Meet The Michigan Ross MBA Class of 2017

Elizabeth Miller

 

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

Hometown (City and State): Pittsburg, TX

Undergraduate School and Major:

Bachelors of Arts in Business Administration from Hannibal-LaGrange University

Masters of International Affairs from The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Director of Development at the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation

Political Fundraising & Marketing Consultant for candidates ranging from State Representative to Presidential candidates

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? 

• Don’t wait to long to start drilling with practice questions under the time constraints.

• Don’t assume because you are smart and understand the concepts that you are set and can take it easy.

• Do re-work all the problems you get wrong instead of simply reading the explanation.

Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply?  Meet alumni of all the schools you might be thinking of – They are the key. Each school has a personality all to itself and applicants should look for the school that fits with their personality. In every instance, the alumni I met served as microcosms of the student body and gave a better picture of your life over the next two years than statistical comparisons ever could.

What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? The essays will take longer than you think! The word counts really force you to be succinct and only say the most important things. More than that, though, applicants should really dig deep to find their story about why b-school and why now. Are you passionate about an MBA or are you just checking a box? You want to draw the reader in and make them root for you.

As for interviews…RELAX! By the time you get to the interview, they know you’re smart and ambitious. In the interview, they want to know if you will fit with them and if you are as well spoken as your tests and essays portray. Reinforce your story and turn the interview into a conversation, but always remain professional. 

It takes quite a bit of time to write a distinctive recommendation letter and the ones required for business school are even more intense. I supplied my recommenders with as much information as I thought to be helpful. By outlining the purpose of the letter, providing examples they could use to support my strengths and weaknesses, and clearly telling them my story they wrote very detailed and convincing letters.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I am a kinesthetic learner, meaning I learn best by doing. Michigan pioneered the action-based learning method through their MAP program which takes students around the world to apply the concepts learned in the first year to company projects. It serves as a second internship which, I think, will make me more valuable and productive in my summer internship.

Beyond that, the community at Michigan really is amazing! Everyone I met was very comfortable in their skin and incredibly welcoming and supportive.  At Michigan, personal relationships and personal growth are equally as important as intellectual gains.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? With an ultimate goal of working in global strategy, broadening my international business experience would be the ultimate achievement. There are internships I want to earn, classes I am excited about and friends I want to make, but none of that compares to my drive to learn the practical side of conducting business around the world. Michigan provides multiple opportunities to accomplish this through the MAP project, international internship opportunities and studying abroad in your second year.