How To Approach The Ross Essay

The University of Michigan-Ross remains one of the top MBA programs in the nation.

In our annual “Top Business Schools” rankings, Ross secured its spot at number 12.

This year, Ross asked its applicants to complete a two-part essay. The experts at Stratus Admissions Counseling broke down what each prompt asks and what admissions officers at Ross are really looking for with each essay.

PART 1: SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

The first part of the Ross essay section are the short answer questions. Ross asks applicants to select one prompt from each group of the two groups below and respond in 100 words or less.

Group 1
I want people to know that I:

I made a difference when I:

I was aware that I was different when:

Group 2

I am out of my comfort zone when:

I was humbled when:

I was challenged when:

According to Stratus Admissions, the purpose of these prompts is to help Ross admissions officers understand who you are as a person and how you view yourself.

“Most of the short answer prompts are looking for you to highlight your personality traits and actions you have taken in the past,” according to Stratus Admissions. “Past behavior is one of the best predictors of future actions, so Ross is guiding applicants to share more about themselves in a direct and focused approach. It’s important not only to share your experiences but how you have learned from them and grown into a stronger person or leader.”

PART 2: ESSAY

Part 2 of the essay section asks applicants to answer the following prompt: Michigan Ross is a place where people from all backgrounds with different career goals can thrive. What is your short-term career goal and why?

This year, the essay word count was reduced from 300 words to 200 – highlighting the importance of delivering a clear and succinct essay.

“This isn’t your typical ‘Why Ross’ essay – the purpose of this essay is to talk about your short-term career goals and the motivation behind this goal, including how your background or interests prepare you for this goal,” according to Stratus Admissions. “’Why Ross’ is not explicitly asked here, however, if you are efficient enough in answering this question you may also have a little bit of room to tie this how Ross will help you achieve this short-term goal as well. Although with the shortened word count, prioritize telling a clear story about your career goals in a personal, meaningful way.”

Sources: Stratus Admissions Counseling, Michigan Ross, P&Q