Business School...am I done?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

I don’t think I can get in.
My gpa for the first year was around 3.4 to 3.5. Did much better second semester.
Econ 101: B-
Stats 250: A- (2 points away on the final from being an A)
Calc 1: C+ ( WTF it was so hard - I got an A+ in high school)
Also I took EECS 183: B

For the rest of my classes, I got As.

For extracurriculars and awards, I put mostly high school stuff. I did concert choir, school online newspaper, tons of personal tutoring, and my own college admissions workshop. But for college, I was just in a learning community and I did some community service and took a class that was about connecting with each other’s experiences.

My essays were about the tutoring and me wanting to use Ross’ resources to start my own non-profit organization to get more students into college. I also wrote about how I struggled with anxiety and also about how much I learned in the learning community. A lot of personal stuff.

So do I really still have a chance? I do think my essays and some of my ECs will stand out. Also, I want to send the admissions an update or maybe my resume because I have a pending research position related to education and economics that I want to tell them about.

2

Those grades for econ101 and calc1 are pretty bad, especially in the context of Ross applications. Frankly, I don’t think you have much of a chance, but that’s not a reason not to apply.

3

Although I agree that the Econ and Calc grades would not be at Ross expectations, you should try. Most importantly, you can be a successful business person and meet your career goals without going to Ross. I am Chief Operating Officer of a substantial company and I have a undergraduate degree in Liberal Arts. I know many executives with Liberal Arts degrees. Don’t give up on your dream! 3.5 at a phenomenal school like Michigan is a solid accomplishment! Good luck.

4

Great. Thanks guys :wink:
Yeah I know not getting into Ross isn’t the end of the world, maybe I’m just anxious about supporting my parents who need me to graduate and get a job asap. Anyway…it’ll work out :slight_smile:

5

I hate to be a party pooper but do not get your hopes up. I can tell that you are a little bit due to the fact that you are posting here about it but with those grades I say you have a 5% chance of getting in (that being if you have mind blowing essays.) Ross puts emphasis on the courses that you did not do too well in and also will consider the fact that you got a c+ in calc 1 after already taking in high school (repeating calc is actually a major thing they look out for so for any future applicants don’t repeat calc if you took it in high school!).

The trick is to make your plans as an economics major (assuming you will take the path of 90% of ross rejects). Plan out every semester for the rest of college. Look at the high ass salary you can get as an economics major. And get excited about it.

Im assuming you already applied because it is the end of your freshman year. if I am wrong then I would advise not spending the time on the application. In order to create a great application you will needs to spend hundreds of hours on it. Use your Econ 101 abilities and see what is the most profitable use of your time.

It is possible that you did just have a bad first semester if thats the case then go for it if you haven’t applied if you have already then at least you know your a smart person. Intelligence and a good personality will take you places beyond the reach of ross.

Sorry for the long post,

6

@michmaybe I had to retake Calc because it wasn’t AP :frowning:

7

But do you really want to be an econ major? A B- suggests that you weren’t crazy about the subject. What would your other choices be?

8

Yeah I totally knew more than a B- XD
I’ve decided to apply to the school of information.

9

I’m very surprised that you can get so many grades less than a B+ and still receive a 3.4-5 GPA overall. That’s still in range for a lot of accepted applicants. That said, Econ and Calc were the ones you really needed to do well in, so it’s probably not likely to happen.

If it were me, I would not do Econ major because since it screams “Ross Reject” (even if you’re going for a Econ PHd)

Some other options:
Majors:
apply to COE for Industrial Engineering
apply to School of Information
apply to Gerald Ford School
apply to Organizational Studies
apply to PPE (https://lsa.umich.edu/ppe/students/admission.html)

Minors:
Applied Statistics (I think it’s only 11 more credits)
Entrepreneurship
Ross minor
Complex Systems

You’ll most likely need to get a 3.6+ overall to get any decent internships/job offers.
You should also choose 1 or 2 relevant extracurriculars that requires significant leadership and project experience that you can talk about extensively in your resume/interviews.

Pay attention to this recruiting calendar listed for BBA. Contrary to belief, a lot of their official company recruiting posters do not list Ross BBA only and is open to all relevant majors. I only know this since I know a few IOE friends came to their events uninvited and nobody noticed or cared. For some reason, Ross likes to scumbag people into thinking some resources/events are Ross only but really are not.

https://www.bus.umich.edu/impact/Calendar/displayCalendar.asp?query_ord=2&layout_mode=0&layout_view=2&jump_date=2/7/2016

Pay attention to Handshake events. Apply to their jobs.
https://careercenter.umich.edu/article/handshake

LSA Internship Events
https://umichlsa-csm.symplicity.com/students/index.php?s=home

Even though the UMich CareerCenter is considered weak compared to iMPact and EnGenius, you’ll have to leverage them the best you can. Visit them multiple times to review drafts of your Resume/Coverletters and practice interviewing especially with different advisors.

Register for WetFeet.com and Vault.com
Look for other career/interview prep books on amazon.

Participate in events where you get accolades/awards such as case competition, pitches, etc…

Some Ross clubs have their own internal recruiting events you can attend as a non-Ross student.
http://michiganross.umich.edu/our-community/students/clubs-organizations/browse-all

Other things:
Having a personal website (hosted on your own domain) can go a long way if you have great artistic and writing skills that reflects your personality very well. Put it at the top of your resume near your email/phone#

Befriend a few Ross BBAs who may to give you insider information info on opportunities (haha).

I’ve known a few Psych/Comm/PoliSci grads that did somewhat of a combination of the stuff above and got good offers and even working alongside some Ross grads as the same role. That said, you’ll have to work harder than them to get the same results.

Goodluck

10

If you didnt get credit for calc then thats not as bad, but they will still see that you previously took it. The suggested majors above are all great, but realize they are also all very different. Dont pick a major because it seems prestigious because if you do you will hate the rest of your life. Pick a major based on the majors curriculum, look at all of the classes it will have you take and ask your self if you will enjoy it.

11

Also if you had hogan for Econ I have heard of multiple people that did poorly in that class but well in more advanced econ classes.

12

Thanks everyone!

13

@michmaybe sounds like the biggest Rosshole ever lol

14

@michmaybe also you don’t even know if you’re in Ross yet… so chill out man

15

The fact that I am not in ross does not mean my advice is any less valid…If anything it makes it more valid as I just went through the process myself along with the majority of my friends.

@MoneyMan17 Im just trying to be helpful…

16

@ThePariah I feel you have a good chance of being admitted, contrary to others beliefs. You’ve taken an above average course load in terms of course rigor. You have an upward GPA trend, and Ross gives some leeway to first semester grades due to college adjustment process. While your extracurriculars aren’t as strong in comparison to the average (70% of applicants are involved in 3+ clubs), I feel your essays are genuine, and true to Ross’ ideals with a non-profit, positive business attitude, which is backed by your willingness to tutor, community service, etc. Ross likes to have diversity among admissions, not just all finance oriented individuals.

17

@ThePariah Yeah, I agree with what was said above. If you want to apply again next year, make sure you join some more clubs. You don’t necessarily need a leadership role but talk about how you showed initiative! First year is a learning process for everyone

18

Hi everyone. I did not get in but I am going to apply to the minor. I found a more fitting major for myself :slight_smile:
My resume also looks 500 times better now.

19

Just curious, what major are you settling on?