The Admissions Office at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business considers many different factors when evaluating an application, including work experience, past academic performance, GMAT score(s), essays, and recommendations. Listed below are some suggestions that we've gathered from current students regarding each of these specific topics:
Start the process early! Think hard about why you want to attend business school and develop a strong story. Be prepared to answer the following questions:
Timing: Apply as early as possible. Backward plan so that you are ready to submit in Round 1.
Recommendations: Contact those that will be writing your recommendations as early as possible. You might have been out of contact with your recommenders for a long period of time. Provide your recommender(s) with a quick summary of you, your resume, your roles and responsibilities they'd be able to talk about, and why you want to go to Michigan, and you'll be able to manage the recommendation phase of the process that much better.
Essays: Start thinking how to attack your essays right away – you will write quite a few drafts before submitting your application. It's important for you to paint a compelling story with these essays. Your essays should build on each other, giving the admissions committee a picture of who you are and why you would be an asset to the Ross School of Business. Develop a strategy on how you want to tell your story and be creative! Don't be afraid to get personal in your essays – you want the ADCOM to remember you. Include topics in your essays that address areas that you have excelled in outside of the military. Show that you are well rounded – that you will succeed in any environment. Attention to detail: Review, review, review - and then have your friends review your application and essays for mistakes and typos. (Hint: Don't put another school's name into an essay for the Ross School of Business!!! cutting and pasting is not the preferred method:)
Interviews: Spend a great deal of time preparing for your interviews. If you are still in the military, it is critical that you prepare yourself for a private sector interview. Your military stories need to be translated into a language that non-military people can understand. Practice your answers to basic B-School interview questions on your own – write out the main points and go over them in your head. Have your friends / family give you mock interviews until you feel comfortable answering questions about your military experience in plain English. In general, people love to hear about what you did in the military – it's exciting, interesting stuff. You want to make sure that you can capitalize on this – prepare before you come to campus for your interview. Consider working with a JMO recruiter to hone your interview skills. Many recruiters run interview prep workshops which are followed by hiring conferences – attend one of them and get your feet wet – it's also a great hedge should you decide not to attend business school.
As a military applicant you have unique experiences and attributes that can help you to stand out from the pack. It is critical that these attributes come across in your application and during your interview. Some key attributes to focus on are:
We look forward to getting to know you during your application process. We were in your shoes just a year ago and hope to be as helpful as we can be. Feel free to drop in on the discussion boards to share thoughts with current Ross students and Veteran applicants or use our useful links to help you continue to explore the MBA path.