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The Michigan Ross School of Business is ranked #7 by the U.S. News & World Report, #12 by Forbes, #21 by The Economist, and #26 by the Financial Times. What makes the school top-ranked is their large and influential alumni network, excellent career services, and outstanding value.

The school is home to multiple MBA programs including:

• Full-Time MBA: This full-time MBA program takes an active and rigorous approach to learning with globally-oriented curriculum designed to help you succeed.
• Evening MBA: This part-time MBA program is designed for working professionals who want hands-on curriculum that will help them become a top business mind.
• Weekend MBA: Students in this cohort earn their MBA part-time while gaining the core business skills and intellectual dexterity they need to thrive in business.

So, what exactly is it that helps Michigan Ross stand out in a crowd of MBA programs? We talked to Diana Economy, the Director of Full-Time MBA Admissions, to learn more about the unique qualities that define the School. 

1. What sets your campus culture apart from others? What type of MBA applicants would best be suited to your culture?

I am inspired by our community daily! The pay-it-forward culture here is so strong that it resonates throughout our community and shows up in really powerful ways—from our 80+ peer career coaches who support students in their professional pursuits to our student leaders who engage the passions of their peers to create organizations that support disaster relief recovery, strengthen coding skills, and provide financial assistance to students interning with impact organizations.

At Michigan Ross, you’ll actively want to go outside of your comfort zone because you’ll have a strong support network to back you up if you succeed or if you fail. At Ross diversity is not only welcomed, it thrives. But don’t just take my word for it—actively reach out to students and/or alumni and visit our campus to experience it for yourself.

Pro Tips:

• Reach out to one of our 200+ student ambassadors to learn more about how Ross students support and push one another, what life in Ann Arbor is like, and how our extensive learn-by-doing offerings have allowed them to practice real-world skills amid a supportive community.
• Get to know the alumni community. You aren’t just joining an MBA community for two years, you are joining a community for life. Michigan Ross alumni are in 108 countries across the globe and the network is consistently ranked among the world’s most powerful group of alumni for the help they offer each other, our current students, and even prospective students looking to join our community. LinkedIn offers a helpful feature to see where a school’s alumni live, work and what they do: http://www.linkedin.com/alumni

2. What are the top industries your MBA graduates enter, and how does your program work to develop relationships in those industries for the best career opportunities?

At Michigan Ross, we say “Go Blue, Go Anywhere” because our grads are truly global, in over 108 countries around the world. Ross isn’t just strong in a particular region but in a number of regions across the world.  Last year two-thirds of our grads accepted positions in Chicago or on one of the coasts, and nearly 60% went into tech and consulting last year. In fact, over 40 students went to Amazon alone last year. We also place a significant amount of graduates in Finance, CPG, and Healthcare.

Our alumni network and our association with the University of Michigan (of which 100+ graduate programs are in the Top 10) will be one of your strongest assets if you look to pursue entrepreneurship or if you pursue a more non-traditional post-b-school job. The Career Development Office at Ross works with you to set up personal conversations before you’ve even stepped onto campus to help map out your path and career goals.

You never have to leave Ross to have access to great companies thanks to our active Career Development Office Industry Managers who partner with companies from all different locations and industries.

3. What geographies do most of the MBA’s who enter your program come from? 

Our student community hails from geographies all over the world and includes students from 40 different countries. Domestically, our largest source of students is consistently New York followed by Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, and San Francisco. Internationally, the greatest number of our students come from India, China, Brazil, and Japan.

4. In regards to the student experience, what sets your program apart?

If you learn best by doing, there is no better place to get your MBA than Michigan Ross. With our signature seven-week, full-time MAP as part of your core curriculum, you will spend your entire term prior to your internship applying the frameworks you’ve learned in the classroom to a real business challenge – all while supported by expert faculty. Your MAP project is fully funded by your company or sponsoring organization and could take you to advising a Fortune 100 company to a non-profit based in an emerging market.

Nearly half of the projects are outside of the United States and projects span all geographic regions, industries, and functions. At seven full weeks, MAP essentially serves as a second internship and tremendous opportunity to practice what you’re learning in the classroom in real-time.

The Living Business Leadership Experience is our latest innovation in action-based learning where students manage a real business, working directly with senior-level executives and under the guidance of faculty.  It is this practical experience that allows you to test your knowledge of the fundamentals, build important leadership and teamwork skills, and elevate your “personal brand” by demonstrating the value you can bring to a team, organization and a real business.

Michigan Ross wasn’t the only school to answer these questions. If you’d like to see what the admissions teams at Berkeley Haas, Cornell Johnson, Duke Fuqua, NYU Stern, UVA Darden, and Yale SOM had to say, head here.