Ross Admissions Director Blog

Dumb questions

The AdComm knows that applicants want to put their best foot forward and as a result, many resist asking us questions that they think may detract from their candidacy. Instead, they ask questions that are clearly best answered by the Admissions Committee to our students, our alumni, admissions consultants or even other applicants. I was at an info session recently where one of the attendees said, "I have a question for one of the alumni: what is the admissions committee looking for in the interviews?" I was standing up there alongside ten alumni and couldn't resist interjecting that I might be able to provide a good perspective on that.

Similarly, I've seen candidates pose questions on online forums about our essays or our process, and fellow forum participants, none of whom are Admissions Committee members, weigh in on what they think the answer might be. We've also seen admissions consultants try to give guidance on answering our essay questions based on their interpretation of what we're looking for.

To all those seeking an answer to what they're afraid might be seen as a "dumb question," I encourage you to email us directly (RossMBA@umich.edu) to get answers straight from the makers of the questions and the process. We try our best to answer every question, and if there is a question that seems to be asked frequently, I will post the question and a response here or in our newsletter (if it requires a lengthier, more detailed response).

So here's a paraphrased question from a participant in the online chat we did with accepted.com yesterday (the transcript will be available next week): "I've heard that Ross weights a GPA more heavily than the GMAT. Is that true and what if my GPA is low?" Answer: Not true. Don't fret about your GPA; it's too late to remedy that. BUT, there are ways you can demonstrate your academic ability in general, and your quantitative skills in particular (e.g., you work(ed) in a quantitative field, you took a post-undergraduate course in a quantitative subject, you scored very well on the GMAT, especially the quant section, etc.) Bottom line is that a lower than average GPA will not eliminate you from consideration.

Feel free to send your questions our way! We hope to make the process as transparent and stress-free as an application process can be.

To call or not to call? That is our question.

You may have heard that Ross admissions staff personally call most admitted students (time zones permitting) a few days before decisions are officially released. Guessing the date on which those calls would begin and the order in which they were being made has become an MBA candidate online sport. Last year, I posed the question (on this blog) whether we should discontinue the pre-release calls. We were in the middle of the admissions process at the time, so I think the opinions may have been influenced by where folks were in the process.

So I wanted to put the question out there again, before you've submitted an app. Would you prefer to find out the good news online or would you prefer to get a call (on or possibly before the official notification date)? Discuss.

Should I retake the TOEFL?

I just returned from a recruiting trip to Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Other than the weather (why did I pick the hottest time of year to go to Asia?!), it was a great trip. I met some well-prepared MBA candidates and enthusiastic alumni, and got to experience (by smell only) stinky tofu (I couldn't bring myself to eat it).

One of the issues that seemed to be a source of anxiety was the TOEFL and what our requirements around it are. We state on our website that "we strongly recommend a TOEFL score of 100 or higher on the IBT." Note that it doesn't say "a minimum score." In addition to the total score, we also look carefully at the sub-scores, with a particular focus on the speaking and listening scores, as strong speaking and listening skills are critical for success in our program. That's not to say that reading and writing aren't important; they are. But speaking and listening are particularly important in a program that requires a lot of participation in the classroom as well as dialogue with MAP sponsors and recruiters. This may be quite different from the expectations of and experience in other graduate programs where the work may be more independent, primarily lecture- and research-based, and writing-intensive.

Candidates in every country tried to pin me down to citing a "cutoff," to help them decide whether they should retake the test. It's not so cut and dry. We don't reject all applicants who score below 100 in total and 25's in the speaking and listening subscores. We look at other indicators of an applicant's English proficiency including the GMAT AWA (not just the score but also the actual writing sample) and interviews. We won't use application essays to evaluate your English proficiency as writing skills are often more easily mastered than speaking and listening skills.

A data point that may be useful to know is that the average TOEFL score of our incoming students is 108. So even though we recommend a total score of at least 100, the applicants who were successful in this year's admissions process scored higher.

