UPDATE: This article was originally posted on August 9, 2018. It has been updated with new information and tips below. 

With its famous MAP project, Michigan Ross is a haven for collaboratively-minded leaders who love to learn by getting their hands dirty.

However, Ross has rapidly increased in the rankings in the past few years, making it more difficult than ever to secure admission to this elite MBA program. 

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Ross admissions essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up our best tips and links to Michigan Ross MBA sample essays to ensure you give your Ross application your best shot.

 

1. Who is Ross looking for?

(Michigan Ross students participating in Ross’ 7-week MAP program, Photo courtesy of Michigan Ross)

“Ross students and alumni are a highly engaged, impressive network of people.” Ross Admissions 

Every year, Michigan Ross searches the globe for outstanding professionals for its annual class of 380 students. With a strong emphasis on diversity and leadership, there is no “typical” Ross student, yet the average admitted student for the Class of 2024 had a 720 GMAT score or 160V/160Q GRE score and an average of 5.6 years of work experience. 

NOTE: Michigan Ross is continuing to offer GMAT/GRE waivers. If you would like to be considered, an additional essay is required. Find out more information here.

Beyond the impressive statistics, though, Ross offers its students the chance to prepare themselves to lead by giving them multiple opportunities for hands-on learning. 

Check out this video on the Ross student experience: 

If this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll first have to prove you’ve got what it takes by successfully answering Ross’ admissions essay questions.  

 

2. How should I answer Ross essay questions?

 

2.1. Short Answers Tips

Part 1: Short Answers (choose one from each group; 100 words each)

Group 1

I want people to know that I:

I made a difference when I:

I was aware that I was different when:

Group 2

I was out of my comfort zone when:

I was humbled when:

I was challenged when:

The most important task is first considering which prompts you will choose from each category, especially considering there is space for repeating themes. This is even more challenging this year, since you will only be able to write two essays, as opposed to the three you were allowed last year. 

When looking at each category, choose the question that is both easiest to answer and that allows you to shine light on a new element of your profile. If you’ve already mentioned community service in one question, for example, perhaps avoid repeating community service as the theme in other answers. 

Most importantly, consider what you want Ross to learn about you. Ross’ application is short and sweet (we love this!), but it does mean that you won’t show off everything you have to offer unless you’re very careful and strategic in how you use each and every word the application gives you. 

TOP TIP: Start these essays by simply writing out the story without worrying about word count. You want to make sure you fully answer the question and can always trim your word count later. 

Group 1

• I want people to know that I:
• I made a difference when I:
• I was aware that I was different when:

Group 1’s questions seem to clearly ask about a time when you generated impact or how you handle diversity. To answer, mine your top stories for examples where you used your free time (or your professional work!) to leave a meaningful mark on others. 

This group of questions is broad enough for you to talk about a particular way in which you are diverse (perhaps you are LGBT, grew up as an immigrant, etc.) or how you adapt when faced with challenging situations. 

The most important part of this essay will be to quickly establish what made you different or what was challenging, then show how you navigated the situation and grew or learned an important lesson from your experience. 

We suggest starting your essay by answering the question, for example: “I made a difference when I volunteered in Chilean Patagonia in 2011.” 

Then, talk about exactly how you generated impact (a condensed version of the STAR methodology will work very well here) and end with the result you obtained or lesson you learned. 

​Group 2

• I was humbled when:
• I am out of my comfort zone when:
• I was challenged when:

Group 2 is geared towards allowing the admissions committee to understand how you will fit into the action learning environment at Ross by seeing how you respond when things aren’t perfectly going your way. 

If you choose to go with the humility theme, you may want to explore an achievement of yours that humbled you, a time someone else did something meaningful for you, or seeing a team project succeed. 

False humility will be easy to spot here, so make sure you’re able to authentically demonstrate your experience and why it was humbling. 

If you choose to explore the theme of being outside your comfort zone, you have slightly more range in terms of types of examples you could use, in our opinion. For example, you could speak about a promotion, a new project at work, an international experience, a volunteer experience… the list goes on and on. 

The key to this essay is to clearly establish the situation and how it pushed you outside your comfort zone (adding the right amount of drama in your setup here will help sell this point). Then, show how you overcame the challenge and were able to obtain a winning result. Finally, make sure you show the lesson you learned as a result of this experience. 

Of course, before you start writing, you might want to check out this video in which the Ross admissions team shares their tips for this year’s essays. 

Need more guidance? Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of Michigan Ross essays that worked to get our clients admitted to help you plan out a winning Michigan Ross essay. Our library also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, detailed essay brainstorms, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join! 

 

2.2. Essay 1 Tips

What is your short-term career goal and why is this the right short-term career goal for you? (150 words)

As one of the most transparent admissions committees in the MBA world, Ross has taken clear steps each year to make their application increasingly streamlined. 

This is important to keep in mind, because Ross has deliberately been very clear about what they want here: short-term goals only. 

TOP TIP: If you’re not sure what your goals are, check out this post designed to help you think through this critical component of your application!

To answer the first part of the question, you want to clearly and concisely state your short-term goal. When discussing your goals, clarity is king, so make sure you include a job title and industry in your description of your post-MBA aspiration. Additionally, we suggest you briefly elaborate on your vision for impact – or, what you hope to accomplish in your stated position in the future (if necessary, you can move this part to part two of this response!).

However, goals without context can be a little confusing to decipher or understand (or they can just seem a bit lackluster) – hence the second part of Ross’ question. For part two, it is essential that you include that context.

We suggest including that context in the form of a brief story or past experience that shows the reader why your goals are meaningful to you or how you have worked towards them so far. For example, if your goal is to focus on sustainable transportation methods, you may want to include a story about how you have helped catalyze sustainable solutions in the past. 

After clearly stating your motivations for your goal, we suggest you briefly touch on how Ross can help you achieve these goals, if you have space. This should not be a “laundry list” of 10 classes you found on the Ross site, nor a section in which you repeat clichés about the school. 

Instead, you should thoughtfully consider how you must grow personally and professionally to reach your stated short-term goal and what elements of Ross (classes, faculty, clubs, etc.) will help you reach them. You only have space for 1-2 sentences, however, so choose wisely. 

If you do not have space to include a mini Why Ross section, that’s ok. You want to make sure your answer fully addresses the prompt!

Ending your essay with a killer conclusion sentence to leave your reader with a strong image of your profile is the perfect wrap-up. 

 

2.3. Optional Essay Tips

Is there something in your resume or application that could use some explanation? You might want to discuss the completion of supplemental coursework, employment gaps, academic issues, etc. Feel free to use bullet points where appropriate.

This section should only be used to convey information not addressed elsewhere in your application, for example, completion of supplemental coursework, employment gaps, academic issues, etc. Feel free to use bullet points where appropriate. 

Though with such a short application you may be tempted to use this response to add additional stories and information you couldn’t quite squeeze in elsewhere, restraint is necessary here. Make sure you focus on explaining gaps in your application only, though you can use these explanations to highlight related achievements. 

For example, our client Fernando needed to explain his 6-month gap in work experience. As luck would have it, he spent these 6 months volunteering in Asia, so we not only addressed a “weakness” but were also able to include a new achievement in his application. (Read more about Fernando’s time in Asia by downloading our Ross sample essays below).

We have written extensively on the issue of optional essays, giving tips and tricks for how to address issues like low GMAT scores or poor academic performance here. 

Looking for Michigan Ross MBA essay examples? Check out our real sample essays that got our clients admitted here.

 

3. Make sure you get into Michigan Ross

You only get one chance to make an impression on the Ross adcom, so make it count!

Good storytelling in your essays is often the difference between telling a story that moves elite business schools to move you forward in the application process and a “no.”

Yet translating your professional “highlights reel” into compelling stories is no easy task. 

That’s why our team at Ellin Lolis Consulting is obsessed with telling your story. 

This is the approach we took with our client Eduardo, who was admitted to Michigan Ross last year: “I only wish I’d found Ellin sooner! There are MBA consultants, and then there is Ellin. Her extremely human and hands-on approach made me feel comfortable and confident with the process. Throughout the time we worked together, I always knew I was being personally taken care of by her and her team. To anyone that is looking for someone to help them with their MBA application journey: look no further. You have found the unrivaled best consultant in the business.I only wish I’d found Ellin sooner! There are MBA consultants, and then there is Ellin. Her extremely human and hands-on approach made me feel comfortable and confident with the process. Throughout the time we worked together, I always knew I was being personally taken care of by her and her team. To anyone that is looking for someone to help them with their MBA application journey: look no further. You have found the unrivaled best consultant in the business.”

Let our award-winning editors use their expert writing abilities, deep understanding of what Ross is looking for, and marketing know-how to transform your application from average to attention-grabbing and get you a spot at Ross! 

Ready to put the Ellin Lolis Advantage to work for your MBA application essays? Get in touch with us! 

 

4. Michigan Ross Deadlines

The deadlines for the 2023-2024 season are below. You can access the Ross application here.