Michigan Ross MBA Program is a full-time MBA program offered by the Ross School of Business. It is associated with the University of Michigan. The program has been ranked #28 by the Financial Times in its Global MBA Ranking 2020. It has also been ranked #10 by Forbes in top business schools of the United States. Ross school of business has produced several leaders who are scattered around the world. Some of the most prominent Ross’s alumni include Stephen Sanger (CEO, General Mills), James Danko (President, Butler University), Shailesh Kumar (Founder, Value Stock Guide), Howard Flight (British Member of Parliament), Mahendra Bhandari (Indian Surgeon), & Roger B. Smith (Former CEO, General Motors).
For the class of 2021, 421 students enrolled for the Michigan Ross MBA Program out of the thousands of applications received by the school. 27% of the class consists of international students from more than 30 countries. The batch includes 45% of women candidates, while 22% are US minorities. In this article, we shall cover everything you need to know before considering the Michigan Ross MBA Program.
The Michigan Ross MBA Program prepares you to thrive in the ever-changing business environment. The curriculum is real, rigorous, & makes you ready to face the challenges ahead. Through the core courses, students develop a foundation of business fundamentals. It covers topics that every business leader should be aware of. Some of the core subjects include Financial Accounting, Business Statistics, Microeconomics, Marketing Management, Corporate Strategy, Operations Management, etc. Please note that some of the core courses may be waived for the students who can demonstrate proficiency in them.
The second-year consists of electives. Students can customize their programs according to their interests or career goals. Some of the most popular electives include Marketing engineering & analytics, Mergers, acquisition, and corporate development, Integrated Product Development, Business leadership in changing times, Data management tools & techniques, etc. The school also provides the option of concentration & specialization in various focus areas. Some of them include Business & sustainability, Data & business analytics, Healthcare management, & Management science.
During the second year of the Michigan Ross MBA program, students can choose to study abroad at one of Ross’s distinguished partner schools around the world. Some of Ross’s partner schools include HEC Paris, ISB Hyderabad, HKUST Hong Kong, CEIBS Shanghai, London School of Economics & Political Science, etc. Other than the international exchange program, the school also provides short-term global experience programs, Global fellowship programs, & multidisciplinary action projects (MAP).
Eligibility
The school looks for talented students with good academics & excellent professional experience.
Academic Requirement:
The applicant must hold a college or university degree equivalent to a four-year American bachelor’s degree. The school also accepts a three-year bachelor’s degree. There is no minimum graduate GPA required to apply for the Michigan Ross MBA Program. However, the average GPA is generally between 3.4-3.5 every year.
Professional Experience:
The school does not require a specific number of full-time work experiences, but almost all selected students have worked for at least 2-years. The average work experience of the class is generally 5-years.
Standardized Tests:
A valid GMAT or GRE score is a must requirement to apply for the Michigan Ross MBA Program. Although there is no minimum score requirement mentioned by the school, the average GMAT score for the class of 2021 is 719, with a range (middle 80%) of 680-760. For the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the middle 80% range for quants is 154-165 & for verbal 153-167.
International students are also required to take English proficiency tests like TOEFL, IELTS & PTE. The school recommends a 100+ score for Internet-based TOEFL, 70+ for PTE, & a score band of 7+ for IELTS. This requirement can be waived if the last institution attended by the applicant used English as the medium of instructions.
The full-time MBA tuition fees per academic year come at $71,048 for international students. There are also additional mandatory fees of $214 and an international student service fee of $500 (for students studying under F or J visa status). The estimated living expenses for one year are $24,792. It includes books & supplies ($1,716), food & housing ($16,502), loan fees ($224), & personal expenses ($6,350). Please note that the living expenses vary from students to students and depend upon the type of lifestyle preferred.
Scholarship
All the admitted students are considered automatically for scholarships. The results for the same are notified upon admission. The decisions are based on academic ability, professional & personal achievements, and potential to contribute to the Ross community. The scholarship awards range from $10,000 to full tuition fees. The Ross financial-aid office posts scholarship opportunities throughout the year. Some scholarships are need-based. Students are encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Students Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for all the awards.
Students can also opt for federal direct unsubsidized loan options. The loan carries a low-interest rate, and the typical repayment period is around 10-years. Other than this, there are also various options available for private educational loans. Other than the scholarship & loans, students can also choose to apply for an assistantship for financial help. There are three options available, namely, research assistants, staff assistants, & student instructors.
For the placement session 2018-19, 97.2% of the students received a job offer within 3-months of graduation, and 96% accepted the offers. The median base salary received by the class of 2019 was $129,000, with a range of $50,000-$180,000. Reportedly, more than 90% of students received a median signing bonus of $25,000. Students placed in investment banking job function received the highest median base salary of $150,000, followed by the ones placed in strategic consulting with $148,000. The top three industries for the placement session 2018-19 were
Consulting 32%
Technology 15.1%
Financial Services 21.6%
The top three job functions were:
Strategy Consulting 25.4%
Marketing/ Sales 17.8%
General Management 13.3%
Some of the top recruiting companies were as follows:
McKinsey & Company
Amazon
Boston Consulting Group
Citi
PepsiCo
Microsoft
Medtronic
Online Application checklist:
Transcripts
GMAT/GRE score
One page resume
Three essays (including 2-short essay type)
One letter of recommendation
Application fee of $200
Interview:
After the pre-selection process, selected applicants are invited to appear for the interview. It helps the admissions committee to understand how you present your experiences & accomplishments in a professional setting. The interview is conducted by Ross’s current students or alumni and lasts for 30-45 minutes. The interviewer will only have access to your resume. The interview is primarily behavioral & consists of general MBA interview questions. The school recommends you to be clear about your resume & treat the admissions interview like a job interview.
Additionally, the school also conducts a Team Exercise & highly recommends participating in it. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate your teamwork and interpersonal skills, and to engage with potential future classmates. You will work in small groups to create and solve a business problem incorporating randomly selected words. Your group will then present the problem and solution to a mock client. The focus of our evaluation is on how your team works together and how you communicate. The Team Exercise is held on-campus and other major cities around the world, including Shanghai, New Delhi, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, etc.
The Ross school of business asks the applicants to answer three essay questions, including two short type compositions. They are as follows:
PART 1: SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
Select one prompt from each group. Respond to your selected prompts using 100 words or fewer (<100 words each; 200 words total).
Group 1
- I want people to know that I:
- I made a difference when I:
- I was aware that I was different when:
Group 2
- I am out of my comfort zone when:
- I was humbled when:
- I was challenged when:
PART 2: ESSAY
Michigan Ross is a place where people from all backgrounds with different career goals can thrive. What is your short-term career goal, and why? (200 words)
OPTIONAL STATEMENT
Optional statement: Is there something in your resume or application that could use some explanation? You might want to discuss the completion of supplemental coursework, employment gaps, academic issues, etc. Feel free to use bullet points where appropriate.
The short type essays are designed, particularly to know you personally. Out of the three options given, we would recommend you to self-reflect in all the topics and answer what you feel would be the best. For the second essay, be very thorough & clear with your response. With the word limit of 200, it might get hard for you to answer about your career goals in detail. So focus only on the important things. For the optional statement, answer it only if there is something in your background that requires a brief explanation.
Michigan Ross MBA Program is one of the most sought out business programs around the world. With an acceptance rate of nearly 30-35% every year, making into the Ross school of business is a difficult task. So if you’re planning to apply for the program, give your best.
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