|
Ross
Michigan Essay 1
Introduce yourself in 100 words or less. (100 words maximum)
Ross
Michigan Essay 1
Tips
Though this
is miniscule essay with a seemingly straightforward question, this might
be the most challenging Ross application response you might have to give
this year.
The question you seek to answer could include: Who are you? What are you?
What qualities, beliefs, values define you? What personality traits set
you apart?
These are
deep, meaningful questions whose answers might not always be easy. Talking
to your friends, spouse or close relatives might help. However, the key to
this essay is held by someone else - you. Ask yourself how you would
encapsulate your self in 30 seconds or .. 100 words. Ask yourself some
tough questions and put down what you feel might be the best answers of
the lot.
The brevity
of the response is another challenge in this opening Ross essay. Try to
convert that into an opportunity - since brevity often concentrates focus
on the particular.
Though the
question of how you can contribute and/or add value to the Michigan Ross
MBA class is the underlying theme, it would be better not to tackle it
head-on in this mini-essay. Speak of yourself, and that should speak for
you.
Ross
Michigan Essay 2
Describe your career goals. How will the Ross MBA help you to achieve your
goals? (500 word maximum)
Ross
Michigan Essay 2
Tips
This is a
straightforward career goals and "why Ross" essay.
Your
objective is simple - describe, specifically and at length, your career
goals, and why the Ross MBA is the logical next step for your future
success.
Be
realistic, visionary and focused while detailing your career goals - long
term and short term. Exhibit passion for the industry and the functional
role of your choice. While your past is not asked for, breifly presenting
your career progression and using short, relevant examples from your
career to demonstrate that you have the vision, skill-set and commitment
to achieve your goals might be useful.
"Why Ross"
has to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Take the
effort to understand the Ross program and ethos - through the Ross
website, campus visit, alumni, students, online forums etc. Use this
information to personalize your essay as much as possible, and then link
your career goals with Michigan Ross as closely as you can. Go beyond
cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Ross website and endeavor to make
unique connections between you (skills, interests, goals, knowledge etc.)
and Ross Michigan (pedagogy, centers of excellence, faculty, location,
alumni etc.). For example, bringing specific focus to
Multidisciplinary Action Program (MAP), a
keynote feature of the Ross program , and then linking it directly with
your goals might be a good idea.
Go for it!
Ross
Michigan Essay 3
Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed.
What did you learn from that experience? (500 word maximum)
Ross
Michigan Essay 3
Tips
Select a
specific situation across your career wherein you faced disappointment,
disenchantment or frustration. Be very careful to ensure that this essay
focuses, not on your distress, frustrations or disappointments within
the selected story, but on your attitude, approach and actions that made
you overcome the painful episode.
Having
given the context, ensure that you move on to positive actions and
results; always minimize the negativity in your essays. Your reasoning
process, decision making skills, maturity, ability to overcome hurdles,
people skills, proficiency in handling setbacks, strength of purpose and
moral rectitude could be just a few of the possible critical factors
that can be highlighted in this essay. How you make your judgments about
events/circumstances, the methods you adopt to understand varied aspects
of a situation and how you use innovation, a balanced mind and/or
strength of spirit to make positive change could be further areas of
focus.
What you
learned from this episode - at professional and personal levels - and
how you have grown through this experience could form an apt conclusion
to this essay.
Go for it!
Ross
Michigan Essay 4
Select one of the following questions. (300 word maximum each)
Ross
Michigan Essay 4a
What are you most
passionate about and why? (300 word maximum)
Ross
Michigan Essay 4a
Tips
Your
approach to the first and second essays might dictate to a large extent
how this essay turns out. In the first essay, the ultra-brief
introduction, what you say about yourself should at least indicate what
you might be most passionate about. In the second essay, the goals essay,
you are writing about what you wanna do with the rest of your life; that
would call for exceptional passion for that function/industry/job.
So there are
two broad approaches possible with this essay.
First: Let
your passion dovetail with the "goals essay" such that this essay
automatically explains why you would choose that particular goal in the
"goals essay". Mention why the arena in which you would be spending the
rest of your career/life excites you. What is it about the work that you
want to do post-MBA that tugs at your heart? If you choose this approach,
reduce the "motivation for goals" portions of the goals essay and shift
the more prosaic industry/statistics driven reasons for your future career
choices to that essay; also, with this approach, "Why Ross" can be
allotted more space.
Second:
Choose an outside-of-work passion/hobby that you pursue with zest. Write
about your passion for that activity. How you started, how you contribute
to it and perhaps too how you are impacted and bettered by it. If it ties
in, at least tangentially, with your goals, I won't complain!
Either way
the worst thing you can do in this essay is to write impersonally. This is
the Ross essay that gives most space to focus totally on the key focus of
your application - YOU. So let the essay reveal the kind of person you
are, what your heart ticks for and the personal qualities and attitude
that make you a great person/candidate. If you essay does not reflect
that, write again!
Simple?
Go for it!
Ross
Michigan Essay 4b
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)
Ross
Michigan Essay 4b
Tips
EACH person
has knowledge that can be passed on, and the skills to pass it on -
to teach. Additionally, EVERY individual possesses skills and qualities
that enables him/her to enhance a learning environment. This essay is
about how YOU use these these qualities and how good a teacher you are and
why.
However
"contribute to the learning experience" can go far more than actually
teaching someone. Apart from obvious skills like communication and
understanding, other skills and qualities that help you facilitate a good
learning environment might include leadership, empathy, relationship
building, and teamwork. Brief examples, of how these qualities and skills
have helped you teach, coach or train a group/person, will definitely
strengthen your essay.
Further
buttress this essay by using your knowledge of Ross to identify specific
areas and activities where you will be most effective and persuasively
explaining why you think so. Never forget that learning often (if not
mostly!) happens outside the classroom; so look at clubs and activities
where your contribution will enhance the learning experience of your Ross
peers. If you have been lazy and haven't read about
Ross' MAP program despite my sweet
urgings earlier in this page, do it now! While you are at it some dope on
Action Based Learning would help as well. While your essay does
not necessarily need MAP as a focus, some reference to MAP will be
appreciated.
Go get 'em!
|
