing your limits and weighing several options.”

But like her colleague Norman in Rosslyn, the choice of an EMBA program must fit many other criteria beyond location.

“For what I was looking for in my MBA experience—teaching style, classroom dynamic, student diversity, brand and reputation, and a strong alumni network—all within a reasonable driving distance, Darden was an easy “yes” for me,” Azevedo explained.