Applicant to the Ross Business School
Describe the unique qualities that attract you to the specific undergraduate College or School (including preferred admission and dual degree programs) to which you are applying at the University of Michigan. How would that curriculum support your interests? (500 words maximum)
During a family trip to China, one of my strongest memories of the trip was the day we went to a street market. At the market, I saw an intricately designed Russian Doll priced at 100 yuan. My mom noticed the doll too and decided to purchase it. However, to my surprise, she didn’t take out her wallet to pay. Instead, she asked the vendor if 70 yuan was enough. I saw the vendor shift his eyes in contemplation, eventually offering the doll for 80 yuan, which my mom happily agreed to pay. A street over, though, I noticed the same Russian Doll on sale again, but only for 75 yuan. After I saw the doll again, I began to wonder how the same doll could be of different value, and how much more the first vendor could profit than the second.
The street market trip became a catalyst for my interest in business, particularly the consumer-producer relationship and its role in a globalized world. My decision to apply to the University of Michigan’s preferred admission to Ross stems from the program’s ability to fulfill my interests. It offers a first year exploration of liberal arts in another college and the opportunities to engage in global studies. Through the flexibility of a first year coursework in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, I can explore my additional interests in mathematical logic and social issues through classes such as “Probability Theory” (MATH 525) and “Organizing: People, Power, and Change” (SOC 489). These classes can provide me a strong set of skills when I enter my sophomore year at the Ross School of Business.
Also, the Ross business programs offered can expand my interest in consumer–producer relations; some even have a global component. The Washington Campus Course in D.C. is particularly interesting, as I can learn about how public policy is integrated into managerial decisions and strategic planning. The trip, as told from students who experienced it, is something that can “expose us to a world that is bigger and more complex than most undergraduates have experienced.” Being part of a community at the Ross School of Business gives me a chance to be surrounded by others who share my desire to know more about business considerations made in a world with so many different types of consumers.
My interest in consumer reasoning in a globalized world can only be furthered with the University of Michigan and the Ross School of Business’s study abroad program. I’m excited about the Global Study and Intern Programs at Hong Kong and Sydney. I can study at one of these locations, learning about the culture, values, and norms of those around me. I can even use this understanding of another country’s people in a business environment. In the Ross Business School’s offer of an eight-week internship abroad, I can learn how certain methods are used to target consumers because of different values. Ultimately, the opportunities at the University of Michigan and specifically, in the Ross School of Business, will provide me an incomparable groundwork as I further my career.