There's applicant lore out there that we will "ding" someone who has taken the TOEFL numerous times. The truth is, schools don't know how many times you've taken it unless you self-report it, honestly. But I'd caution against taking it numerous times in pursuit of a perfect score. You'll still need to go through an interview - in English. And interviewers won't be asking you TOEFL-type questions. We'll want to have a real conversation with you. Studying to ace the TOEFL won't help you much with having an engaging and informative conversation with an admissions interviewer.

Finally, I wanted to mention that I'll be tweeting updates about what the Admissions Committee and I are up to. Username: @MichRossAD (for Admissions Director). We're currently having discussions about revising the interview process. Stay tuned for more on that in the coming month.

Authenticity and Admissions Consultants

Business schools are well aware that many applicants pay hired guns to assist them with the application process. Candidates may think that admissions directors categorically view admissions consultants as a negative element in the admissions process. Not true. If consultants have relationships with schools, they can help disseminate information about each school’s programs and their application processes. For that reason, I, along with admissions directors at other top schools, participated in a conference organized by the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC), as mentioned in Poets and Quants last year. The conference provided admissions directors and admissions consultants an opportunity to exchange insights about the MBA market and our schools.

My occasional concern is that applicants will feel like they need to pay admissions consultants to get the “inside scoop” on what Admissions Committees are looking for. The best source of that information is the schools themselves – through our blogs, newsletters, info sessions and application workshops. As Ross applicants from previous years know, I try to make our process transparent to minimize the mystery and stress. Often, the advice may sound broad and general, but that’s because there is truly no “formula” for admission. There is a wide range of candidate profiles, stories and stats that have been successful in the admissions process, so to prescribe a certain approach or a certain profile to portray would be misguided. And if anyone tries to convince you that they know what it takes to be admitted to a school, they must have a crystal ball that admissions directors don’t have. Even I can’t perfectly predict where I will land on an applicant.

Some admissions consultants can be helpful in guiding candidates through their application journey. I met with a few while I was in Brazil a couple weeks ago – to learn about how they assist their clients, to hear their perspectives on the MBA applicant market in Brazil, and to exchange insights on candidates that would be a good fit at Ross. I was pleased to learn that they approach the relationship with applicants as that of a coach. They clearly knew each of their candidates well and were very selective about whom they were willing to advise. They remembered not only their names, but also their life stories, priorities and circumstances.

If you choose to go the consultant route, here are some things to be mindful of:

1. Consultants who claim to have “inside” knowledge of the MBA process or to have reengineered a school’s admissions process are almost certainly overstating the case. Putting aside the question of the accuracy of such claims, schools regularly re-evaluate and revise their admissions and evaluation processes. So someone who worked at a school in the past is unlikely to have current insight into a school’s processes.
2. Run away from consultants who offer to write or heavily edit your essays for you. If there’s any hint of an application not being your own work, your chances of admission are doomed.
3. Similarly, steer clear of consultants who provide you with a template for essays that have been successful in the past. If they’re offering it to you, they’re offering it to other applicants. An off-the-shelf approach to essays is a sure way to distinguish yourself – in a negative way.
4. Beware of admissions consultants who inflate or falsify their credentials (e.g., their title, length of employment, responsibilities or all of the above). If they’re willing to bend the truth about themselves, they may lead you down a similar, less-than-truthful path. Like many schools, we verify admitted students’ credentials to ensure that our students have done what they say they’ve done. If a consultant’s credentials are part of the appeal of a particular consultant, you would be well-served to do some due diligence before hiring him/her.

All that said, the majority of applicants don’t use consultants. And you don’t need to use a consultant to be successful in the admissions process. I give more credit to an applicant who submits a self-produced account of their experiences, goals and perspectives than an applicant who submits a perfectly packaged version that reflects someone else’s thoughts, capabilities and work. Can we always tell the difference? No. But if a person’s true capabilities don’t undo them during the admissions process, it will certainly catch up with them during business school or beyond.