OT - Ross Application Help
If this is too off topic the mods can delete it but I'm just looking for advice. I'm a freshman at Michigan and I'm working on my application to Ross. One of the essays asks why I want to pursue a degree from Ross and I guess I'm just kind of stuck. I want to be unique and not just give a cliche answer but I really don't know what I want to do with my life. Do any of you have any tips for how to approach this essay? Also, if anyone here is a Ross grad, could you explain what makes Ross unique? Thanks for your help in advance and if anyone is annoyed by this post I'll leave this for you.
Edit: Responding to some comments, I'm not looking for anyone to write my essay, I just wanted tips. I know I want to go into a business career but I'm not decided about which field (i.e. consulting, IB, accounting, etc.). I know I have to figure it out for myself I just figured the mgoblog community would be a helpful group to ask for advice and I appreciate the comments I have gotten. And again, if you feel this post isn't appropriate for this site, I'll leave this here.
March 18th, 2015 at 10:22 PM ^
March 18th, 2015 at 10:23 PM ^
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March 18th, 2015 at 10:25 PM ^
Be honest. Write clearly. You are right in thinking that cliche will not be good. At the same time, trying to be unique often comes off as contrived.
When I read entrance essays, I don't look to be blown away. As a matter of fact, there is little an undergrad could write that would be surprising or unique.
As a whole: I look for clarity and a genuine response.
March 18th, 2015 at 10:25 PM ^
whats your unique name? I'll send you an essay guide that my UROP advisor wrote up for us a few years back that was super helpful for me.
March 18th, 2015 at 10:27 PM ^
tworley
March 18th, 2015 at 10:42 PM ^
March 18th, 2015 at 11:09 PM ^
Please internet, help me write this essay. This is almost definitely against the rules, but here is my uniqname in case you need to notify Ross that I don't actually know what I want to do with my life.
JMFC. You might as well just write that your dad is making you apply now.
March 18th, 2015 at 11:33 PM ^
What? I can assure you that this is not cheating. I can email you the help guide too if you want to see for yourself. Its not an outline, or a "write about x, then y, then z", its just an executive summary of what the eassay questions are getting at and strategies to help answer them. It really is all common knowlege and nothing different than what a peer advisor would help you out with. What "rule" is being broken?
March 19th, 2015 at 10:36 AM ^
I don't read it as a guy asking for the crowd to write his application. And if it IS an attempt, he'd be best to stay away from the comment sections of this blog, unless he wants his essay to be a bunch of cat gifs and snark.
Which, hell, might be unique enough for Ross...
March 18th, 2015 at 11:18 PM ^
If it matters to you OP, I am applying for Round 3 of the MBA this year (finally got my GMAT score high enough).
Just write a few drafts and pick one that answers the questions the best. Don't try to bullshit them.
And probably don't post about it on MGoBlog.
March 18th, 2015 at 10:26 PM ^
"I need a safety school in case I don't get into Harvard."
March 18th, 2015 at 10:27 PM ^
Honestly, in my year most people I knew who got in were just straightforward, concise and knew what they were talking about. No bullshit.
Don't try too hard to be "creative" or it comes off phony. I know some 4.0 students got rejected for getting a little too cute with their answers on the questions.
March 18th, 2015 at 10:59 PM ^
March 18th, 2015 at 10:37 PM ^
March 18th, 2015 at 10:40 PM ^
Yea...I never got it.
March 18th, 2015 at 10:58 PM ^
if you are a freshman and don't know what you want do with the rest of your life why are applying to Ross? If it's because graduates make an average of 137k and that's the only reason you need to back up and figure out what turns you on besides the obvious. Maybe working or visiting various occupations in a volunteer situation, if you can afford it, would help you get a clearer picture. Asking relatives and family connections to visit or work in business environments would be good, possibly over the summer. The best candidates for bschool are those with an undergraduate degree and 3-5 years of work experience. Do you want to be the next king of wall street or do you want to take over the family restaurant? Why and what led you to want to to do that. You must have a vision and a plan as to where you're going with this education. Being unique is a byproduct of your experiences and life goals neither of which you have right now. When you can answer some of those questions with meaningful conviction you will be ready to apply and the essay will be easier to write.
