Good Time for an MBA

Ross Director of Admissions, Soojin Kwon Koh, has had her hands full answering questions from the business press. Are industry professionals taking a cue from the financial crisis, jumping ship, and flooding the admissions office with applications? "Typically what happens in a bad economy is that people will flock to business school," Koh admits.

Opportunity costs are lower during a downturn, and in the past, recessions have often prompted prospective students wavering over the decision to go ahead and invest in an MBA. The current crisis, however, is more severe than any downturn in generations, making predictions for the current cycle difficult. Koh explains that many will be reluctant to give up their current positions when they can't know for certain what their opportunities will be upon graduation.

Making an apples-to-apples comparison with Round I last year is impossible because of the Admissions Department's decision to set this year's deadline three weeks earlier than last year. Nonetheless, Ross received approximately the same number of applications on October 10, 2008 as on November 1, 2007, suggesting that the class of 2011 will be our most competitive yet.

Given the competitive admissions landscape, it's more important than ever to visit the campus in person; prospective students simply shipping off applications to the schools on their list don't know what they're missing. According to Koh, "We've seen through data that once people come to Ross, experience the classes, the collaboration, see the student body and Ann Arbor, it's easy to make the case that this is a really great place to go to school."

Alantria Harris (MBA2), co-chair of the diversity recruitment event Ross UpClose, couldn't agree more. "I attended Upclose when I was a prospective student and it was actually the deciding factor when I was making the decision to come to Ross. I just had such a positive experience. Aside from looking at the view books and the websites and talking to people on the phone, being here and experiencing all of things that the MBA program had to offer really made up my mind."

The Admissions Department partners with the Black Business Student Association (BBSA) and the Hispanic and Latino Business Students Association (HLBSA) to organize UpClose, a recruitment weekend that was held on November 6-8th and open to anybody with a demonstrated commitment to the cause of diversity in business. Admissions, BBSA, and HLBSA poured through essays, GMAT scores, and resumes to select the 65 students invited to attend. A diverse group flew in from seventeen different states, including both a runner-up in the Miss Georgia Scholarship Pageant and a local radio talk show host.

Visitors were paired with "buddies" from the two organizing clubs, sat in on classes, attended career planning/networking events, and learned how best to prepare their applications to be competitive. Harris encourages anyone considering the school to attend a recruitment weekend. Thinking back to UpClose two years ago, she remembers visiting the school "made me feel like I could really fit in. When I got back home my friends and family were like 'OK, we get it. We know you really like Ross; you can stop talking about it.'"

Ross offers many more chances for interested students to learn about our program. A new opportunity, Discover Ross, is intended for women and men with a strong commitment to promoting the advancement of women in management. Co-chair of the inaugural Discover Ross weekend, Sara Klainer (MBA2), was pleased with the turnout. "We judge success on two fronts - our impressions of the event as the organizers, and the great feedback we've received from the participants. The weekend was definitely a success." Guests representing all areas of the country participated in a mini-case with Professor Afuah that was particularly popular, and Klainer anticipates that Discover Ross will become an annual event.

Another preview day will be held in conjunction with the BBSA conference in December. Also in December, admissions will host a pilot event called Super Interview Saturday for a select group of Round I applicants. Interviewees will have the opportunity to attend student panels, explore Ann Arbor, and experience our famous winter weather first hand.

Admissions Director Koh anticipates high volume for Round II, but encourages anyone considering business school to apply. "It's an investment in yourself no matter when you do it. People who apply now, they're going to be graduating in 2011. That's three years from now. So while we can't predict what's going to happen, I'm pretty confident that we're not going to be in the exact same place we are currently. Now's a really good time to retool and build up your skill set for whatever career you may want to do. I don't think people should be nervous about whether or not this is a good time; I think this is a great time.