Stay Home, Stay Safe: How You Can Learn About A School and Its Culture Virtually
Last week, we welcomed an incredible class for our first in-person MBA1 Orientation in two years. It was energizing to see students in real life again. In our most competitive application season on record, the Class of 2023 topped Michigan Ross records for the number of women, underrepresented minorities, countries, GMAT, GRE, and GPA.
One of the questions we have been hearing frequently from prospective students is about our visitor policy. For health, safety, and equity reasons, our recruiting events will be 100% virtual once again. We were able to host more events and engage with more candidates from more places than ever before last year thanks to Zoom.
We know that visiting schools has become standard practice for prospective students when deciding where to pursue their MBA. However, visiting a school will not help your chances of admission, and there are many other ways to get to know schools. And, best of all, they do not require gas, airfare, or a hotel room.
How to get to know a campus and town virtually
While we are bummed you will not be able to try a famous sandwich from Zingerman’s Deli yet, you can still learn a lot about Ann Arbor from the comfort of home. Check out the student-run Business Beyond Usual podcast with MBAs from all around the globe sharing why they chose Ann Arbor and what they like about living here. Students also hosted a building tour and overview of Ann Arbor during the height of the pandemic that includes campus highlights. You can hear why students love Ann Arbor and take a virtual tour of Michigan Stadium, (aka “The Big House”).
How to get a feel for a school culture virtually
The absolute best way to learn about the Michigan Ross culture is talking to student ambassadors. In past years, you might spend hundreds of dollars traveling to an Admissions-hosted campus tour. You would have likely met one or two students who may have had very different career interests or backgrounds. Virtually, you can connect with any ambassador you like, on your schedule. And, you can filter based on career interests, clubs, and where they lived before Ross. Plus, the MBA1 ambassadors were in your shoes last year, so they will appreciate where you are in the process.
A calendar full of admissions events
The admissions team will be hosting tons of virtual events again this year. We encourage you to attend as many as you need to assess whether Ross may be the right fit for you.
A final note on events: attendance ≠ admission
When you read MBA message boards, you might start to think that our team has a giant spreadsheet where we rank candidates based on how many events they attended. While we do track attendance, it has no bearing on our admissions decisions. Some applicants attended over 30 events last year; some were admitted, some were not. We host events so candidates can learn about our program.
If you happen to be passing through town this year visiting friends or family on your own, here are our top recommendations of things to see.
We cannot wait to meet all of you virtually this year. The team has a blast learning where everybody is “Zooming” in from. We even start to remember your Zoom backgrounds over time, too.
Watch the Michigan Ross building tour and overview of Ann Arbor