March 18th, 2015 at 11:31 PM ^
March 19th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ^
Realized that after I posted it but was too tired to fix it on my tablet since I can only type with one finger on a phone or tablet. My bad, thought it might slide but I should have known better lol.
March 19th, 2015 at 12:49 AM ^
Where is your $137k number from? Mid career? That seems low. Every Ross BBA I know made $75-90k + $10k bonus out of college. That is why everyone wants to go there. It makes you a lock for a very comfortable post-grad living, and it's far easier than college of engineering. Also prime location. I wonder if Ross would lose some coolness if it moved to North campus?
So you only knew classmates that went IB in NY or management consulting for one of the Big 3? VERY FEW Ross BBA grads make the kind of money you've quoted. Most are going to make between $50-65k with small bonuses.
Law is an advanced degree; BBA is not.
MBAs who go to IB probably make the money you're thinking of. Of 2014 Ross MBA grads, those who went into IB made a range of $100K - $125K with a signing bonus of $50K. For 2014 Ross BBAs in IB, it was $65K - $90K and $10K, respectively.
March 19th, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^
The typical pay for a newly-minted BBA going into IB is as follows:
Starting salary: $70-80k
Signing bonus: $10k (in some cases, $15k if returning to an internship employer)
First year bonus: $40-80k
All-in first year comp: $120-175k
My (admittedly limited) experience with IB and Hedge Funds here in NYC (I was on the tech side) as well as Big Law, most of the big money salary-wise went to MBAs. You might get close to those numbers with a BBA if your firm has a nice bonus system, but Big Law's salaries start in the $160k, which is pretty much required if you are going to pay off your $120k+ student loans.
BBA is a good career path by all means, but the high salaries aren't when you first get out.
March 19th, 2015 at 10:55 AM ^
Depends a lot on the cycle / size of analyst classes when you come out, but yes true IB is likely going to take ~10-15% of the class (30-45 out of 330ish students). Then you add the top tier consulting offers, but you're right... most will not make that money.
(Though you can surround yourself with ONLY those people if you so choose).
March 18th, 2015 at 11:00 PM ^
March 18th, 2015 at 11:01 PM ^
You want a 50 inch flat screen for your office.
March 18th, 2015 at 11:17 PM ^
He might for these next couple of weeks.
50 inch flatscreens are only for Ross MBA grads, not the BBA grads, they only get 40 inch flatscreens.
/s
/s
/s
March 18th, 2015 at 11:37 PM ^
March 18th, 2015 at 11:30 PM ^
You are looking in the wrong place for the answer.
Take this as an opportunity to actually figure out why you are applying to Ross.
What you are doing is trying to figure out what they want to hear. That's inauthentic. Do the work and figure out for yourself why this is important to you.
Once you do that, you'll be able to create a powerful essay regarding why you want to go. Not because it will be the right answer or the answer that they are looking for, but because it will be authentic.
March 18th, 2015 at 11:31 PM ^
Maybe say that you want to help people and go into life sciences or that accounting is your passion. Just make it seem like your BS is true.
