Michigan Ross 2018-2019 MBA Deadlines

The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business has added a few extra days to the deadline for round two MBA applications so candidates can have a bit more time after the holidays to finish their apps.

Otherwise, the school’s admission deadlines are similar to last year with a round one cutoff of Oct. 1st that will allow applicants to get a decision by Dec. 21.

The round two deadline is now set for Jan. 7—a full five days later—while the school maintained its March 15th decision date. The round three deadline is March 18th, with admit/deny decisions due on May 10th.

Michigan Ross’ 2018-2019 MBA Application Deadlines

Ross Rounds	Application Deadline	Interviews	Decisions
Round One	October 1, 2018	NA	December 21, 2018
Round Two	January 7, 2019	NA	March 15, 2019
Round Three	March 18, 2019	NA	May 10, 2019

Soojin Kown, managing director of full-time MBA admissions and program, made some tweaks to the school’s essay requirements this year. “One of the things we heard from this year’s applicants was that they loved having the option to choose which essay prompt to respond to,” she noted. “So we’re keeping that feature but providing two options per short answer group rather than three. We kept the ones that seemed to provide the best platform for sharing something meaningful and unique about yourselves. We also made a minor tweak to the career goal essay to make it more straightforward, because that’s what we’re looking for — straightforward.”

The essay questions for the 2019 MBA intake are as follows:

Part 1: Short Answer Questions

Select one prompt from each group of the three groups below. Respond to your selected prompt in 100 words or fewer (<100 words each; 300 words total).

Group 1

•I want people to know that I:

•I made a difference when I:

Group 2

•I was humbled when:

•I am out of my comfort zone when:

Group 3

•I was aware that I am different when:

•I find it challenging when people:

Part 2: Essay

Michigan Ross is a place where people from all backgrounds with different career goals can thrive. Please share your short-term career goal. Why is this the right choice for you? (300 words)

ROSS RECEIVED 3,484 APPLICANTIONS FOR 422 CLASS SEATS

The Class of 2019’s average GMAT came in at 716 – a full 14 points above their predecessors. In fact, this average is eight points better than the previous class, another sign that Ross is on the rise. The international students enrolled in the latest class, by the way, scored an average GMAT of 726 versus the 709 average for domestic students. At the same time, the incoming class’ 3.5 average undergraduate GPA is .1 of a point higher than Ross’ record-breaking class of 2016 (and .06 of a point higher than the last class).

Not surprisingly, applications continued to swell. During the 2017-2018 cycle, the school received 3485 applications, up 132 from the year previous. While that number may not impress on its face, just put it into context: Ross received just 2,436 applications five years ago! By the same token, the school accepted just 25% of all applicants, with the class size growing by 8 members to 423.

ADVICE TO APPLICANTS FROM ROSS GRADUATES & STUDENTS:

“Don’t try to be something you’re not. In general, I believe strongly in taking a strengths-based approach. I recognize it can be hard not to compare yourself to others throughout the application process, but I firmly believe that everyone brings something unique to the table, and Ross truly values that. Reflect on what your strengths are and what makes you unique. Be proud of that and lead with that! I promise it will be more rewarding and more sustainable in the long run.” — Ariana Almas, 2018 MBA graduate from Ross now working at Microsoft

“Get to know everything Ross has to offer, both within the program and outside of it. The University of Michigan has a Top Ten program in practically every subject so it’s possible for you to pursue your passions no matter what they are…whether it’s engineering, education, law, the environment or the performing arts. Additionally, think about what sort of leader you want to become and how Ross can help you get there. Michigan Ross’ Sanger Leadership Center, as one example, has a ton of great programming that can be utilized!” — Kristen Steagall, 2018 MBA graduate from Ross now working as an associate at McKinsey & Co. in Chicago

“Writing essays is an iterative process. I know many applicants, including myself, found it especially difficult to start writing the essays, but it is helpful to remember a draft is just that. Get your ideas down on a document and leave the re-working to later steps. Down the road, make sure to have friends who are gifted writers provide feedback on your essays. Preparation is key for the interview. Make sure to mock interview a couple of times with friends who will be critical of your responses and body language. Additionally, recording yourself delivering interview responses can also help you learn about and solve any nervous habits or distracting body language.” — Daniel Semaan,  Class of 2019 MBA student at Ross

DON’T MISS: 2018-2019 MBA APPLICATION DEADLINES FOR LEADING BUSINESS SCHOOLS or THE MBA SUMMIT: ADMISSION CHIEFS AT ROSS, YALE SOM, AND BERKELEY HAAS GET CANDIDor FREE MBA INSIDER GUIDE TO ROSS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS