Newswise — CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia — 6 April 2014 — 2014 heralded new possibilities for sisters Katie and Elisabeth Wright. Katie, a Second Year full-time MBA student at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, stands to graduate in May and will embark on a new career in consulting. Elisabeth, a 2013 graduate of Darden's MBA for Executives (EMBA), is approaching the one-year mark in her new role for a leading health care company in Denver, Colorado.

The two set out to travel very different paths, with help from two formats of the Darden MBA. The formats serve professionals at different stages of their careers.

"What I think is powerful about the full-time program is that everybody is taking off two years to commit to themselves and figure out what's next for learning and investing in themselves and in their futures," said Katie. "Going full time gives you that time to really reflect."

At Darden, personal development, career development and leadership development through case method teaching are hallmarks of the Darden experience. In addition, the School shapes an enterprise perspective among its students.

For EMBA participants, who work full time while pursuing their MBA, lessons learned can be immediately applied in school, work and life.

"The last two years were an incredible amount of work, but what I've learned is that you make time for the things you want to make time for. So with the academic work, I learned to rely on my learning team when I needed help and let them rely on me. At work I've become a much better delegator, really empowering the team around me. Then, outside of work and school, I learned how to make time matter," said Elisabeth.

Elisabeth accepted a Redwoods resident position with DaVita Healthcare Partners, a partnership between DaVita, which determines best practices in kidney care, and Healthcare Partners, which operates medical groups and physician networks.

Redwoods residents participate in a 10-month, post-MBA program that develops professionals to lead in the "DaVita way."

In this video, the sisters share their stories, discussing the similarities and differences between Darden's full-time MBA and EMBA formats, and the lifelong friendships and connections they forged.

About the Darden School of BusinessThe University of Virginia Darden School of Business is one of the world's leading business schools, offering MBA, Ph.D. and Executive Education programs. The unique Darden experience combines the case study method, top-ranked faculty whose research advances global managerial practice and business education, and a tight-knit learning environment to develop responsible and complete leaders who are ready to make an impact.

Press ContactMatt CharlesDirector of Media RelationsDarden School of BusinessUniversity of Virginia[email protected]+1-434-924-7502

Sharing via social media? Please tag us: @DardenMBA on Twitter, UVA Darden School of Business on Facebook.