March 18th, 2015 at 11:35 PM ^
March 18th, 2015 at 11:38 PM ^
I graduated from the MBA program so I can give a little perspective as it appears the essay question is pretty mucht the same. You have to some clue what you want to do with your life. If your're applying to Ross, that means you're ambitious and want to work in business or some industry in a corporate setting at a minimum. Right? Finance, strategy consulting, product marketing, brand management, operations? You can't just say I don't know what I want to do but I want a high paying job. Not gonna work. You have to have a compelling narrative as to why going to Ross will be a stepping stone to your future career goals. The truth is, at least among MBAs, that many people admit (after they get in) that they bullshitted their Why Ross? essay and really wanted to explore a few career options. But again you can't say that and expect acceptance. I would think about hard about the industry or professional field might interest you most and write a narrative around that, even if you're unsure. You need to know plenty about the school's curriculum, community, culture and key programs and point out specifically how they will help you get where you want to be or how it's a great fit for you, or how it appeals or align with some passion of yours. Talk about how you've visited the school, spoken to current and past students and were impressed by the unique blah blah blah and passion displayed by blah blah blah etc. As to what makes Ross unique, it's usually the focus on leadership, the supportive engaged community, the collaborative, team-based, "action oriented" teaching style or it's strong focus areas (sustainability, consulting, operations, etc). The latter in particular might be helpful to reference as a reason why you need to go to Ross to achiece your goals - that is if any one of them appeals to you.
March 18th, 2015 at 11:41 PM ^
Echoing what was said above - whatever you write, it's gotta sound authentic and genuine and be written in a clear, confidant voice.
March 19th, 2015 at 12:13 AM ^
When you know the area of focus is business, but you clearly need further refinement and direction as to the specifics, why wouldn't you apply for and rely on the brightest minds in the business world to give you that direction? That is not only a valid reason to apply, but perhaps the most sincere and worthy reason to apply. From another perspective: i don't know the precise moves or the actual name of the biggest bully i need to pummel in a karate tournament, but i certainly know i want to learn HOW to figure all that out at the feet of the best Sensei EVER. Sincerely, The Karate Kid.
March 19th, 2015 at 12:46 AM ^
What are you current stats and extra curriculars?
If you're interested in accounting, wouldn't LSA -> MAcc be an easier route?
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March 19th, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^
LSA '94 and MBA '14 here.
Do your homework, both on yourself and on writing good essays. First, I recommend picking up a copy of What Color Is Your Parachute and using the exercises in the latter half of the book to help figure out your dream job. It will help give you clarity you can use to a) help you figure out what you might want to do with your life and b) help you write this essay. Second, I recommend going to amazon and finding a book about getting into top business schools. These books always have a section on essay writing. You can even get a book about getting into MBA programs b/c many of the essays are similar.
That said, you don't need a BBA if you want to get a good job after graduation, and if you do end up wanting a long-term career in business, you can always go back and get your MBA a few years down the road.
Hope this helps, and good luck.
This makes me feel old.
Good advice, though!
March 19th, 2015 at 10:47 AM ^
BBA 2010
Wall Street Oasis ranked Ross #3 for undergrad to Investment Banking.
http://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/2015/02/04/the-top-feeder-school…
Go talk to current BBAs and get their opinions.
Take some initiative and do some research to figure out what it's like and whether it really is right for you. Then write about that action you took.
You don't want to lie, but you don't want to write what the truth is right now:
"you don't know why",
"you just heard its good for jobs",
"you don't want to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, so you're here by process of elimination"
Demonstrate you can take some initiative. They are looking for self starters that will take advantage of all the opportunities at Ross and represent the school well in a few years when it comes to recruiting/job performance.
March 19th, 2015 at 11:16 AM ^
A couple things to consider based on some of the comments here. MBA applicants are expected to have a very good idea of what they want to do post-MBA and be able to articulate that as part of their essays. My assumption with BBA applicants is that there is probably a little more flexibility there, but that's where I would play up that you may not be 100% settled on a particular career path (but definitely 'business'), but how you feel like being in the BBA program will help you find the exact right path for you. I'd probably try to narrow things downa bit from where it seems like you are now, but don't think the MBA advice of 'be extremely specific' is necessarily the case here. That said, I've never done BBA admissions.
Edit: and as the poster above mentioned, definitely don't make it seem like a process of elimination that got you here. That's not the kind of uncertainty in your goals that will probably be acceptable.