I was admitted to LSA out of state into The Class of 2020 and will be attending this fall. Although I’m not sure if I’ll be applying to Ross yet, I heard that the B-School admissions process can be pretty stressful freshman year and was hoping to get some info. Thanks in advance!
What classes would you recommend a freshman to take first semester who's applying to Ross?
What extracurriculars look particularly special on the Ross application? Are there any professional business clubs you would recommend?
How is Calc I, honestly? (I'm taking it this year, but may not get that 5 to receive credit).
Would your recommend rushing a business fraternity first semester while also rushing a social sorority? Would one be better off waiting until second semester to rush the business frat? Or vice versa?
You have to take a first year writing course, econ 101, and a calc class. The only way you can place out is if you got a 5 on the AP test. Also, if you can manage it, take stats 250, it'll help prep you for TO301, one of the core classes at Ross for fall sophomores
This is a grey area, just try to get involved in your passions. Any of the professional business clubs would be a fantastic choice, but I warn you, the top ones are extremely difficult (like 4% acceptance rate) to get into, and they demand a high time commitment
I never took Calc 1 at Umich (Math 215), but my friends tell me its much harder than the high school version.
The business fraternities are very hard to get into (like 5% acceptance rate). But they do let you rush several times, so it's not the end if you don't get in initially. Since sororities aren't as much as a time commitment one you get in, feel free to rush both! If you have to choose, pick the sorority because its basically fall rush only.
@ErenYeager For a majority of professional fraternities in general it’s based upon your resume, short essays, and sociability (Interviews, speed dating, etc.). The specifics vary by fraternity, but for example my professional fraternity (pre-med) narrows down a group of 150 applicants (rough estimate) to 60 potential new members based upon resume/short essays. From there those 60 are interviewed, attend a formal social, etc. and from that group of 60 a group of 10-20 are chosen.
For business frats the process should be a bit more strenuous since a lottt of people rush business frats. For example, a lot of them have different types of interviews (team-based, individual, etc.) and a lot more rush events to attend (coffee chats, networking events, etc.)
I guess it might seem ridiculuous, but business frats are a great way to find your way to the top companies- they offer awesome networking opportunities and really help you out- from academics to learning both “hard” and “soft” skills. Let’s also not forget that they have some really fun social events too. I am not surprised by the number of rushees or the selectivity. Are business frats necessary? No. Are they for everyone? No. Can they be a lot of fun and help you get some of the best internship offers? Yes.
Is it really true that you need a 5 on AP calculus to be exempt? I thought UM accepted a 4 or 5 in calculus! Also, has anyone heard if the size of Ross is expanding for undergrads?
@busymd , yes to both. 5s only to place out of math 215 requirement, and Ross is currently renovating and adding an entirely new building. the class sized should expand to 600 by next year
@ErenYeager : it depends on the frat. AKPsi is the most resume heavy. Delta Sigma Pi is the most social heavy (they are for Ross kids only, so they don’t worry about your resume too much). Phi Chi Theta is roughly in the middle, and Phi Nu Gamma is the newest one, so they don’t really have a “identity” yet in terms of how they select.
What is the current class size of Ross? In the website, it says the class accepted in 2015 was 580 students, so 600 doesn’t sound like much of an increase
Also Wolverine19, when I looked up AP credit, engineering said 4 or 5 for AP credit for calc but LSA said 5. Do you know why there is that difference or am I misinterpreting it?
That’s because it’s specific for placement relative to your college. Since engineers have to go more in depth on math heavy courses like calculus, placement for them is more lenient. By contrast, LSA only has a few basic math requirements for graduation, so its a more stringent cut off. As for your question on class size: it’s only a small increase because Michigan already began increasing the class size as plans were finalized for the new Ross building addition. As of now, extra classes are being held in a temporary building. The completion of the building for next year will be the end of the slow increase in class size.
It’s not just you. I agree. Why can’t EVERYONE who wants it have the opportunities? It is other students who are choosing the new members. Who are these students to decide which other students should have networking and other professional development opportunities? The craziness around Ross admissions during freshman year is insane. Students should be able to settle in and enjoy their freshman year, not go through another year of anxiety and worry about an admissions cycle. I would never recommend Michigan to a student who felt that they absolutely must get an undergraduate business degree, unless they were pre-admitted.
@brantly , I agree with the you about the opportunities issue in a sense, but that’s just the way things are at every good university nowadays. Even the most popular social fraternities typically can come near the acceptance statistics of the professional Michigan fraternities. Fiji’s winter rush this year had around 200 kids for about 15 spots.
On top of that, I personally feel that the typical university student is simply unaware of the dearth of opportunities available for career advancement. As I am a business major, I’ll speak about Ross’s opportunities only. You have the consulting clubs like Nexecon, Bond, and 180 degrees. You have finance clubs like Michigan IB club and Michigan Interactive Investments. And you have marketing clubs like Michigan Marketing Club.
And these are all just the extremely selective ones I know of as a freshman. The number of non selective clubs one can join in Ross alone are too numerous to list! There are opportunities, students simply get lost in the flow of school work and forget about them
@Wolverine19 Dearth means scarcity. Based on the examples you gave, I think you mean that there is an abundance or a surfeit of opportunities.
It’s good to know that there are other career-advancement opportunities. But I still think it’s ridiculous that a non-talent-based club is selective. (A talent-based club would be a singing club, a musical ensemble, a sports team, etc.)
I agree with you. The truth of the matter is when you are in the club, you want it to be selective. When you are not, you don’t. The people deciding and choosing are in the club, thus they want it selective.
Sorry you’re right, I got the two words mixed up. And yes, I agree with you about it when it comes to the professional and social fraternities; politics plays a HUGE role in them. Regardless, I still stand by my point that Michigan has more than enough resources in terms of sheer number to help one succeed. It’s just a matter of finding them
