Admit Weekend Wrap-Up (2): Ross

April 14th.

Frontier Airlines flight from SFO to Detroit Wayne County.

Fun fact: Frontier Airlines filed for Chapter11 protection a week earlier (read: bankrupt). Thank goodness they continued their flights but I can tell you: It doesn't feel that great to fly an airline that is low on funds (although that probably applies to all airlines these days). But I was indeed wondering whether these guys were still doing all the necessary maintenance etc. But everything went well.
I got into Detroit in the evening and got my Budget rental car and switched on my Nokia Navigator that was loaded with a US map. Gotta love a phone with GPS built-in. Ann Arbor was a 30min drive and the Holiday Inn Hotel&Suites a nice place to stay. I actually got a full night of sleep. Surprise. ;)

The next day I was welcomed by one of the Ross' admissions people who was extremely friendly and took care of me throughout my entire stay. Before coming to Ross I asked to be put in touch with other international students interested in consulting, as well as possibly attend a class and speak to career counseling.

As it turned out, classes were indeed over and all the rooms (and hallways!) were packed with students working on their MAP presentations (if you don't know what MAP is, check the Ross website). Here is something that the new building will remedy: the Ross School of Business is lacking sufficient study rooms for group studying etc. People were spread out everywhere: Cafeteria, hallways, classrooms, you name it.

I met with several international students throughout my stay. One second year student who had interned with Booz Allen and a first year who will also go into consulting. It seemed that Ross students were tremendously successful in their efforts to get placements in consulting - and also internationals.

I then got a tour of the campus and took a closer look at the almost finished new building. That one is going to be awesome. There will be a lot of daylight in there. I also walked through other areas of the campus to get a feel for Ann Arbor. I loved everything I saw. Oh: Great weather AGAIN, around 19-20 degrees Celsius. Sunny. In the evening three internationals, me and a friend of mine went for drinks in a place called Charlie's and then moved on to "Scorekeepers". You gotta love that name. That place overdoes it on the TV screens and beamers though. (Something I will never understand about US bars. Screens EVERYWHERE)

I got home quite late and almost didnt make it to my appointment with the dean the next day. Yep, the dean took 20mins of his time to speak to me. I also spoke to Al of the Career department.

All in all I got a great impression of both UMich, Ross and Ann Arbor. It's a nice little college town with everything you need as a student including some decent shopping in a nearby mall. When I left, I had a pretty good feeling and could have seen myself attending the school. Especially since they seemed to be quite successful in my designated future career: consulting.

April 17th.

Flying out to Boston and taking Dartmouth coach up to Hanover, NH.
...coming soon...