All of us here in the Office of Admissions and Career Development wish to extend a special Hello to the Go Blue! Rendezvous attendees! Planning for this admitted students' weekend has been underway for months, and our staff and students have put together an intense experience. Go Blue! Rendezvous has proven to be one of our most effective events, and we hope that this year proves to be no exception. The goal for the event is simple - a live demonstration of what life at Ross would be like for the admitted student and her/his SOSer! So, please embrace and enjoy this event and ask a lot of questions! Because most of this week's GBR activity is hosted by the Admissions part of our team, this week's article will focus mainly on updating GBR attendees on activities in the Office of Career Development. But first we will give a quick overview of who we are and also a snapshot of our current progress in Admissions.
Our Office
One thing that might be a bit distinctive at Ross is the close collaboration between the groups that represent Admissions, Financial Aid, Academic Services, Student Life and the Women's Initiative, and Career Development. We are actually all under one (fairly large) umbrella. The three of us (Kris Nebel, Jim Hayes and Al Cotrone) oversee the group as we share resources and information designed to provide a more streamlined and holistic administrative experience for our students. Over the years that we've worked together there have been countless insights, innovations and improvements that have been produced as we keep in mind the overall experience that an MBA student might have. One of the features of this joint effort is our weekly article in the Monroe Street Journal, "In Through the Out Door" in which we update the community on current happenings from our areas of responsibility. What we have found is that our accessibility ensures that all of our students and community members find it easy to approach us and ask questions and share suggestions...which in turn keeps us fresh and on the cutting edge of what we do. We look forward to engaging with you during your experience this weekend and hopefully as a Ross student next year.
Admissions Update
The application pool this year was very strong and we have been extremely pleased with the quality and mix of the students admitted into the Class of 2007! From a numbers standpoint, the admitted class has 31% women, 12% underrepresented minorities, 36% international students from 35 countries, and a GMAT average of 700. But numbers only tell part of the story-from the Who's Who at Go Blue (see your GBR binder), you will get a true glimpse at the talent of this group. In addition to knowing that we have accomplished consultants, entrepreneurs, bankers and financial analysts, Peace Corp volunteers, engineers, and doctors (to name a few professions), we also have independent film producers, micro-brew experts, sky-divers, a San Francisco Baby pageant winner (twice), accomplished musicians, yoga enthusiasts, professional athletes and someone who worked with Puppies Behind Bars (not as one of the inmates). Okay, back to business!
The Career Side of GBR
We typically find that during GBR weekend, most of you are preoccupied with securing that final bit of evidence to confirm that Michigan is the perfect place for you to continue your education. You're often meeting so many tremendous new friends and classmates that the career search portion of your decision can seem like a distant considerationg-some of you haven't even settled yet on how to tell your current employer that you're leaving!
Despite this, we want you to be aware that we're already laying in the foundation of what we hope will be a tremendous two years of professional development here at Ross. We've met many of you already during the application process, and we know that several more scheduled general career consideration counseling sessions while in town this week. On Friday, we'll talk broadly about OCD and the services and support that we offer our students. Additionally, because the start of the school year is also such an intense and academically demanding period, we are going to offer some early career workshops in select cities around the country (likely New York, San Fran, here in Ann Arbor). Please watch M-Talk Admit for the dates, times and locations of our workshops-we are aiming to hold these in May and June, and we will be sure to have a video-streamed version for those of you who cannot attend in person.
The best way to learn about our resources is to talk with current students and to learn from them, but as a quick snapshot that you can take home, we would like to share a few thoughts of our own.
Career Search Resources
The career search is an important consideration for anyone who is deciding to dedicate significant time and resources to an MBA. Throughout the process from self-assessment to negotiation, the steps that seem so easy when listed on a timeline can become difficult and challenging. OCD is here to support you through every step of this process. In our office, we focus first on your preparation by offering numerous workshops and resources to support your efforts. Our office also manages company relationships and outreach with a large portfolio of companies across several functional and industry categories to make the path easier. An alumni group of 33,000 graduates, many of whom are accessible to you for advice through iMpact, further acts to facilitate your process.
Despite all of these resources, the career search remains a very personal period of self-exploration and realization. Over the years, our office has earned the reputation of being responsive and supportive of our students' efforts wherever they may lead. We've been recognized by our alumni, our students and the recruiting companies in surveys conducted by several publications including "Wall Street Journal," "Business Week," and "Financial Times."
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