The MBA Exchange is featuring a series of articles showcasing graduate management programs that our 2,000 clients have found most rewarding.  Our content is compiled from a number of credible sources and articles and expanded with our own observations based on nearly two decades of advising applicants. This profile looks at the University of Michigan Ross School MBA Program.

Action-based learning defines “The Ross difference” and is perhaps why it is consistently at the top of many of our clients’ b-school lists. So, you ask, what is action-based learning? It’s an approach to management education that will prepare you to first probe for the questions that need to be asked. Then, it will inform you as you identify solutions and finally, it will equip you to lead teams effectively to act on those solutions. Given the truly dynamic business universe you will face after your MBA, the action-based education at Ross can a real advantage for future general managers.  Regardless of your future path, you can find what you want and need at Ross – while never #1, it’s ranked among the top-10 programs in nearly all business disciplines.

Nestled in the classic college town of Ann Arbor,  Michigan, Ross occupies a special place on campus and in the community. The school’s magnificent 270,000 square-foot building hums with the energy of study groups, project teams, and rigorous classes. Innovative and high-tech, Ross embodies the university’s commitment to environmental sustainability. Students stay connected and informed through the blog iMpact. The Office of Student Life (OSL) is also a valuable resource, providing support starting with transition resources for new students to overseeing the more than 70 clubs and organizations.

Action-based learning also prepares students to bridge theory and practice. The core curriculum and electives  are complemented by institutes and centers in which faculty, students and experts work together on consulting projects, business plan competitions, global research initiatives and industry conferences. The Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise focuses on doing good for our planet through interdisciplinary research and education initiatives. Many of our clients have fanned their entrepreneurial passions at The Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. 

Ann Arbor and the U of M have a special town-gown relationship. This quintessential college town is highly literary community with many independent booksellers (it’s home to the original Borders book store, alas, now closed) and has a very active cultural scene: folk music stalwart The Ark is here, and U of M’s Hill Auditorium is renowned for being “acoustically perfect.” The expanded University of Michigan Museum of Art and is just around the corner from Ross and “The Big House” is bigger with renovation to this massive stadium complete by kickoff in Fall 2010.  It feels as if Saturday afternoon football was
practically invented here!  Rooting for the Wolverines during a Midwest autumn weekend in the company of Ross classmates is an experience that you’ll never forget. GO BLUE!! (Unless you’re on a fan of the hated Ohio State Buckeyes, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.)

If this is an MBA program that appeals to you, please visit our website for a free evaluation of your candidacy.   If you are wondering how to get into Michigan, contact The MBA Exchange admissions consultants - including former admissions officers and MBA grads – who can help you develop a strategy and tactics to maximize your chances for admission at this and other  top-tier b-schools.