Buzzwords: “Restructuring the Rigor” “Capstone Project” “Meaningful Integration”
Buzzwords Take II: “Two Week Spring Break” “Self-Scheduled Exams” “100 Case Party?!?!”
The much speculated-upon new first-year curriculum was unveiled last Tuesday, and it is fair to say that the breadth of the changes lived up to the anticipation. Aside from the total number and subject matter of FY classes, there is very little about the new curriculum that resembles the one we all know and wish so kindly for our successors to endure (or rather, "enjoy").
Extensive time and evaluation have been devoted to restructuring the curriculum, which is heavily informed by student feedback. Current first years vehemently communicated the challenge of being able to effectively commit and focus on one's classes AND search for a summer internship in the previously overly integrated and rigid structure. To illustrate: A typical day could entail five hours of class, prepping three cases, researching a company prior to its briefing, attending the company's cocktail hour, and finally rushing back to learning team, tie and beer in hand.
The new curriculum is not intended to be easier (requiring analysis of three cases for four days every week), but it aims to separate coursework and summer recruiting in order to maximize students' academic and professional development.
The Dirt:
Each term will comprise five weeks, of which four weeks will encompass four days of classes followed by three take-home, self-scheduled exams. In the fifth week of each term, FYs will have the opportunity to write/review/submit resumes and cover letters, attend briefings and networking events, and focus on other recruiting-related activities (for our off-Grounds, non-traditional brethren, these "Event Days" offer the chance to travel and/or make crucial professional connections). This five-week structure is repeated five times throughout the first year, with each term boasting a theme such as "Creating Value for Stakeholders = Ethics, DA and FMP." A "capstone project" tying together core concepts will be required at the end of Term 5 before the FYs break into a sixth and final term composed of electives. Rather than occupying an afternoon time slot, CarMa will be incorporated in the Event Days, while MC classes will be sprinkled throughout the year. FY Spring Break will now mirror SY's, allowing an additional week for GBEs and job trekking. The legendary 100 Case Party shows no signs of disappearing (so breathe a little easier) and will likely occur after the second term in late October (who actually counted the number of cases completed anyway?). Finally, it has yet to be determined if students will be reorganized from lettered sections into numbered sections following Term 3.
The Take-Aways:
The redesigned FY curriculum promises many benefits, including greater flexibility and reduced conflict between academic and professional pursuits. Perhaps most importantly, the adjustments to the curriculum prove that Darden has done again what it does so well: listen, reevaluate and enact change.
Extensive time and evaluation have been devoted to restructuring the curriculum, which is heavily informed by student feedback. Current first years vehemently communicated the challenge of being able to effectively commit and focus on one's classes AND search for a summer internship in the previously overly integrated and rigid structure. To illustrate: A typical day could entail five hours of class, prepping three cases, researching a company prior to its briefing, attending the company's cocktail hour, and finally rushing back to learning team, tie and beer in hand.
The new curriculum is not intended to be easier (requiring analysis of three cases for four days every week), but it aims to separate coursework and summer recruiting in order to maximize students' academic and professional development.
The Dirt:
Each term will comprise five weeks, of which four weeks will encompass four days of classes followed by three take-home, self-scheduled exams. In the fifth week of each term, FYs will have the opportunity to write/review/submit resumes and cover letters, attend briefings and networking events, and focus on other recruiting-related activities (for our off-Grounds, non-traditional brethren, these "Event Days" offer the chance to travel and/or make crucial professional connections). This five-week structure is repeated five times throughout the first year, with each term boasting a theme such as "Creating Value for Stakeholders = Ethics, DA and FMP." A "capstone project" tying together core concepts will be required at the end of Term 5 before the FYs break into a sixth and final term composed of electives. Rather than occupying an afternoon time slot, CarMa will be incorporated in the Event Days, while MC classes will be sprinkled throughout the year. FY Spring Break will now mirror SY's, allowing an additional week for GBEs and job trekking. The legendary 100 Case Party shows no signs of disappearing (so breathe a little easier) and will likely occur after the second term in late October (who actually counted the number of cases completed anyway?). Finally, it has yet to be determined if students will be reorganized from lettered sections into numbered sections following Term 3.
The Take-Aways:
The redesigned FY curriculum promises many benefits, including greater flexibility and reduced conflict between academic and professional pursuits. Perhaps most importantly, the adjustments to the curriculum prove that Darden has done again what it does so well: listen, reevaluate and enact change.
