Are you hoping for an interview invitation from Ross? Or taking your time to get to know the school before submitting your short answers in Round 2? There’s no better way to get a feel for a b-school’s vibe than by getting to know its people, or as one of our profiled students quotes, “The people, the people, the people!”
Before we meet a handful of new Ross students, let’s start with an overall class snapshot: Of the 423 people that comprise Michigan Ross’s Class of 2020, 43 percent are women and 32 percent are international. Twenty-three percent of the class identify as minority students.
Turning to the academic profiles of this diverse class, their GMAT average rose four points from the previous crop of students. The Class of 2020 averaged 720 on the GMAT while the Class of 2019 hit 716. The latest class also thrived in their undergraduate years, having secured an overall average GPA of 3.5. Their college studies varied as well—42 percent pursued economics or business, while 30 percent majored in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). The remainder of the class studied humanities.
Students averaged five years of work experience before arriving on campus. Finance and consulting dominated the pre-MBA employment landscape, as 32 percent of the class split evenly across those fields. Another 20 percent of students were evenly split across technology and healthcare before heading to Ross. The remainder of the class splayed across fields including education/non-profit, military/government, auto/transportation, and more.
These talented, diverse students will be attending an elite and dynamic business school on the rise. In the 2018 U.S. News and World Report MBA program rankings, Ross moved up four spots from 11 to 7. They have also launched two new educational opportunities this fall. The first is a new concentration that really taps in to current trends: data and business analytics. This new focus will provide students with the skills to develop data-driven business strategies and recommendations.
Given the popularity of the Ross consulting requirement, MAP (Multidisciplinary Action Project), it’s no surprise that the second addition emphasizes real-world experience and skill building. The new Ross Experiences in Action-Based Learning or REAL program puts students in real-world situations with tangible stakes on the line. Through these experiences, students will learn how to lead in a complex, dynamic world. Moreover, students will be better prepared for the working world, as they will already have considerable practical experience.
Without further ado, let’s meet five Ross students and see why they’re excited to join fellow “Rossers,” what advice they have for new applicants, and how diverse their plans for the future are.
