<p>Few questions for people in the program/that are more knowledgeable:</p>
<p>How important is gpa, courseload, and EC?</p>
<p>Just finished first semester...didn't take econ yet but I made the "mistake" of taking higher level philosophy and history classes along with calc 101 and english. I learned a lot and I liked the classes but i'm starting to regret it because my gpa took a hit...(~3.2). Most of my friends are taking classes like soc 100, anthro, etc. and getting easy 3.8, 4.0's.</p>
<p>I'm wondering if </p>
<p>a. My courseload will be able to somewhat offset my low gpa
b. If they take a look at trends as they did in high school (higher gpa second semester)</p>
<p>and</p>
<p>c. How much they weigh extracurriculars. I started a small graphics "company" last year that basically grew beyond what I imagined first semester his year and became a huge time sink for me.</p>
<p>3.2 GPA is on the low side for Ross. Typically, successfull applicants have 3.5+ GPAs while taking challenging and relevant courses. Of course, GPAs range from 3.0 to 4.0 with the bulk being between 3.3 and 3.9. The average is 3.6. </p>
<p>English and Calculus are fine, but why did you not take Economics? Secondly, courseload is important, but again, your not taking Economics does not help your cause. You only have two semesters to make your case, you should take Economics each of your first two semesters. </p>
<p>At any rate, if you take Economics next term and manage a 3.6+ GPA your second trimester, you should be ok, provided you write good essays.</p>
<p>My D had a very strong first semester but did not take calc or econ, having taking them in HS with a 4 and a 5 of the AP exams. (She did have an honors math class--cryptology--which was good for her analytical thinking.) I think she will do well next semester but again her courseload is more in the social sciences. Will this be a strong negative?</p>
<p>I know she can write good essays, but she has yet to become involved in ECs in Michigan other than being fundraising chair for her sorority pledge class. Adjusting to Mi from So Cal took some time. She will get involved in something in January. Are there particular involvements that are preferred?</p>
<p>My counselor told me to take econ second semester for some reason. She also suggest not to take two semesters of econ.</p>
<p>Here's my full schedule next semester:</p>
<p>Stats 350
History 211
Econ 101
Phil 355</p>
<p>I only took three classes 1st semester...less than challenging actually. If I manage a 3.8+ next semester will Ross take improvement into account? I ended up with around a 3.0-3.1 for 1st semester...</p>
<p>I too took a very difficult courseload freshman year (Orgo I, II, Calc III, IV, MCDB 300, GTbooks I, II, Bio 225 and others). I got a very low GPA (3.08 first semester and 3.45 second semester) and I got in to the Bschool. I did have pretty strong extracurriculars but I don't think my essays were amazing.<br>
It's hard to see if the courselaod is gonna offset your GPA. And yes, they do look at trends, which probably helped me a lot.</p>
<p>Oops, I was posting my last one as you were. Now, seeing that you only took three classes first semester, I'd load up second semester. If you're absolutely sure Bschool is what you want, take 18 credits, take extremely difficult classes, and work you're butt off. I don't think you're current winter schedule's gonna cut it. Just my two cents.</p>
<p>what are considered extremely difficult classes? It seems the "harder" classes are math/bio/physics classes but I'd rather not take them unless I have to. That leaves me with the humanities which is why i'm taking phil 355. Many of the other "tough" humanities classes have prereqs so I can't take them even if I want to.</p>
<p>oh, and i'm reading through the bba site to make sure I don't ask the same questions over again and I saw this:</p>
<p>A: There is no 'weighting' system - everything you submit in your application is reviewed in assessing your candidacy. Every part of the application is important, especially when competing against many other excellent students. Additionally, the following areas are key components in our assessment:</p>
<p>Grades, as well as strong quantitative skills and the rigor of your curriculum</p>
<p>Essay quality and writing skills throughout the application</p>
<p>Extra-curricular depth in college - the Admissions Committee values quality over quantity, uniqueness over generic, and action over participation</p>
<p>I also remember the adcom saying during a private information session that essays are a huge part of the app.</p>
<p>At this point i'm just wondering if I pull a 4.0 or nearly a 4.0 next semester with a tough courseload (provided excellent essays and EC's) do I still hold a shot or did 1st semester effectively screw me over? If I can pull a near 4.0 my overall gpa will be around a 3.5-3.6</p>