BBA Admission FAQs:

Regular Admission

Q:  What are the essay questions for the Regular Admission application?

1. Why do you want to come to the Ross School of Business?  (500 words)  2. Describe a specific course in the BBA Program you most look forward to taking.  Why do you hope to take this course, and how does it fit with your educational goals? (250 words or less)  3. Which of your regular activities outside the classroom (group or individual) best reflect your most important personal values?  How?  (500 words)

Q:  How can I get help with my application and essays?

Current UM-Ann Arbor students should attend the BBA Information and BBA Application Sessions this fall and winter for information and advice.  Also, we suggest you ask friends and adults who write well to offer their careful, honest critiques of your essays.  Ross Admissions staff, including the Pre-Business Peer Counselors, do not review application essays.  (That would defeat the purpose!)  UM academic advisors, instructors, and writing tutors typically do not review Ross application essays, either.

Q:  How many spaces are available, and what are my chances?

Admission is competitive.  See the 2009 BBA class profile for our most recent admission statistics.  We anticipate having 300 or more Regular Admission spaces available in the 2010 class.

Q:  May I start the BBA Program in the winter, spring, or summer semesters?

No.  There is only one admission cycle each year, and all admitted students start classes in the fall.

Q:  What courses look good to the Admissions Committee?

For current UM-Ann Arbor students, we want to see how well you perform at UM-Ann Arbor, especially in quantitative courses.  We strongly recommend you:

• Take a full load each term (usually 14-16 credits).
• Take courses that are both interesting and challenging to you.  We appreciate all fields of study, as long as you challenge yourself.
• Fulfill the requirements for admission at UM-Ann Arbor, rather than transfer credits from an easier college.
• Take at least two rigorous quantitative courses, including Econ 101 and Calculus I, II, or III.
• Generally speaking, don't forfeit AP or other advanced credit in Calculus by repeating the same course in college.  Instead, follow it with appropriately challenging quantitative work at UM-Ann Arbor.  You could do this by taking either a higher Calculus course or a course in some other challenging quantitative or analytical field.

Q:  Is it OK if I am completing the admission requirements when I submit the on-line application?

YES!  For current UM-Ann Arbor students, we look at your transcript after winter-term grades have been posted.  Transfer applicants must complete all the course and credit requirements by June 4, 2010.

Q:  Do I have to submit my UM transcript with my application?

No.  For current UM-Ann Arbor students, we have access to your transcript already and will review it after winter-term grades have been posted.  All other applicants should include it in the application packet.

Q:  I was not accepted for Preferred Admission.  Will this hurt my chances for Regular Admission?

Not at all!  The two application processes are separate.

Q:  Should I take a foreign language?

Language study broadens your horizons, and many of our students find a direct benefit to language study because business operations have become highly globalized.  However, language study is not a requirement for admission or graduation.

Q:  Do pass/fail courses count against me?

Possibly.  We look for evidence of academic ability as reflected in letter grades, so we suggest you keep mandatory credit/no-credit courses to a minimum.  In the case of optional pass/fail courses for current UM-Ann Arbor students, we have access to the actual letter grade you earned and will recalculate your GPA when reviewing your application.  Transfer applicants must submit evidence of the actual course grades earned in all optional pass/fail courses; review how.

Q:  My grade in a particular course was not very good.  Will this hurt my application?  Should I retake it?

It's usually better to move on to a different course than to repeat a course, as long as you meet the admission requirements.  We judge your overall record, not just one class.  Also, we make some allowance for students to adjust to the academic environment at UM-Ann Arbor during their first semester on campus.

Q:  May I submit letters of recommendation or schedule an admission interview?

No.  These are not part of the BBA application or admission review.

Q:  If I'm not accepted, may I reapply next year?

Yes.  Just keep in mind that the BBA curriculum is a sequenced, three-year program and cannot be accelerated.
 

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