Michigan Ross has overhauled its essay this year. Gone is a question about an alternative career path that perplexed many an applicant. Still, essay one will no doubt bedevil many others. Michigan Ross’s essay are open-ended, allowing you to decide what you offer of yourself. You should feel that you have ample opportunity to present your best.
1. Introduce yourself in 100 words or less.
How many words is one-hundred? Well, we have already used more than ten percent of what is allowed. Because the word count is so tight, many candidates will struggle with this essay. Still, in one-hundred words, you can offer a brief vignette which will serve as a broader representation of you – a story that stands for who you are. Or, you can offer a short/clever series of sentences that captures your personality. You might even offer a theme or two with supporting anecdotes in this space. There is still plenty of room to be creative and reveal that which is interesting about you. We would strongly suggest avoiding a historical statement where you summarize your biography/resume.
By the way, the paragraph above is 116 words, according to our word count.
2. Describe your career goals. How will the Ross MBA help you to achieve your goals? (500 word maximum)
Because Personal Statements are similar from one application to the next, we have produced the “mbaMission Personal Statement Guide.” We offer this guide to candidates free of charge, via our online store. Please feel free to download your copy today.
For a thorough exploration of Ross’s academic program/merits, defining characteristics, crucial statistics, social life, academic environment and more, please check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to Michigan Ross.
3. Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What did you learn from that experience? (500 word maximum)
In its essay questions, Ross throws a lot of softballs your way – they allow you broad opportunities to write whatever you would like. In this essay, they ask a far more narrow question than any other, one where you need to explain how you faced an oppositional force and how you dealt with a minor or major setback. In this essay, you need not be culpable – they are not asking you for your mistake – but you still need to be honest and this may require that you explain your responsibility for a frustrating situation. Regardless of the challenge that you choose, it is important that you show how you navigated the personalities and circumstances in order to optimize the results. Even if you did not “turn lemons into lemonades,” as the saying goes, you can still present yourself in a positive light, offering themes of diplomacy, persuasion, maturity, ethics, creativity and more. As we noted in our Kellogg essay analysis, (Kellogg asks a similar question) “The key to writing an effective essay is revealing a certain thoughtfulness and problem solving ability, as you overcame and did your best to advance.”
4. Select one of the following questions:
What are you most passionate about and why? (300 word maximum)
We are guessing that because essay one is an attempt to capture your personality many will opt not to answer this question, but will defer to the next. Still, in either the “passionate” essay question above or the “contribution” essay question below, candidates will have an open-ended opportunity with which they can work to differentiate themselves. So, think carefully about what the admissions committee knows about you and be sure to consider a new theme/skill/experience, if you answer this question.
Once you have determined what you are indeed most passionate about, you should stop to consider the manifestation of that passion. You need to show how you are passionate and not just explain that you are passionate.
Example 1 (Bad): I love cooking and cook frequently for friends and family, often experimenting with new ingredients.
Example 2 (Good): After three hours of wandering through Chinatown, I finally found fresh Daikon and ran home to add this final ingredient to my soup.
While cooking may not be the most ideal/serious passion (unless it becomes a metaphor for a broader theme of spontaneity, creativity etc.) our point is that your passion needs to come through via your actions. The reader can’t finish this essay and conclude, “nice hobby,” but must get a sense that you are in a comparatively inordinate pursuit and that you are thus quite purposeful.
We expect that Ross MBAs will not only be effective leaders, but also effective teachers. How will you contribute to the learning experience of your peers at Ross? (300 word maximum)
Candidates need not worry that they must possess proven teaching skills, but should focus on the second part of the essay question, “How will you contribute to the learning experience of your peers at Ross?” Ross is not expecting that you will literally teach others – though if you can that is fine – but is instead expecting that you will have experiences from which others can learn, via your class contributions and possibly even community contributions. As you write this essay, you can exhibit knowledge of the Ross environment, by applying your specific skills. For example, merely revealing that you possess nuanced knowledge of a region of the world will not be as compelling as explaining how you will contribute in a particular class, MAP project or club. In this essay, you should be able to distinguish yourself and truly connect yourself with the school.
Read the full article: University of Michigan (Ross) Essay Analysis, 2010–2011